Quality & Food Safety Assurance
PET HEALTH AND SAFETY IS OUR TOP PRIORITY

Pet health and safety has always been our top priority.  We believe your pets – and ours – deserve nothing less than superior quality foods.  Below are some of the steps we take to assure the quality and safety of our nutritious foods.

Company-Owned Manufacturing Facility 
Our company-owned manufacturing facility is located in Lincoln, Nebraska.  Our facility adheres to these specific quality measures:

• Our ingredients are sourced from USDA inspected facilities and facilities regulated by the FDA
• We adhere to state and federal regulations regarding product safety
• Our manufacturing facility is regularly monitored by third party auditors
• Our manufacturing facility is a USDA Certified Organic Processing Facility and adheres to USDA and EU standards

Strict Quality Control Standards
As with all of our products, we utilize robust systems to ensure the quality and safety of our foods. Our quality control and quality assurance programs include but are not limited to: 

• Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOP’s) 
• Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP’s)
• A Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points (HACCP) program 
• Regular lot segregation 
• Other industry best practices

Additional Food Safety Steps – High Pressure Pasteurization
In addition to the industry best practices previously mentioned, Nature's Variety has implemented a progressive new food safety protocol called High Pressure Pasteurization for use on all Nature’s Variety Raw Frozen Diets. High Pressure Pasteurization is a unique process that kills pathogenic bacteria through high-pressure, water-based technology. High Pressure Pasteurization is a USDA-approved, 100% natural process, and is allowed for use on organic and natural products. 

The origin of the High Pressure Pasteurization concept is as natural as the process itself.  Over a century ago, scientists began investigating the fact that harmful bacteria found at sea level were actually not able to survive at deep sea levels (under high water pressures).  Within the last decade or so, advancements in technology have allowed for the duplication of this interesting phenomenon for use on natural and organic foods to kill harmful bacteria while preserving taste, enzymes, and overall nutritional integrity.

Essentially, this technology “puts the squeeze” on food pathogens without cooking out vital nutrients or changing the fresh characteristics of food. During High Pressure Pasteurization, pressure is uniformly applied around and throughout the food product. High Pressure Pasteurization can be conducted at refrigerated temperatures, which means the temperature starts low and stays low – High Pressure Pasteurization does not cause the heat degradation that happens during cooking. Because of this, High Pressure Pasteurization is known for being especially beneficial for heat-sensitive products, like meats, fruits, and vegetables.

Test & Hold Protocol
In addition to the food safety and quality control protocols listed above, Nature’s Variety utilizes a “test and hold” protocol to ensure that all products test negative for harmful bacteria before being released for sale.

Nature’s Variety uses a third party laboratory to test every lot of finished product in order to confirm that it is negative for select pathogenic bacteria (Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7, and Listeria monocytogenes). When the test results are reviewed and confirmed negative, the product is released for shipment to our distributor partners and then on to retail stores.