Strengthening pet food safety with Alltech® RAPIREAD®

Understanding the challenge

Like any food, pet food carries safety risks, including contamination from foreign material, pathogens like Salmonella, and mycotoxins. Produced by molds, mycotoxins are toxic compounds that can harm pets even at low levels. 

Pet food manufacturers face the same biological, chemical and physical hazards seen in human food processing. As noted by Dr. Billie Johnson, food safety and regulatory compliance manager at BHJ North America, controlling these hazards or possible contaminations is imperative to ensuring safe food for pets and the people who care for them. 

Because pet food ingredients often come from many sources, safety programs must be proactive and multilayered. Modern strategies include optical sorting for foreign materials; strict HACCP-based controls; and robust mycotoxin testing programs.

The hidden risk of mycotoxins in dogs’ and cats’ food

While visible foreign materials can be caught through X-rays or optical sorting, mycotoxins are invisible and often occur at low levels across many common ingredients. As Kami Grandeen, one of Alltech’s pet food experts, explained, “Mycotoxins can be a serious threat to our pets’ health, and there is a risk of mycotoxin contamination in many common pet food ingredients.” 

The annual Alltech U.S. Harvest Analysis has consistently shown that: 
- Most feed samples contain multiple mycotoxins, often at lower chronic levels. 
- Corn, corn byproducts, wheat, barley, oats and rice are the highest-risk grains. 
- Contamination risk is influenced by weather, storage and handling conditions.

Because of this, understanding the risk — and having the tools to respond quickly — is critical.

How Alltech® RAPIREAD® supports rapid mycotoxin detection

Lateral-flow quick-testing platforms such as the Neogen® Raptor® and Waters | VICAM Vertu TOUCH are designed to help pet food processors and suppliers screen for up to six common mycotoxins. Alltech® RAPIREAD® is a data assessment and risk analysis program that utilizes these platforms directly on site, delivering results in minutes. This service fits perfectly into a modern mycotoxin management strategy, complementing lab-based tests like Alltech® 37+, which uses LC-MS/MS to identify over 50 mycotoxins. 

Key advantages for the pet space:

- Speed and efficiency: Rapid decisions at receiving or before production keep supply chains moving without compromising safety. 
- Objective results: Eliminates subjective visual testing and allows producers to make educated decisions.
- Data capture and traceability: Results can be uploaded to Alltech’s Services Portal, allowing users to track trends, compare suppliers and maintain an auditable history. 
- Proactive risk assessment: Frequent, low-cost screening means more chances to catch contaminated lots before they enter production.

Grandeen emphasized that “mitigation starts with understanding the risk through identification and quantification,” and tools like Alltech RAPIREAD make that possible earlier in the process.

Where the risk lies: Common ingredients

By screening high-risk ingredients at receiving, processors can prevent contaminated lots from reaching the production line — avoiding costly recalls and protecting animal health.

High risk ingredients table

Complementing broader safety systems

Alltech RAPIREAD fits into a wider safety net alongside other contamination controls discussed in Pet Food Processing (Jan. 2024):

- HACCP-based Critical Control Points (CCPs) to monitor biological, chemical and physical hazards. 
- Optical sorting and metal detection to remove foreign materials like bone, plastic or glass before ingredients reach the mixer. 
- Supplier verification programs that track contamination trends and drive corrective actions. 

This multilayered approach mirrors how the industry handles Salmonella, Listeria, or vitamin excess recalls, identifying risks early and removing them before they reach consumers.

Positive impacts seen with Alltech RAPIREAD

Pet food companies using Alltech RAPIREAD have reported: 
- Fewer rejected finished products
- Less downtime from contaminated ingredients

- Faster turnaround at receiving, avoiding bottlenecks 
- Stronger supplier accountability, thanks to data-backed feedback 
- Increased confidence in the safety of sensitive or specialty diets 

By combining rapid on-site testing with periodic lab confirmation and strong supplier programs, brands are better able to protect both pet health and brand reputation.

Conclusion

The pet food industry continues to raise the bar on safety. With mycotoxins posing an invisible but persistent threat, tools like Alltech RAPIREAD give processors the ability to identify, understand and respond to contamination risks faster than ever before — a crucial step toward safeguarding the well-being of pets and the peace of mind of the people who love them.

About the author:

Josh Teulker began his career in the layer industry, advancing to serve as director of feed quality at Rose Acre Farms. With a strong background in feed quality assurance and FSMA compliance, he developed extensive expertise in feed manufacturing and safety systems. Since 2018, Josh has worked with Alltech’s Mycotoxin Management team, where he serves as a global feed mill specialist. In this role, he provides technical support at Alltech, helping feed mills and integrators around the world strengthen feed quality and mitigate mycotoxin risks through the Alltech RAPIREAD program.