Pet Food Business

Learn to manage the production, handling and use of different pet foods and nutritional requirements; for all types of pets.

• Explain the nature of pet feed and how products meet nutritional requirements of animals,
• Learn the proper storage practices ensure feed is safe,
• Understand how the production and manufacturing industry leads to quality end-products for pet consumption.    

Lesson Structure

There are 9 lessons in this course:

1. Scope and Nature of Animal Food
   • Introduction to Pet Food Industry
   • Industry origins from 19th century
   • Principles of Taste
   • Principles of Nutrition
   • Ingredients and feed components
   • Protein
   • Carbohydrates
   • Fats
   • Minerals and Vitamins
   • Minerals & Vitamins for Cats, Dogs, Birds, Fish, Reptiles, Rodents and Rabbits
   • Food Categories - dry, semi moist, retorted, pasteurised, chilled, pellets, flakes, etc
2. Processing and Manufacturing
   • Processing technology and equipment
   • Chillers and Freezers
   • Documented Production Practices and Controlling Risks
   • Potential Risks
   • Personal Hygiene
   • Contamination Risk
   • Ingredient Controls - purchasing, receipting, storage, pest control, vleaning, premises and equipment
   • Processing Techniques and Quality
   • Heat Treatment and Process Control
   • Air Exchange Heat Gains
   • Occupancy Heat Gains
   • Heavy Work
   • Lighting Heat Gains
   • Sampling, Testing Calibration
   • Record Keeping
   • Product Tracing and Recall
   • What Triggers a Recall
   • Using Batch Numbers and production Dates
   • Issuing a Recall
   • Voluntary vs Involuntary Recalls
   • Identifying new ingredients - Techniques
   • Insects as a pet food source
   • Insect Meal and Dry Food
   • Insects and Domesticated Fowl
   • Insects as Feed for Dogs and Cats
   • Insects for Fish and other Aquatic Life
   • Insects for Reptiles and Amphibians
   • Insects and Nutrition
   • Gut Lading
   • How to Raise Insects
   • Mealworms
   • Black Soldier Fly Farming
3. Preservation and Storage
   • Introduction
   • Freezing
   • Why Freeze Pet Food
   • Problems with Freezing
   • Vacuum Packaging
   • Refrigeration
   • Chilling Meat
   • Chilling Fish
   • Chilling Milk
   • Drying or Dehydration
   • Storing Produce
   • Vegetables - curing, cooling
   • Storing Root Crops
   • Grain -silos, storage bags, bunkers, underground pits
   • Seeds
   • Cold Storage with or without Humidity Control
   • Cold and Cool Room for Seed Banks
   • Preserving
   • Artificial Preservatives
   • Nitrates and Nitrites
   • Sorbates
   • Antioxidant Preservatives
   • Sulphites
   • Chelating Agents
   • Natural Preservatives
4. Canine Nutrition and Feeding
   • Introduction - Unique Canine Factors
   • Caloric Need Calculations
   • Protein Sources
   • Carbohydrate Sources
   • Fat Sources
   • Raw Diet Controversy, Risks and Benefits
   • Problems with Raw Feeding
   • Canine Digestive System
   • Canine Dietary Requirements
   • Nutrition Depending on Age - puppies, senior dogs, aged dogs
   • Nutrition Depending on Health Status - pregnancy, lactation, underweight
   • Protein Sources - eggs, different meat types
   • Fat Sources - peanut butter, olive oil, flax oil, coconut oil
   • Carbohydrate Sources - rice, sweet potato, pumpkin, etc
   • Probiotics
   • Obese Dog Diets
   • Protein
   • Water
   • Nutrition Depending on Activity
   • Working and High Performance Diet
5. Feline Nutrition and Feeding
   • Introduction - Unique Feline considerations
   • Wet Food versus Dry Food
   • Resting Metabolic Rate Calculation
   • Protein Sources
   • Raw Food Diets Controversy, Risks and Benefits
   • Feline Digestive System
   • Feline Dietary Requirements
   • Nutrition Depending on Age - birth to 12 months, senior and aged
   • Nutrition Depending on Health Status
   • Pregnant or Lactating Diet
   • Underweight Diet
   • Overweight Diet
6. Feeding Birds, Fish, Rodents, Rabbits, and Reptiles
   • Bird Feeding
   • Parrots
   • Pellets for birds
   • Mash/Chop for parrots
   • Seeds, Beans, Nuts - for birds
   • Treats for Birds
   • Bird Feeding Fowl
   • Stages of Growth
   • Feed Components for Fowl
   • Poultry - pellets, grain, mash
   • Chickens
   • Egg layers diet - growers laing feed, layer feed
   • Feed for Broilers - starter feed, finisher feed
   • Duck Diet
   • Turkey Diet
   • Fish Feeding
   • Pelleted Fish Feed
   • Live Fish Feed - Daphnia, Shrimp, Worms
   • Night lights for fish
   • Fishmeal and Oil meals
   • Fish Food Production - beef heart, legumes, seafood & vegetable mix
   • Rodent feeding
   • Mice diet & what to avoid
   • Rat diet and what to avoid
   • Hamster Diet and what to avoid
   • Guinea Pig diet and what to avoid
   • Chinchilla diet and what to avoid
   • Common rodent provisions
   • Rabbit Feeding
   • Rabbit Digestion
   • Rabbit Diet - blended diet, pellets, fresh foods, grasses/ hay, leafy greens, vegetables, calcium
   • Reptile Feeding - snakes, lizards, chelonians
   • Food for reptiles
   • Snakes
   • Chelonians - turtles, tortoises -aquatic, terrestrial
   • Lizards - review of various species
7. Toxins in Animal Foods
   • Toxic Components to Avoid
   • Allium Family plants
   • Responses to Poisoning
   • Responses to Allergies
   • Emergency Response
   • Types of Additives in Pet Foods
   • Antifungals
   • Antioxidants
   • Pellet Binders
   • Feed Flavours
   • Digestion Modifiers
   • Metabolism Modifiers
   • Health Modifiers
   • Consumer Acceptance
8. Regulatory Controls for the Pet Food Industry
   • Introduction
   • HACCP Plan
   • Labelling
   • Ingredient Lists
   • Disposing of Animal By Products
9. Feed Selection, Diet Formulation and End-Product Sales
   • Introduction
   • Ultimate Goals of Pet Food Marketing in store or online
   • Understanding the Purchaser
   • Taking a New Product to Market
   • Wholesaling
   • Retail, Online or Mail Order
   • Online Sales
   • B2B
   • Farmers Markets

Aims

• Describe principles in processing and manufacturing pet food, including techniques to optimise flavour, digestibility, and nutritional value.
• Describe management systems for the prevention and control of contaminants in food preservation and storage, including specific risk management strategies.
• Describe nutritional needs for dogs and specific diet formulation for dogs at different life stages.
• Describe nutritional needs for cats and specific diet formulation for cats at different life stages.
• Describe general nutritional needs for other small pets and examine relevant feeding schedules.
• Explain control and testing of food related toxins and define potential health implications of poisons or contaminants in foods.
• Examine regulatory controls and legislation relevant to the production and selling of animal food.
• Explain the appropriate selection of food for a pet to respond to particular needs, demonstrate understanding of food labelling, including common acronyms and terminology, and describe ways of marketing products in a retail setting.