Pet food
In addition to meat and meat products, pet food can also be labelled with the Initiative Tierwohl Seal. This seal informs dog and cat owners that the meat or meat content in the product comes from a participating company in the Initiative Tierwohl. Within the value chain, animal by-products generated during food production at ITW-approved companies can now also be identified in pet food. The labelling allows producers to market ITW-products as such and enables consumers to consider animal welfare when purchasing pet food.
Interested? Pet Food at a Glance – The Most Important Information in a Nutshell:
How can my company be a participant?
- Any company in the pet food industry can register with the “ITW for Pet Food” and, after passing the initial audit, label its own products with the product seal.
- A prerequisite for participation is QS certification
- Regular audits verify compliance with the ITW requirements, which are based on the proven standard of the FEDIAF European Petfood Code.
- The ITW Pet Food Requirements Catalog can be found in the “Information for Pet Food” download section on the ITW website. This creates a uniform labelling system for the entire pet food industry and ensures that animal welfare is taken into account in an unprecedented way within this product segment.
Which companies can participate?
- Participating slaughtering/deboning plants from the food chain of the QS scheme and the ITW supply the raw materials for the pet food process chain.
- The pet food process chain encompasses the entire pet food industry and includes transport service providers and warehouse operators as well as food processing companies that, for example, process animal fats and proteins, as well as pet food manufacturers, wholesalers, brokers, and private labeling.
Which products can be labelled?
The following product groups for dog and cat food can be labelled with the ITW Pet Food Seal in the first phase:
- Raw pet food
- Chew toys
- Dry food & snacks
- Processed pet food in cans and other containers
Who works with whom: The partners and their roles in the pet food process chain
Abattoirs
The abattoir directs animal by-products from ITW animals into the pet food supply chain. Livestock owners receive an animal welfare price surcharge from the abattoir for their ITW animals. The meat from these animals enters the food supply chain.
Storage / Transport
Transport companies and warehouse operators in the ITW pet food scheme transport and store animal by-products (Category 3 raw materials) that they obtain from abattoirs and, in the next step, forward them either to food processing companies (for raw material preparation) or directly to manufacturing companies (pet food plants).
Food processing company
Food processing companies process animal by-products, such as separating animal fats, proteins, or meat from bones. The processed raw material is sent to the pet food company for further processing.
Pet food company
The pet food plant uses meat and animal by-products, as well as processed raw materials, to manufacture pet food and flavor-enhancing meat extracts.
Wholesale
Companies engaged in commercial activities as defined by the pet food guideline. Wholesalers purchase products from pet food manufacturers and may store them. Wholesalers are also authorized to perform the following processes: primary packaging, order picking, repalletizing, sleeving, freezing, and thawing.
Broker
Companies that engage in trading activities, act as sales agents for manufacturing companies, or are listed as distributors of goods. Brokers may be the owners of the goods without actually possessing them or coming into contact with them. They may organize logistics operations in their own name or through service providers.
Private labelers
Any company that sells pet food under its own brand name or company name as ITW-products manufactured by another company is engaging in private labelling. In this process, the private labeler can have the pet food manufactured by another company (a contract manufacturer) according to its own requirements, or it can purchase the product directly from the manufacturer without specifying any particular requirements and sell it under its own name.
Trade
Participating ITW retailers source their products from certified pet food manufacturers or through wholesalers, brokers, or private labelers. Only these retailers are authorized to offer ITW pet food products bearing the Initiative Tierwohl Seal to final consumers.