Questions? Call Us Toll-Free 802-752-4738 | Email Us
Questions? Call Us Toll-Free 802-752-4738 | Email Us
Located in Milton Vermont, we specialize in producing & packaging premium quality extruded products for dogs and cats. Our Product Development team is available to help you bring your new product ideas to market with an emphasis on safety & quality. We are pleased to offer low minimum order size requirements to facilitate the launch of new products for our customers.
Green Mountain Animal, LLC is a complete one-stop shop for all your custom formulation needs for companion animal health products and treats. We are experts in innovative formulation and product quality with the ability to manufacture and source a wide variety of delivery options—including extruded chews, extruded sticks, tablets, capsules, powders, gels and liquids—for your unique product.
As a contract manufacturer of animal health products and treats, we pride ourselves on our commitment to quality and safety throughout the manufacturing process. Contact us today to learn how we can help you create your custom animal health product or treat.
Our experienced product development team can assist you with formulating your custom products to make a product that dogs and cats will crave while working within your budget.
To ensure that your products meet your standards for flavor and texture, we will make small sample batches for you to review. We know your time is valuable so we pride ourselves on our ability to make samples quickly using our small laboratory equipment and our full size extruders.
Dale Metz, CEO of Green Mountain Animal, is the Vice President and a founding member of the National Animal Supplement Council. With his 14 years of experience working with the FDA and Center for Veterinary Medicine, we can help you navigate the confusing world of regulatory compliance.
Green Mountain Animal has relationships with many of the animal rescue groups in our area so we have an ample supply of taste-testers to give us feed back on our flavors. The best formula in the world will not do any good if the animals will not eat it!
We know that you have great ideas for your new products so our facilities allow for a variety of packaging options to suit your needs. Our equipment can handle small or large batch sizes so you do not have to make a major volume commitment when launching a new product.
From formulation and ingredient sourcing to packaging and shipping, Green Mountain Animal does it all to provide you with a finished product that is ready to put on the store shelf.
How do dog food manufacturers in the USA operate? In the US, the most regulated food product is pet food. The pet food manufacturing industry has to follow state and federal requirements. The US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) regulates the ingredients and the finished pet food product. Meanwhile, state regulations regarding pet food require manufacturers to register their products. FDA should accept all the ingredients in pet food. Furthermore, AAFCO (Association of American Feed Officials develops regulations and model bills for pet food, so states adopt it into their respective laws and regulations.
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Pet food manufacturers should follow the rules and regulations in manufacturing units. All the state and federal organizations, such as the Federal Trade Commission, the Food and Drug Administration, and the US Department of Agriculture work to check the product’s quality and standard. The US Department of Agriculture controls the meat’s quality and determines whether manufacturers should use animals for pet food manufacturing.
The FDA will regulate ingredients and set up minimum and maximum limits on different nutrients. Moreover, they ban the use of antibiotics or medications in foods. As children usually consume pet food accidentally, they need to be safe in such conditions.
The Association of American Feed Control Officials is a non-governmental advisory group and represents each state. They register brands and pet food after checking the quality.
About a century ago, manufacturers used undesirable ingredients such as limestone and sand to increase the weight of their product. That is why the guaranteed analysis statement becomes necessary for food labels. According to guaranteed analysis, the product should contain minimum crude fat and crude protein and maximum crude moisture and fiber. Crude is the method for element testing.
Other guarantees will include minimum sodium, calcium, and linoleic acid in dog food. For cat food, this is magnesium, taurine, and ash. The maximum moisture for the canned food should be 78% and 12% moisture for the dry foods.
Manufacturers should properly label pet foods and provide accurate information so purchasers can decide. The AAFCO and the Center for Veterinary Medicine help setup the FDA guidelines. The label should include six elements:
Manufacturers need to add the product name accurately and follow the percentage. Moreover, they should describe the content.
When it comes to grocery items, pet food manufacturers should follow high regulations of the product. Federal and state laws impose various regulations for pet food with regard to the manufacturing process, ingredients, and labeling. Furthermore, all the laws and regulations about pet food should work abiding by the Association of American Feed Control Officials. This organization regulates animal feed such as pet food and treats.
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Members of this organization develop standards about nutritional requirements, ingredient definitions, model laws and regulations, and labeling, and other guidelines for the pet food sector. They also promote standard laws and regulations for pet food, promote interstate commerce, and ensure consumer protection throughout the United States.
On the federal level, FDA, FTC, and USDA regulate pet food. FTC and FDA take claims over labeling and advertising claims. Apart from that, FDA also regulates the finished products and pet food ingredients. Furthermore, FDA imposes requirements on all the other food items for people and pets. They ensure:
FDA and state regulators also regulate pet food plants. Furthermore, they test the ingredients in pet food and finished goods on a timely basis. They confirm that the product has the same nutritional content as the label mentions. These regulations ensure that the products are free from undesirable substances. Suppose the state regulators find the products insufficient and fail to meet the nutritional content. In that case, FDA will issue a warning to manufacturers if they find that the product is unsafe for pets and the environment.
If you want to know more about the state and the federal government’s regulations as related to pet food production, contact us at 802-752-4738. Also, if you want to customize your own pet product, consider Green Mountain Animal LLC, where we ensure that your product is according to government and state regulations.