Thanks for the kudos

I've known "clean" whole dried egg, that was human grade, pretested, certified, handled properly, by workers wearing gloves using clean new tested equipment, still to come up with a positive test at the end of a production run. So it's not just those with poor sanitary management that can have positive results.

Salmonella I truly believe is in low levels in certain environments and has been due to our increased attention and technology that we are finding positive results.

I also believe that in our increase "sterile" environments in which we live we, and our pets are more susceptible to food borne illnesses which may not of affected us 50 years ago. I think it's similar to the increase in childhood allergies and asthma in kids that don't play outside and have access to dirt when they are young. But then I'm getting into personal opinion and so I'll stop here, before another long post gets started. smile

If it were as easy as a flat stainless steel surface then the solution would be much more simple. Even human food cooking equipment can get a pocket of salmonella where it's almost impossible to eradicate and the machine, or section has to be replaced. The Mars pet food plant was shut down in 2008 and even human food manufacturing plants have been shut down rather than try to eradicate a persistent problem. It's cheaper to start over.

The extrusion process is best explained graphically as it a complicated process and this link simplifies the explanation. http://www.petfoodinstitute.org/Index.cfm?Page=Dr...

You are correct, timing is critical, and there are systems in place that control the staging process. Dry ingredients have water, steam and pressure added just before cooking, with just enough time for processing. Its a very rapid system that processes at least 12,000 lbs of dog food an hour, so it doesn't sit for very long.

So much of the manufacturing process is in a closed system, much larger and complicated than a restaurant. Think of extrusion equipment like a large tube (over a foot in diameter) with screw inside, to move the wet food through a plate at the end with shaped holes. Similar to a Play-Doh fun factory or pasta maker. Wenger Manufacturing is one of the leaders in extrusion equipment http://www.wenger.com/

Age of the equipment is probably the biggest consideration. There are bushings, joints, and even lubrication systems where bacteria can grow. The updated designs of manufacturing systems and equipment has drastically improved over the years to reduce biofilm and bacterial attachment surfaces.

Systems are flushed and sprayed with cleaners and sanitizers, and additives can be added to the formula to kill and prevent growth of salmonella, but there is evidence that resistance strains are increasing.

After cooking and extrusion process there are are additional critical control points. Some flavors and even fat is sprayed on after the extrusion process to increase palatability which can be a source of contamination.

Most of my pet food manufacturing experience came from Oxbow Pet Products, I worked there as part of the nutrition and product development team for over 10 years. Although the ingredients we used were plant based I toured many different manufacturing facilities and researched some meat based processes. I now am involved in marketing and social media for Pet and Kennel Supply, a pet supply distributor.

Sorry for the length, I had a hard time condensing the information. There is a lot more to the topic, and a person can actually get a degree in Pet Technology for Companion Animals. http://ftca.unl.edu/ The industry has come a long way.

They should have changed their website to reflect that the phone lines would be open. Arghh...I guess they don't count on an online network of pet lovers that keep watch on this stuff, the news still gets out, but not the traditional way, or to those not online.

I worked in pet food manufacturing (not dog/cat) and understand the complexity of salmonella testing, http://www.dog411.net/dog-food-companies-and-thei... but still they knew. I'm curious if that plant will open up again, if it's in the equipment it's going to be almost impossible to get out.

Thanks for the welcome and I've put you on my RSS feed, looking forward to sharing information.

What I don't like is that it was posted on Friday night, when their consumer hotline is shut down.
Here's a listing of all 50 products. http://www.cat411.net/more-iams-and-eukanuba-cat-...

Since I've been blogging in just a few short months there have been 3 Iams recalls, two out of the three have been released on the weekend. What is with that?