Gluten Free Certification in Pet Food
Hello all,
I am currently the SQF practitioner at a pet products company in the USA. I have been tasked with doing some research on gluten free claims and certification at the behest of one of our customers.
If anyone here in the IFSQN has any background with gluten free certifying bodies or audits i would be interested in getting in any information you could provide on the process and happily take any advice you could offer.
Any information from someone with experience in certifying a pet food or other animal food products as gluten free would be extremely helpful and greatly appreciated
Kind Regards,
DNA
Googling "gluten free certification" reveals some certifying bodies. However "gluten free" as a claim doesn't require a special certification, it's a voluntary absence claim, you just need to have an allergen program in place to protect the product and confirm via ingredients or lab testing that confirms the product has <20 ppm gluten.
https://www.fda.gov/...80.htm#Labeling
Now if your customer requires some kind of certification because they don't believe you or they want stricter requirements, you should ask them what CB they want you to use. But you have no legal obligation to do so to meet the claim, and it's already illegal to include gluten in a product if you label it gluten free.
Googling "gluten free certification" reveals some certifying bodies. However "gluten free" as a claim doesn't require a special certification, it's a voluntary absence claim, you just need to have an allergen program in place to protect the product and confirm via ingredients or lab testing that confirms the product has <20 ppm gluten.
https://www.fda.gov/...80.htm#Labeling
Now if your customer requires some kind of certification because they don't believe you or they want stricter requirements, you should ask them what CB they want you to use. But you have no legal obligation to do so to meet the claim, and it's already illegal to include gluten in a product if you label it gluten free.
The issue we are having is that this customer happens to be requesting specifically that we back up our claim with a standard such as GFCP or GFCO certification. Saying no to a operation critical customer who happens to be owned by the worlds wealthiest man (not so subtle-hint) doesn't appear to be an option despite our labeling being in compliance with the FDA rule (<20ppm). Our obligation is not legal but if my not so subtle hint made it clear this customer pulling our products could be the death of a business the size of my company.
Hello DNA,
I am pleased to be able to answer any questions you have around the GF road for pet foods. We would take the same approach for manufacturing pet foods as we would for human consumption foods. The requirements would be considered aligned, when it comes to the various checks and balances needed to achieve the desired food safety outcome. An internal documented management system using "Start Clean-Stay Clean" SOP's, combined with effective GMP's and testing for managing the potential for gluten cross contamination, within the manufacturing environment, will all support a good third-party gluten-free certification program . Anyway, feel free to contact me anytime for a chat?
Cheers!
Paul