Have you ever wondered how dry pet food is made? When pet owners open a packet for their dogs or cats, they see only the finished kibble. However, a rigorous process underpins its creation, ensuring that each kibble is both highly nutritious and palatable for pets.
Each dry pet food recipe is unique, and every manufacturer employs different practices.
Regulations
According to FEDIAF, the trade body representing the European Pet Food Industry, it is vital that pets receive a safe and nutritionally balanced diet. Pet food is regulated in the same way as human food and must utilise only legally permitted ingredients sourced from registered suppliers.
Common ingredients in pet food include protein sources such as poultry, beef, and fish, as well as vegetables, vitamins, and minerals, all carefully balanced to support pet health.
How Does GA Make Dry Pet Food?
At GA Pet Food Partners, we utilise several specialised processes to create the world’s finest pet food.
Freshtrusion® Technology
We have invested significantly in advanced technology to provide pets with a nutrient-rich diet prepared from freshly sourced ingredients. We call this innovative process Freshtrusion™ technology.
Collected from the Source
The journey begins at our trusted farms and fisheries, where we select only the finest fresh meats and fish. These ingredients are transported under refrigerated conditions to maintain peak freshness before arriving at our production centre of excellence in Lancashire, England, where they undergo extensive quality testing.
Dry Pet Food Process
The cooking process commences in our state-of-the-art Ingredients Kitchen. Here, the fresh meats and oils are prepared while the dry ingredients are carefully weighed. Once this is complete, the ingredients are transported via automated guided vehicles (affectionately known as “camels”) to our production lines, where the latest technology mixes them in preparation for extrusion.
Extrusion
Once the dry ingredients are ready, we ensure that our freshly prepared oils from the meat kitchen are primed for production, while also confirming that the fresh meats are set to be reunited with the oils.
All ingredients are then combined in a pre-conditioner, where steam and water are added to initiate the breakdown of starches before the mixture passes into the extruder barrel.
GA Pet Food Partners is equipped with a Thermal Twin Extruder, enabling us to produce advanced dry pet food recipes with a high fresh-meat content. We then meticulously check each kibble’s density and size to guarantee that only the highest quality pet food is produced.
Drying and Coating
Our ultra-advanced technology ensures a consistent and uniform drying process, allowing for gentle handling and excellent control over each kibble.
Precision vacuum coating technology is then employed to enhance palatability by infusing each kibble’s inner honeycomb structure with precisely measured oils and digest additives. If any deviation from the set parameters is detected, production is halted until accuracy is restored.
The final stage involves further gentle cooling, ensuring that our partners receive only the world’s finest pet food. The cooled kibble is then conveyed for packaging into bags.
Producing the world’s finest dry pet food requires years of investment, dedication, and expertise. We understand how crucial high-quality pet food is to our partners, their customers, and, most importantly, the pets themselves. That is why we never settle for anything less than excellence – the “world’s finest” pet food.
Matthew Aiken
GA Pet Food Partners Marketing Co-Ordinator
Matthew (Matt) Aiken is GA Pet Food Partners’ resident Marketing Coordinator. Matt is the lead content writer for both the Club GA and Knowledge Centre platforms. He graduated from Edge Hill University with a degree in Business and Management. Matt loves exercising, running, biking, and football. He’s also a proud pet parent to a Persian cat called Bonnie-Blue and a French Bulldog called Harley-Blue.
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