View news and innovations from PACK EXPO 2024
View all the latest news and innovations from PACK EXPO International 2024

QC Boost Through X-ray Inspection

This high-quality pet product company cares deeply about what’s in the packages it ships, so management made x-ray inspection part of a recent plant expansion.

This x-ray inspection system now helps ensure that no foreign bodies make their way into the final packaged product.
This x-ray inspection system now helps ensure that no foreign bodies make their way into the final packaged product.

Since 1979, Earth Animal has been setting new benchmarks for the pet industry. Their wholesome chews, treats, dog food, healing supplements, and remedies are made with pure, fresh, and sustainable ingredients. To help meet their high-quality requirements, Earth Animal’s “Riverstone” facility in Westminster, Md., added a new Mettler-Toledo Safeline X33 x-ray inspection system while they were renovating and expanding.

“Our pet foods are made with real, whole food and natural ingredients—these introduce a foreign material risk. Things like pebbles and shell fragments are not uncommon. We are incredibly careful that no foreign bodies make their way into the final packaged product,” says Kelly Raiser, General Manager and co-owner of Riverstone. “Our new X33 x-ray system helps us achieve that every single day.”

A new study from PMMI Business Intelligence, “Trends and Drivers Impacting The Pet Food Industry,” reveals North America is the top market for pet food, with an annual growth rate of 4.5% in the next five years.

See what key stakeholders in the pet food arena are saying about current trends in sustainability that are affecting pet food processors and packaging professionals.

Earth Animal’s Riverstone facility primarily produces Earth Animal’s Dr. Bob Goldstein’s Wisdom® brand of dog food. It’s packaged in four-sided, gusseted stand-up bags made of Braskem's  sugarcane-based I’m green™ Polyethylene (PE) biopolymer. Bags weigh 1, 3, or 10 lb.The gusseted stand-up bags are made of sugarcane-based I’m green PE biopolymer.The gusseted stand-up bags are made of sugarcane-based I’m green PE biopolymer.

“Earth Animal has always been passionate about how, why, and what we do, and for us, we have felt that sustainability is a major part of our DNA,” says Stephanie Volo, VP of Marketing and Sustainability for Earth Animal. “Incorporating the I’m green PE biopolymer material into our Wisdom Dog Food packaging was a natural fit given each company’s commitment to sustainability. We couldn’t be happier with the result.”

New e-book on Multipacking and Case Packing
Read how to extend the life of your case packing equipment and best practices for efficient shrink bundling operation. Plus, learn the differences between wraparound & regular slotted containers.
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New e-book on Multipacking and Case Packing