Anitox – a world leader in feed safety

By Anitox

Food safety has become a major focus for food retailers and processors, livestock producers, integrators and feed manufacturers, which is why 12 of the world’s Top-25 feed companies rely on Anitox products and application systems to ensure the safety of their products. Food Solutions talked to Roger Mann, Regional Director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, to find out more about the business and how it is working with consumers in mind to develop eco-friendly products that reduce the pathogen burden in feed and livestock.

Changing dietary patterns, rising incidences of food safety and public health issues, together with ever-more-stringent legislation are increasing the pressure on feed manufacturers to minimize risk at the manufacturing stage. One of the beneficiaries of these developments is Anitox [www.anitox.com], a global leader in bio-security technology and customized milling efficiency solutions for the animal feed industry, which is experiencing a significant upsurge in its business , with year-on-year sales during 2008 being 27% up on 2007. Anitox products are already used to treat over 301,000 tonnes of feed materials every week worldwide, and the pace of development is set to quicken.

Established by Dr Bob Bland in Buford, Georgia during 1977, Anitox is now headquartered near Atlanta, and with key regional offices/operational centres in Europe, Mexico and Malaysia it employs more than 100 staff. A pioneer of antimicrobial products for animal feeds and feed ingredients, Anitox has an extensive Research and Development Division which has created a comprehensive range of products. They include the Termin-8® pathogen control program for finished feed and feed raw materials, Maxi-Mil® milling efficiency program, MonoPrene liquid bactericide for grain treatment, Blue Royale clean water program, MonoProp dry mould inhibitor and Sorb-It aflatoxin binder. All are fully supported by the best technical service, engineers, laboratory technicians and customer service representatives. The company also operates mobile decontamination equipment for use at ports, warehouses and silos in Europe, providing equipment, logistics, products, operators and technicians.

Anitox UK, based at Earls Barton in Northamptonshire, started trading in 1993, after Anitox Corporation purchased Contamination Control Ltd, a business founded in 1988. Following the outcry which followed the infamous comments made by the UK Member of Parliament Edwina Curry about the risks to consumers from Salmonella in eggs, Contamination Control Ltd quickly recognised the potential to supply products and services to tackle the problem. The incident subsequently created much greater awareness amongst feed manufacturers of the need to control Salmonella and other pathogens in raw materials. Spearheaded by demands from supermarkets, the entire feed and livestock industry woke up to the concerns of the food chain.

Greater Awareness
Mould and bacterial contamination of feed and feed ingredients not only reduce feed quality but also cause serious health problems, together with significant productivity losses in poultry, livestock and fish. Some bacteria, such as Salmonella, are linked to outbreaks of human illness, even death, as a result of consuming contaminated animal products such as eggs, meat and milk. Many other species of bacteria emanating from a range of sources such as feed, water and the environment can also cause similar problems.

Until the early 1990s the subject of bacteria in feedstuffs had received little attention. Anitox, however, was already at the forefront of Salmonella control, but the company’s research highlighted that this was just one of many microbial contaminants causing problems in poultry and livestock. A worldwide field study of over 750 samples analysed as part of an investigation by Anitox into the incidences of Salmonella, bacteria and mould in animal feedstuffs/feed ingredients showed it to be present in 36% of complete feed and often at much higher levels in individual ingredients, while bacteria and mould were found in up to 96% of complete feeds. This knowledge led to the development of a totally new concept in feed hygiene.

In 1993 Anitox was granted a European patent on Termin-8, its customized program for producing pathogen-free feed ingredients or complete feed. Initiated in 1984, it represented an entirely new concept in feed hygiene, enabling levels of Salmonella bacteria and mould in feed/feed ingredients to be controlled. Driven by poultry breeders and broiler producers in Asia, the program focused on mills which were treating ‘high risk’ products such as animal proteins, full-fat soya and rapemeal, with poultry feed accounting for over 90% of the material treated with Termin-8. In 1996 the product was approved in Europe for maintaining poultry feed Salmonella-negative for up to 14 days, a ruling which was extended in 1998 to include all feeds/feed ingredients for up to 21 days.

The Termin-8 pathogen control program had three major elements: the product, the program and the company’s guarantee. Central to it was Termin-8, a world-class bactericide which was proven to be the best at preventing Salmonella contamination in raw materials and finished feeds. The Termin-8 pathogen control program therefore ensured that animals were presented with feed that was free of Salmonella.

The product was, however, only the start. The Termin-8 program provided feed manufacturers with a world-class application and support program which guaranteed trouble-free results by providing situation analysis, mill inspection, regular feed sampling, laboratory analysis, application equipment and installation. It also provided regulatory management assistance and routine follow-up visits by dedicated field service engineers to ensure that systems achieved optimum results, providing customers with the security of accurate, consistent application.

In feed mills which used the program, feed hygiene was dramatically improved, resulting in safer, pathogen-free livestock feed. Not only did it ensure that it was Salmonella-free at the point of manufacture but also prevented recontamination during the handling, storage and transportation phases. While heat treatment, irradiation and other chemicals had been reported to improve feed hygiene by reducing the initial level of bacterial contamination, none of these methods protected against subsequent recontamination. In contrast, data reviewed by the FDA in the United States resulted in their approval of a label claim that Termin-8 would provide protection of treated feed from recontamination by Salmonella for up to 21 days.

The other major benefit was that Termin-8 worked only in the feed and had no residual effect in the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, it left no residue in tissue, eggs or milk, had no withdrawal time and created no effect on beneficial bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract.

Spurred on by Scandinavian legislation, which specified that imported fish meal had to be free of Salmonella and treated at the point of entry into the country, the business developed rapidly. Anitox USA, which had been looking for a European distributor for its products, subsequently bought Contamination Control Ltd in 1993 and renamed it Anitox (UK) Ltd.

Increasing Demand
By 1997, the focus of the business had changed from treating raw materials to feed within mills and by the turn of the century Anitox was employing 50 staff. In 2000 the company built new administration and manufacturing facilities in the US, the development of milling efficiency products had started in Asia, and responsibility for mill engineering had transferred to Anitox UK.

Increasing legislation resulted in the continued growth of Anitox’s business and in January 2007 The Riverside Company, a leading private equity investor, purchased a majority shareholding, with directors holding the remaining equity. Roger Mann, Regional Director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, comments:

“Greater affluence in developed and developing countries is creating a rapidly-escalating demand for meat-based protein, which is leading to a higher incidence of food safety-related issues together with increasingly stringent demands from food retailers for improved food safety and better traceability of processes and products. With Western European multiple retailers now expanding their geographic coverage into other parts of the world, including Eastern Europe, standards will inevitably continue to rise.”

Increasing legislation is also a major factor driving higher standards. For example, recently-introduced European legislation in respect of Zoonoses, such as the ‘Control of Salmonella and Other Specified Food Borne Zoonotic Agents Regulation (2160/2003)’, which requires that all producers implement procedures to ensure that feeds are free from Salmonella, is behind a major focus on safety in the food chain. Consequently, Anitox is broadening its approach to provide feed manufacturers and livestock producers with an even wider range of products and services to enable them to produce safer feed and food.

Salmonella can be introduced into the live production end of the food chain in a number of ways, including transmission by humans, vermin, wild birds, animals and feed. Suppliers of breeding stock already do their utmost to ensure that their supply to livestock producers is Salmonella-free. However, pig and poultry producers in the European Union must recognise the need for higher standards and accept that they will be faced with more stringent legislation governing the control of Salmonella in the food chain.

Another method of Salmonella transmission is via the feed consumed by livestock. Consequently, feed manufacturers all over the world must appreciate the importance of supplying pathogen-free feed, be fully aware of the microbiological status of their products and consider plans to manage this issue cost-effectively and safely.

In addition to increasing legislation, feed manufacturers have to contend with rapidly-escalating raw material and energy costs, the focus of the recently-launched Anitox Maxi-Mil program, which optimises the efficiency of the feed pelleting process and reduces process losses. The Maxi-Mil system will benefit even the most modern and efficient feed mills, wherever in the world they are located and whatever raw materials they use. More than 50 well-established feed mills now benefit from Maxi-Mil, a track record which no competitor can match, which is why Anitox products are currently used in the production of more than 15 million tonnes of feed annually.

The Future
To increase awareness of its products and services, Anitox is expanding its global network of agents and distributors. Recently, for example, it appointed a new distributor in the Middle East, one of the fastest-growing markets in the world for livestock feed, where annual demand is expected to double to 11 million tonnes annually within five years. Established in 1997, Agrovet Alliance, which has offices in Dubai and Sharjah, United Arab Emirates and Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, will focus on increasing awareness of Anitox products and services in the region.

Throughout the world there is an increasing focus on safety in the food chain. Feed manufacturers must therefore appreciate the importance of producing pathogen-free feed, be fully aware of the microbiological status of their products and consider plans to manage this issue cost-effectively and safely. Effective measures to increase safety are now essential.

As a forward-looking business, Anitox has its finger firmly on the pulse of developments and issues that affect the feed and food industry. To ensure that livestock producers and feed manufacturers are able to meet future demands and challenges, Anitox is broadening its Research and Development portfolio to develop a more comprehensive range of solutions for safer feed and food. In response to the ever-increasing demands of food processors and retailers, the company is also focusing on the development of new non-antibiotic, ecofriendly products which will assist in the control of pathogens in areas of primary egg and meat production other than feed.

For further details, please contact Maria Walker on +44 (0)1604 811228 or email maria.walker@anitox.co.uk.