Dr Lee Danks
Technical Services Veterinarian
Masterpet realises the importance of truly ‘getting’ pets. A big part of this means understanding them, expanding our knowledge of them, and developing new products for them. As part of this ambition, it’s important that we collaborate with others external to Masterpet and learn from them in return. This includes working with fellow pet food companies. We recognise that companies who work in the same sphere have good intentions too, and that’s what the Pet Food Industry Association of Australia (PFIAA) is about.
Who is the PFIAA and what do they stand for?
PFIAA is Australia’s peak industry body for pet food. It’s growing membership includes a high proportion of the country’s pet food manufacturers, marketers, raw material suppliers, technology partners and other affiliated companies.
Together, these companies are responsible for feeding many of the country’s dog and cat pets, whether it be via dry biscuits, wet formats, treats, or the many other formats in-between. No matter the approach and values of the brand (of which there are many!), the members of PFIAA make collective, unified decisions to ‘promote standards of excellence’, by:
- Establishing, reviewing and improving official industry standards and practice (Australian Standard: AS5812)
- Promoting and supporting regulation for the manufacture of quality pet nutrition; and
- Actively promoting the benefits of responsible pet ownership.
The work that PFIAA does:
Masterpet has an active working relationship with PFIAA, sharing updates on:
- Trade facilitation -making sure products can get to you safely, without a risk to bio security
- Communication - ensuring you know what you need to know in feeding your pets the best way possible, and…
- Standards and technical aspects of creating good pet food, and bringing it to the shelves out there
All of these streams of work come together to strengthen our industry amongst many current and ongoing challenges, including product recalls and an official senate inquiry in 2018.
We have seen a recent upsurge in interest from pet parents and customers in regulation within the pet food sector. Masterpet is in support of this regulation, which will solidify our already great practices in pet food production and marketing.
A duty to improve
We might say that it’s every manufacturer’s duty to improve, and to strive for the excellence mentioned above, but our active contribution to PFIAA makes Masterpet accountable within the pet food industry, amongst authorities in government, veterinary and welfare organisations. For this reason, we feel that membership is a marker that you should be looking for when selecting a pet food, and a healthy line of enquiry should you have any concerns about whether a company is ‘doing the right thing’.
We encourage you to challenge us and other manufacturers on our contribution to the bigger picture, and the responsibility we take on a day-to-day basis to do better things, and to truly ‘get’ pets.
For pet parents curious about pet food and the industry, visit PFIAA for further information.
