With several pet foods being recalled recently, it has never been more important for pet owners to have confidence in the food they feed their little loved ones.
Pet owners also need to take a proactive approach to handling their pets’ food, because even the safest pet products may be risky if safe food handling and storage procedures are not followed before, during and after feeding.
Here are a few essentials for proper and safe handling of pet food.
Keep Everything Clean
No matter what you feed your pets (dry food, canned food, raw, home-cooked, etc), keeping a clean eating environment is essential.
- Clean your pets’ food and water dishes regularly with warm soapy water.
- Clean any pet food storage containers regularly.
- Since we (pet owners) are responsible for providing food to our pets, we need to ensure our hands are clean – both before and after handling any pet food.
- All surfaces that come into contact with pet food should also be cleaned thoroughly before and after each meal.
Storing Food
For dry food: Some pet food packaging may come in a resealable bag. It is best to keep dry pet food in its original bag (rolled up or sealed), inside a dedicated sealed container. Keep dry pet food in a cool, dry place (under 80ºF, or 27ºC).
For canned food: Unopened canned food does not need to be refrigerated. Opened canned food must be refrigerated, with a sealed cover. You can keep opened canned food refrigerated for about 5 days (depending on the temperature of your fridge).
For raw food: Raw food should be kept frozen at all times, with only a couple days worth of thawed product kept in the fridge. Since these food ingredients are raw, use the same safe food handling procedures you would use on your own raw food (ie: raw chicken). Raw food should be thawed in the refrigerator in a sealed container.
Other Helpful Tips
If you choose to empty out your pets food into another container, it is wise to keep the empty bag or cut out the barcode and packaging date codes. By doing this, you will have all the essential information you need in the event of a pet food recall – otherwise, you may never know if your pets’ food is compromised.
Always check expiration dates.
Inspect your pets’ food for any unusual smells or appearance every day.
Since bacteria breeds at warp speed while sitting at room temperature, it is not recommended to leave raw food out for too long. Discard any uneaten raw food if it has been sitting out for a while. Do not refreeze raw pet food.
Be careful about putting your hands near your mouth or eyes after handling any pet food, as they all have the potential to have unhealthy levels of salmonella – for both pets and people.
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