Food Safety
At Big Country Raw, we work diligently to provide the best and safest raw pet food on the market. Safety and quality, along with education and knowledge-sharing with the Canadian raw feeding community are the pillars of our company. It always saddens us when misleading, alarmist claims are made against raw food.
Is Kibble Safer Than Raw?
We would like to reassure our customers about the safety of our food. We are aware of what the Public Health Agency of Canada is saying about raw pet food being a potential carrier of multi-resistant Salmonella, and we take this statement very seriously, as antibiotic-resistant bacteria are a real concern. As Canadian pet food manufacturing is not regulated, it’s important to know and trust the source of what your pets are eating and the safety and nutrition protocols the company follows. All raw pet food is not created equal.
However, manufacturing processes should not be considered the only culprit in this current situation. Over-prescription of antibiotics without actual bacterial testing, in both bad farming practices as well as in pet health care, are an additional source of the problem. Not to mention that kibble can also be contaminated with harmful bacteria, and currently, there is a major kibble recall in the US for cross-contamination of Salmonella with children.
We would like to speak about what we do, here at Big Country Raw, regarding food safety and remind pet parents of the importance of safe handling of any type of pet food.
The past decade has shown us that processed foods are much more prone to be contaminated with harmful bacteria, as per the numerous recalls. In fact “since 2007, at least 132 people are known to have contracted Salmonella from dry food” and none from raw. Another study made on fecal bacterial profiles on dogs showed that 96% of dogs (132 dogs between 2005 and 2006 in Ontario) were shedding antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, and since raw fed dogs are far from being 96% of the population, we can clearly see that commercial high processing practice does not solve the issue (Feeding Dogs, 2020).
Our Food Safety Protocols and HACCP Certification
Our goal is to ensure that food safety and quality is consistently maintained. We are a HACCP certified facility. What does that mean? It means we have developed and implemented a HACCP plan (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) into our daily processes.
HACCP has a systematic preventive approach to food safety where a HACCP team have analyzed all biological, chemical, and physical hazards that can cause the finished product to be unsafe and designed control measures to reduce the risks to a safe level. Our HACCP team is multidisciplinary and knowledgeable in areas such as: Food safety, food production, sanitation, preventative maintenance, animal nutrition, transportation, etc.
Our raw materials, including packaging used for our products, are selected following written procedures to ensure our products are made of the best quality on the market. Our suppliers are approved by our trained team following a strict procedure of compliance. We require a certificate of analysis, letter of guarantee, proof of CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection Agency), OMAFRA (Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs), FDA (Food and Drug Administration) compliance, certifications for food safety, etc.
Our ingredients are received and inspected for food safety compliance and stored by trained personnel following storage procedures.
Our production employees are responsible for food safety inspections and trace recording for all the products made in our facility. They record information such as lot from supplier, temperature of the raw material, packaging information, weight, etc. They are trained in Good Manufacturing Practices and product specifications. We have metal detectors for all products made at our facility.
We have verification procedures in place for sanitation, allergen control, calibrations, etc. and continuously inspect all buildings and equipment to maintain a safe environment to produce our pet food products.
Our products are transported in our own fleet, we move them and do home delivery or retailers. Our drivers are trained on food defense principles, food safety and HACCP. They do monitor temperature of all deliveries and report into our system their findings.
Safe Handling of (any) Pet Food
Working towards food safety is a shared responsibility. Be assured we do everything we can to ensure our raw pet food is consistently manufactured under strict protocols. To ensure safety, we still urge our customers to follow these simple steps when handling ANY type of pet food:
– Wash your hands, surfaces, bowls, and utensils with warm soapy water after serving pet food to your pet.
– Do not leave the bowl unattended, wash directly after use.
– Keep the raw food frozen until use. Thaw in the refrigerator in a container, at the bottom of the refrigerator.
– Cover unused portions and use within 3 days of thawing.
– Pick up your pet’s stool regularly and do not let your dog lick your face right after a meal.
– Make sure to use stainless steel or ceramic bowl – for both food and water.
As always, if you have any questions about our products, our customer service team is happy to help!
Give us a call: 905-957-2717 or send a message to: info@bigcountryraw.ca