Raw Food and Safety

Raw Dog Food should be treated exactly as you would treat any raw meat. This section introduces how we strive to minimise any risk to humans of raw meat and also the steps you should take when preparing any raw meat.

Bacteriophages

Recently, Scientists have discovered that naturally occurring viruses, called bacteriophages, can greatly reduce the risk of the presence of salmonella in raw food. Salmonella is not normally a risk to our dogs and cats. Some people, however, are concerned about the risks of salmonella infection to themselves and their families.

Phages and Food Safety short

The question is how to maximise the nutritional value of our raw pet food to promote the health of the animal while minimising the risk to the owners.

We do not want to destroy the nutritional value in the food so do not use aggressive "kill" techniques like HPP (High Pressure Pasteurization). As a result we have recently introduced a salmonella specific bacteriophage into our food. These have been shown to significantly reduce the bacterial load but only destroy salmonella.

Key Information about 'phages:

It does not change the food in any way with NO impact on flavour, texture, smell or taste
Only targets Salmonella
FDA approved as a natural, organic product
Uses naturally occurring bacteriophages which are the most common form of organism on the earth and have been around for billions of years

For more information see:

www.intralytix.com

https://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2016/11/28/raw-pet-food-salmonella.aspx

How to handle Raw Meat safely

CLEAN
Wash hands and surfaces after use

Wash your hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food
Wash your cutting boards, dishes, utensils, and counter tops with hot soapy water after use.

SEPARATE
Separate raw meats from other foods

Separate raw meat from other foods in your refrigerator.
Serve the food in a dedicated bowl and wash it after use in hot soapy water or dishwasher

STORAGE
Keep the food in the freezer until the night before you need it.

Thaw overnight in a dedicated container
Return any leftover food to the refrigerator in a sealed container separate from cooked meat or other foods
Use remains within 3 days.
Discard unused food after 3 days