However, there is zero tolerance for the bacteria in pet food due to the human contact. Starkey pointed out the various Salmonella survival times, which can be as much as 300 days in sweeper dust, so he encouraged attendees to dry clean plants as water accelerates any contamination. One theory Starkey threw out is that products are not being recontaminated but that injured Salmonella cells are being revived. He questioned whether trucks need to be sanitized instead of just cleaned out and maintained that pests be eliminated from plants using food grade products. Starkey recommended cleaning cracks and crevices, storage bins, under equipment, in equipment, and in hollow places. “You can’t sanitize what you can’t clean,” he noted, adding that cleaning means removing debris whereas sanitizing is destroying microbes by chemical or physical means. Other areas of concern for possible Salmonella contamination is where condensate builds up such as in crax, dog houses, and transition areas. “The higher the moisture, the higher the contamination risk,” Starkey stated, reminding attendees that thermal processing kills Salmonella so it is important to establish parameters (time, temperature, moisture level, etc.) for each step in the plant. Starkey went on to say that testing products is a big deal, especially in an effort to find problem areas within the plant. Renderers should use aseptic sampling of products – wash hands, use gloves, and use wipes to clean equipment and sample containers. Jessica Meisinger, National Renderers Association (NRA), highlighted various research projects conducted by the Fats and Proteins Research Foundation and Animal Co-Products Research and Education Center (ACREC) at Clemson University. Some of the robust research currently underway includes replacing fish oil with tallow, yellow grease as a fat addition to dried distillers grains with solubles (final report just in), phosphorous and amino acid digestibility of meat and bone meal, and adding value to rendered products in relation to aquaculture. Meisinger noted that Greg Aldrich, Kansas State University, is starting two pet food research projects that renderers are excited about and the Poultry Protein and Fat Council (PPFC) has co-funded. PPFC has also been an important partner in ACREC research that focuses on engineering, plant operations, and innovative technologies, with some moving on to commercialization. She then announced that NRA has a blog at renderingisrecycling.com. Expectations of pet food manufacturers were discussed by Roger Lund, Ainsworth Pet Nutrition. “One thing is for sure, we need you and hopefully you need us too,” he proclaimed, then revealed that renderers are audited and approved by Ainsworth before chosen as an ingredient supplier. Requirements include HACCP programs and good manufacturing practices in place, such as no hanging insulation, chemicals, or glass and metal; magnets at load-out; and a track, trace, and recall plan. Ainsworth also requires certification from the Global Food Safety Initiative or Safe Quality Food Institute, which Lund noted some renderers are going through. He highlighted a few of the challenges for producers (renderers) as being multiple pet food customer specifications, continuous material flow due to limited bulk Brandon Lairmore, left, Pilgrim’s, explains rendered product yields to Dr. Ken Wilson, Simmons Foods, Inc. storage of manufacturers, and changing customer delivery requests due to production schedule modifications. Challenges for pet food manufacturers include inexperienced research and development formulators, multiple suppliers of each ingredient resulting in variance of product, and ways of inspecting (color chart, near infrared, etc.). Pet food companies are also often faced with trying to forecast what their customer needs are so delivery time/days may change due to lack of bulk storage. Pet food ingredient buyers have expectations in an effort to work together and “quiet the noise,” as Lund put it. He advised renderers to get certified and develop relationships with a pet food company’s quality assurance, research and development, and customer service people. Lund noted that Ainsworth is trying to educate consumers that animal byproducts are excellent for pets, yet the term is somehow perceived as negative among consumers. Ken Futch, Ken Futch and Associates, focused on communicating with the changing workforce by telling the story of how he shot himself in the head. “Just because you do something stupid doesn’t mean you are stupid,” he explained, then discussed the four generations in the workforce: traditionalists (born 1920s-1940s), Baby Boomers (born 1940s-1960s), Generation X (born 1960s-1980s), and Generation Y or Millennials (born 1980s-2000s). He reported there are 50 million Generation X and 88 million Millennials in the workforce today, with Millennials craving positive feedstock more than any other group. Yet Futch said feedback is often avoided in today’s work environment due to lack of time, being unsure of how to give or the importance of feedback, fear of conflict, unknown details of work performance, and cultural problems with compliments. He encouraged attendees to “make deposits first,” meaning give positive feedback too, not just negative or employees will think you’re after them, and be specific – let them know why it was a good job. Futch said supervisors need to help others recognize their own strengths and talents and “be real” to workers, admitting their own mistakes and sharing failure stories. Continued on page 18 www.rendermagazine.com Render December 2013 17
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