Information needed about meat intended for petfood industry

Dear all,

I need information regarding  treatment of meat intended for petfood in New Zealand.

In Europe cat 1 material, animal waste for destruction, need to be identified with (blue) paint to guarantee this is not used in human food or pet food.

Today, I found, products from New Zealand (meat, naked frozen) with blue paint. The label said this was intended for pet food. The customer, wholesaler in Eruope, said this is the way category 3 material (= not fit for human consumption but intended for pet food) is identified on this way in New Zealand.

Can some one confirm this?

No meat experts from New Zealand on this forum?

I'll bump this for you Madam A. D-tor and will give it a special mention in this weeks newsletter for you.

Dear Madame A.D-tor,

Is the blue paint validated as safe for consumption by pets ?

Based on a few previous threads here (not NZ-related) the topic of waste materials used for pet food can be a distinctly "grey" area.

My first reaction would simply be to ask the purveyor of this painted material to validate his claim.

Rgds / Charles.C

PS - i did some searching within NZ import regulations concerning petfood/ petfood-related materials. i could find no mention of either category 3 or blue paint. But absence does not necessarily prove non-existence.

Thanks Charles.

I could not even find the (blue) paint in the European legislation (1069/2009). Though I am quite sure it is used here for the reason of identification of cat 1 material (previous: specific risk material) Or perhaps used to be used this way. Do not remember when I saw this the last time, but actually it is not really a focus of mine, during audits.

My client had ask about the paint to his supplier, who indicates the paint was used to identify materials for pet food next to materials for human consumption.

All materials are checked on the border by the authorities, so I assume this is correct business.

I just wanted to be sure about it.

It is a good question if the paint used (not always blue) is suitable for consumption by pets.

On the other hand my client never had complaints or remarks about it from their customers (pet food industry), so it might be common business in the industry.

N.B. The terms cat(egory) 1, cat 2 and cat 3 are probably specific European terms for animal waste and probably not international.

I used to work for a beef patty factory (in Australia so under FSANZ and ANZFA) and they use blue paint to identify pet food. I could probably contact my old Quality boss who still works there for the relevant legislation/standard if you're still having trouble. 

I used to work for a beef patty factory (in Australia so under FSANZ and ANZFA) and they use blue paint to identify pet food. I could probably contact my old Quality boss who still works there for the relevant legislation/standard if you're still having trouble. 

Thks for input.

Personally, I am definitely curious regarding the toxicity / safe-for-pets-to-eat aspects of the mysterious "blue paint".

A while back there was a query regarding the use of "spent' cooking oils for petfood use. Researching this query revealed disturbing details into the grey side of a  large-scale industry.

Hopefully the current thread if ever clarified will demonstrate a better regulated situation.

I used to work for a beef patty factory (in Australia so under FSANZ and ANZFA) and they use blue paint to identify pet food. I could probably contact my old Quality boss who still works there for the relevant legislation/standard if you're still having trouble. 

Dear Wyldlce,

Thanks for your reply.

So you confirm that blue paint is used for pet food. Do you know if this is used to identify these products from products for human consumption or to identify them from material for destruction?

Thanks for your reaction.

Dear Wyldlce,

 

Thanks for your reply.

So you confirm that blue paint is used for pet food. Do you know if this is used to identify these products from products for human consumption or to identify them from material for destruction?

 

Thanks for your reaction.

I'm sorry for the late reply. It's done so that when it's collected, it can't then be used as human grade product. It's basically to prevent the company purchasing the product from using it for something it wasn't meant for and therefore protecting the butt of the company that sold the product.

Thks for input.

 

Personally, I am definitely curious regarding the toxicity / safe-for-pets-to-eat aspects of the mysterious "blue paint".

 

A while back there was a query regarding the use of "spent' cooking oils for petfood use. Researching this query revealed disturbing details into the grey side of a  large-scale industry.

 

Hopefully the current thread if ever clarified will demonstrate a better regulated situation.

It's not really paint, it's blue food dye. Paint is an incorrect term. 

Dear Wyldlce,

 

Thanks for your reply.

So you confirm that blue paint is used for pet food. Do you know if this is used to identify these products from products for human consumption or to identify them from material for destruction?

 

Thanks for your reaction.

In Australia meat is marked with blue dye (Brilliant Blue FCF) to indicate that it is NOT fit for human consumption and has been designated as pet meat. This blue dye must be visible throughout any pet mince!!!

It is true, in Australia meat must be marked with Brilliant Blue dye if not for human consumption. The abattoir has to do it in order to stay in operation, it's a legal requirement.

Brilliant Blue FCF (Blue 1) is a synthetic organic compound used primarily as a blue colorant for processed foods, medications, dietary supplements, and cosmetics. It is classified as a triarylmethane dye and is known under various names, such as FD&C Blue No. 1 or Acid Blue 9. It is denoted by E number E133 and has a color index of 42090. It has the appearance of a blue powder and is soluble in water and glycerol, with a maximum absorption at about 628 nanometers. It is one of the oldest FDA-approved color additives and is generally considered nontoxic and safe.

5-year old thread.