PET Food Processing - October 2019 - 58

CERTIFICATIONS

Global Animal
Partnership sets
animal welfare
standards, audits
farms and awards
certifications on a
tiered basis to encourage continuous
improvement.
Global Animal Partnership

58

In order to receive that certification from the MSC, the
entire supply chains for Beyond's Alaskan cod, Pacific
tuna and Pacific Northwest hake formulas were audited
based on five key standards: certified supply; clearly
identifiable products; separation between certified and
non-certified products; records of certified products for
traceability; and a good management system to maintain
requirements of the standard. Employees involved in
the supply chain for Beyond were also trained to uphold
MSC standards as part of the certification.
Another certification offered by the MSC is its blue label, which is placed on the packaging of products in the
food and pet food markets that include sustainable wildcaught fish. The blue label tells the consumer that the
seafood is caught mindfully, separated from non-certified seafood along the supply chain, and DNA tested
for traceability. As of 2019, more than 36,000 consumer
products have earned the MSC blue label.
The inclusion of sustainably sourced seafood in pet
food and treats is an important brand attribute for consumers. In a survey conducted by GlobeScan and commissioned by MSC, 76% of pet food purchasers said they
trust the MSC blue label, 59% said ecolabels on fish and
seafood products increased their trust in those particular brands, and 35% admitted they purchase products
with ecolabels to differentiate themselves as consumers.
Another seafood certification tool is the Ocean Wise
Seafood Program, which works directly with seafood
suppliers to help them meet up-to-date sustainable seafood sourcing practices. Friend of the Sea, developed by
the World Sustainability Organization, also focuses on
differentiating sustainable seafood products in the market by certifying seafood suppliers.

The bigger picture
Some organizations are working with pet food and treat
industry companies to decrease their environmental
impact in a broader sense.
The Pet Sustainability Coalition (PSC) is one of those
organizations with the goal of incentivizing suppliers,
manufacturers and pet product retailers to implement
environmentally friendly processes and purchasing decisions through transparency, collaboration, authenticity
and continuous improvement across the supply chain.
PSC works directly with pet industry businesses to develop socially and environmentally conscious policies
that will also drive financial growth in the industry.
In April 2019, PSC unveiled its Positive Impact
Program, which is used to benchmark sustainable
practices for pet food and pet product manufacturers and suppliers. The coalition works with individual companies to develop unique programs for their
brands to measure and improve environmental impact,

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Tender & True Pet Nutrition's slogan is "Certifiably better," which
is supported by a number of certifications seen on its product labels including the MSC blue label for sustainable seafood, USDA
Organic, GAP Animal Welfare and Non-GMO Project Verified.
Tender & True Pet Nutrition

from ingredient sourcing and operations to packaging. The Positive Impact Program is an incentive-based
program that evaluates companies using its Quick
Impact Assessment (QIA) tool, in which globally accredited third-party entities assess strengths and weaknesses for individual companies that are then used to
develop tailor-made sustainability improvement programs. PSC partnered with B-Corporation Certification
to develop its QIA.
The coalition offers other tools for pet food processors, including a four-step accelerator program to uncover and address areas of improvement and how to implement changes. It also has a toolkit of strategic insight
ranging from employee engagement and brand management to supply chain and packaging tips. Additionally,
PSC has proposed a Supply Chain Code of Conduct for
pet food processors, which encourages communication
with suppliers on ethical and sustainable sourcing.
B-Corporation Certification is another benchmark
for social and environmental performance that works
more as an assurance of corporate responsibility instead
of individual products. Working with B-Corporation
can be beneficial for processors who want to become
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