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Guideline for preparing export certificates for the Canadian pet food industry
Glossary of terms

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Accredited laboratories
means laboratories accredited by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) or any laboratory accredited by The Canadian Association for Laboratory Accreditation Inc. (CALA)
Additional certification
in the case of imported animal origin ingredients, it means a attestation (other than the export certificate issued by the competent authority of the exporting country to Canada) that attests to the Third country's import requirements. It's a supporting document for the certifying veterinarian
Animal by-products
means entire bodies or parts of animals, products of animal origin or other products obtained from animals, which are not intended for human consumption
Animal digest
material which results from chemical and/or enzymatic hydrolysis of clean and un-decomposed animal tissue that includes poultry digest. The animal tissues used may be hair, horns, teeth, hooves and feathers
Canned pet food
means heat-processed pet food contained within a hermetically sealed container
Edible
means fit for use as human food
Exporting country
means a country from which commodities are sent to another country called Importing country
Flavouring innards
means a liquid or dehydrated derived product of animal origin used to enhance the palatability values of pet food. Also called a digest which refers to animal protein such as muscle and soft tissue that undergo a digestive process. These ingredients are hydrolyzed or "digested" to break down the animal protein into peptides in a manner similar to digestion in the body. The resulting digest is in a liquid, a paste or powder
Freeze-dried pet food/pet treat
means a product made of raw animal ingredients and processed to remove the moisture by freezing at very cold temperature and then vacuumed to sublime the moisture. If a heat treatment happens, it is not high enough to kill pathogens of concern
Hermetically sealed container
means a container that is designed and intended to be secure against the entry of microorganisms (mostly Clostridium botulinum)
Inedible products
condemned products that are not fit for human consumption; or non-condemned products treated by the operator as condemned meat products; and products which are by their nature not edible (feathers, hides, hair, manure, intestinal contents
Ingredients
mean all constituents that enter into pet food composition. It includes, but not only, raw material, meat and bone meal, fats, vegetables, seeds, vitamins
Meat
means the edible part of a carcass that is the muscle associated with the skeleton, tongue, diaphragm, heart, gizzard or mammalian oesophagus, with or without accompanying and overlying fat, together with those parts of the bones, skin, sinews, nerves, blood vessels and other tissues that normally accompany the muscle and are not ordinarily removed in dressing a carcass
Meat and bone meal
is defined as processed animal (ruminant, porcine or avian species) protein intended for animal consumption, obtained through thermal processing (rendering)
Meat by-product
means parts of carcasses of ruminant, porcine and avian species, other than meat, derived from slaughtered animals. It includes lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, livers, blood, bone, stomachs and intestines freed of their contents. It does not include hair, horns, teeth and hooves
Microbiological testing

n = number of samples taken
m = the threshold value for the number of bacteria; the results to be considered satisfactory if the number of bacteria in all samples does not exceed m
M = maximum value for the number of bacteria; the result to be considered unsatisfactory if the number of bacteria in 1 or more samples taken is M or more
c = number of samples the bacterial count which may be between m and M, the sample still be considered acceptable if the bacterial count of the other sample is m or less

Example: Salmonella n=5, m=0, M=0, c=0
Enterobacteriaceae: n=5, m=10, M=300, c=2

For Salmonella: on each of the 5 samples, the result must be negative (absence of Salmonella).
For Enterobactericeae: On 2 of the 5 samples, the result can be between 10 and 300; on the other 3 samples, the result must be 10 or less.

Individual testing
this condition requires that 5 random samples from the products to be exported must be tested for Salmonella and Enterobacteriaceae. The laboratory must test 1 gram of each sample for Enterobacteriaceae and 25 grams of each sample for Salmonella. This type of analysis should be used for exports to countries that do not have a clear requirement that all exported lots must be analyzed. In that situation, unless it is specified differently in the certificate, the entire shipment of finished products of the same processing method that will be exported even if the entire shipment is composed of different processing lots can be tested using that method.
Composite testing
when the importing country requires that each lot to be exported is tested, the company may combine the samples and do a single test for each bacterium. After a risk assessment, CFIA subject-matter experts have found that composite testing is equivalent to individual testing, which requires 5 samples per lot. In that situation, unless it is specified differently by the importing country, a single production run, at a single facility, using the same ingredients and processing method over a period not exceeding 24 hours can be tested using that method.
Individual Testing Composite Testing
Definition Requires that 5 random samples from the products to be exported must be tested for Salmonella and Enterobacteriaceae.

The laboratory must test 1 gram of each sample for Enterobacteriaceae and 25 grams of each sample for Salmonella.
When the importing country requires that each lot to be exported is tested, the company may combine the samples and do a single test for each bacterium.

After a risk assessment, CFIA subject-matter experts have found that composite testing is equivalent to individual testing, which requires 5 samples per lot.
When it can be used For exports to countries that do not have a clear requirement that all exported lots must be analyzed. In that situation, unless it is specified differently in the certificate, the entire shipment of finished products of the same processing method that will be exported even if the entire shipment is composed of different processing lots can be tested using that method. When the importing country requires that each lot to be exported is tested.

In that situation, unless it is specified differently by the importing country, a single production run, at a single facility, using the same ingredients and processing method over a period not exceeding 24 hours can be tested using that method.
When it cannot be used Can always be used When the processing facility cannot meet the definition of a single production run, at a single facility, using the same ingredients and processing method over a period not exceeding 24 hours.
Lab report requirements 1) sample IDs (there must be 5 separate samples received by the lab) and category of sampling (individual vs composite)
2) individual sample size (1 g for Enterobacteriaceae, 25 g for Salmonella)
3) size of sample tested (1g for Enterobacteriaceae and 25g for Salmonella)
4) test results.
1) sample ID (there must be 1 sample received by the lab)* and category of sampling (individual vs composite)
2) size of sample tested (5g for Enterobacteriaceae and 125 g for Salmonella)
3) test results

*This is important that the composite sample tested refers to the 5 samples it comes from. This will be checked by the veterinarian during annual inspection. This is also important in case an individual testing is done after an unacceptable result for Enterobacteriaceae.
Interpretation of results Salmonella: the tested product can be exported if none of the 5 separate samples (25 grams) show the presence of Salmonella in the results.

Enterobacteriaceae: the tested product can be exported if the results of the separate sample tests show that there are no more than 10 colony-forming units per gram (cfu/g) across the 5 samples or that a maximum of 2 (of 5) samples have between 11 and 299 cfu/g. If the test results of 1 sample are equal to or greater than 300 cfu/g or if the results of 3 or more samples are greater than or equal to 11 cfu/g, the lot cannot be exported.
Salmonella: if found in the combined sample (125 grams) test results, the sampled lots cannot be exported.

Enterobacteriaceae: if the test results for the combined sample (5 grams) show more than 6 cfu/g, the sampled lot cannot be exported. The company can then choose to either test the 5 samples individually (if the results are within acceptable ranges, as stated for individual testing, the lot can be exported) or withdraw that particular lot.
Poultry
means all domesticated birds used for production of meat
Processed animal proteins
  1. According to EU definition: means animal protein derived entirely from Category 3 raw material (ovine meal, bovine meal, poultry, fish meal etc.)
  2. For other countries: meat and bone meal from animal origin means the solid protein products obtained when animal tissues are rendered
Lot
unless it is specified differently in the certificate, a lot can be considered as the entire shipment of finished products of the same processing method that will be exported even if the entire shipment is composed of different processing lots
Random sampling
if a shipment consists of 10 processing lots, the company is required to take 5 random samples from that whole shipment instead of 5 random samples from each processing lot. If the 5 samples are taken from 1 of the 10 lots in that shipment, that would not meet the definition of randomness. Moreover, if a shipment is composed of different products from different pet food companies, 5 random samples must be taken per company
Raw material
means unprocessed animal by-product, may also refer to fresh meat that has not been subjected to any treatment irreversibly modifying its organoleptic and physicochemical characteristics. This includes frozen meat, chilled meat, minced meat and mechanically recovered meat
Ruminant
means bisons, bovines, camels, caprines, cervids and ovines
Official authorities or competent authority
means the Veterinary Authority or other Governmental Authority of a Member Country having the responsibility and competence for ensuring or supervising the implementation of animal health and welfare measures, international veterinary certification
WOAH:
World Organisation for Animal Health
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