IRWINDALE, CALIF. — On Aug. 10, Breeder’s Choice Pet Foods® opened its new Pet Food Safety Lab™ (PSFL) facility, following a ribbon-cutting ceremony held on July 29. The company invested $1 million into the facility, which offers microbiological, chemical and physical testing of raw materials used in pet foods, as well as finished products.

The world-class PSFL will help pet food processors assure finished product quality and safety with several testing services. The lab will serve Breeder’s Choice Pet Foods’ co-manufacturing customers through a staff of food chemists, microbiologists and lab technicians.

“Every decision we make starts and ends with quality,” said Joey Herrick, chief executive officer of Breeder’s Choice Pet Foods. “From the nutrition formulations, raw materials we source, people in our plant, and the quality safety testing at every step, everything we do contributes to the pets who eat the foods we produce.”

The facility and its improvements took nearly 11 months, including planning and development, to finish construction.

“This was a major project for us in the midst of COVID-19 and supply chain disruptions, everything took longer than we anticipated,” Herrick said.

In addition to microbiological and chemical testing, the PSFL includes protein DNA and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) testing capabilities. According to Breeder’s Choice Pet Foods, PCR is an accurate method to diagnose diseases and genetic changes in ingredients to ensure that pet food products do not contain dangerous microbiological organisms.

The facility also features a liquid chromatography system that includes a triple-quad mass spectrophotometer detector (LCMS), which can test for various contaminants and verify nutrient and vitamin levels.

Founded in 1947, Breeder’s Choice Pet Foods produces super-premium pet products with a commitment to high quality and product safety. The company was acquired by Lucy Pet Products in December 2020, led by Herrick, founder of Natural Balance Pet Foods. Since then, Breeder’s Choice Pet Foods has invested in expanding its personnel, infrastructure, and quality, safety and product innovation capabilities.

The new facility is operated by Steve Lunetta, vice president of quality and safety, and Jay Trivedi, senior manager of quality and food safety. Combined, Lunetta and Trivedi have more than 50 years of experience ensuring food safety and quality in human and pet food industries.

The company also launched a website dedicated to the PSFL, where it will share results of pet food testing with a Certificate of Analysis. Consumers can visit PetFoodSafetyLab.com to view testing results of various batches of pet food products.