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Manufacturing Controls

Anyone who handles ruminant feeds and also handles ruminant meat-and-bone meal or feeds containing it, must have procedures in place to prevent cross-contamination. This requirement has been in place since 1997 and continues to apply to anyone handling ruminant meat-and-bone meal ('prohibited material'), including renderers, feed manufacturers, distributors and retailers, producers, and transporters.

Feed manufacturers must have procedures to prevent cross-contamination

It is your responsibility to have documented procedures for each feed manufacturing site to prevent the mixing or contamination of ruminant feed with ruminant meat-and-bone meal.  Appropriate procedures include, but are not limited to: sweeping, vacuuming, washing or other physical means of cleaning to remove visible amounts of material from equipment or conveyances; flushing of equipment; and sequencing of feed production. 

It is also your responsibility to ensure that these procedures are followed from the time the meat-and-bone meal or feed containing it is received to the time it leaves your facility, and to keep written records to show that the procedures were followed. 

During an inspection, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) will assess the adequacy of your written procedures and documentation for all of your equipment including receiving, ingredient storage and handling, ingredient processing, mixing, pelleting/extruding (including pellet mill/extruder, cooler and sifter/shaker), packaging, bulk finished feed storage and handling, and delivery vehicles.

Your clean out procedures and production records must be in writing and contain the following information:

  • The name of the piece of equipment to which the production record refers;
  • The manufacturing date(s);
  • The name of the feeds in the order which they pass through the equipment;
  • The information used to identify each lot of feed;
  • The amount of each feed;
  • Information as to whether the feed contains any “prohibited material”;
  • Details of any feed safety precautions taken between batches of feed, e.g., equipment clean out procedures including the amount and type of flush material.

If you fail to follow your clean-out procedures, any product immediately following ruminant meat-and-bone meal must be marked with the required warning statement. It is important to keep in mind that any flush feed must also be marked with the required warning statement.

Recovered materials

Returned or recalled feeds, and flush or recovered materials must be handled in accordance with local environmental regulations. If the feed contains “prohibited materials” it may only be used as an ingredient in non-ruminant feeds labeled as containing “prohibited material”.  When stored, the returned/recalled feed must be labeled with the required warning statement. The establishment must have evidence documenting these procedures.