Production Process and Quality Control of Dried Pet Treats in China

In recent years, with the rapid development of China’s pet economy, the concept of “pet humanization” has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Pet owners are paying increasingly high attention to the health and safety of their pets, which has driven the rapid upgrading of the pet food industry. Among various pet food categories, dried pet treats have become one of the most popular products due to their advantages of long shelf life, convenient storage, rich nutrition and good palatability. Dried pet treats refer to products made from animal-derived raw materials, plant-derived raw materials or their mixtures through drying and dehydration processes, which can not only meet the daily supplementary nutrition needs of pets, but also satisfy their chewing habits and help maintain oral health. As the world’s largest producer and consumer of pet food, China’s dried pet treats factories has experienced a leapfrog development in terms of production scale, technological level and product quality in recent years. However, the problems of uneven product quality and potential safety hazards still exist in the industry, which has become a key factor restricting the healthy development of the industry. Therefore, in-depth research on the production process and quality control system of dried pet treats in China is of great practical significance for standardizing the production behavior of enterprises, improving product quality and safety, promoting the sustainable development of the industry, and enhancing the international competitiveness of Chinese pet food products.
This article will systematically elaborate on the production process of dried pet treats in China, including raw material selection and pretreatment, drying technology, post-processing, packaging and storage, etc., and focus on analyzing the key links and quality control points in each process. At the same time, it will discuss the current quality control system, detection methods, existing problems and improvement strategies of China’s dried pet treats industry, in order to provide a reference for the healthy development of the industry and the production practice of enterprises.

1. Overview of China’s Dried Pet Treats Industry

With the continuous improvement of China’s per capita disposable income and the change of family structure, the number of pet owners in China has been increasing year by year, and the consumption demand for pet products has shown a blowout growth. According to relevant data, the scale of China’s pet food market has exceeded 250 billion yuan in 2025, of which dehydrated and freeze-dried products account for about 12%, and it is estimated that the segmented market will achieve a compound annual growth rate of more than 18% by 2030, with the overall scale expected to exceed 80 billion yuan. Dried pet treats, as an important part of pet food, account for a large proportion of the market. The main types of dried pet treats in China include dried meat treats (such as chicken breast jerky, beef jerky), dried plant treats (such as dried sweet potatoes, dried carrots), and mixed dried treats (such as meat and vegetable mixed dried products), among which dried meat treats are the most popular among pet owners due to their high protein, low fat and good palatability.
In terms of production layout, China’s dried pet treats production enterprises are mainly concentrated in Shandong, Hebei, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and other regions. These regions have obvious advantages in raw material supply, transportation and labor resources, and have formed a relatively complete industrial chain. At present, China’s dried pet treats production enterprises are mainly divided into three types: large-scale brand enterprises, medium-sized professional enterprises and small-scale processing enterprises. Large-scale pet treats factories such as Pet Treats Factory have accelerated the layout of drying production capacity, adopted dual technology routes of vacuum freeze-drying and low-temperature dehydration, and some enterprises have an annual production capacity exceeding 10,000 tons. They have complete production equipment, strict quality control systems and strong brand influence, and their products are not only sold domestically, but also exported to overseas markets such as Europe, America and Southeast Asia. Medium-sized professional enterprises focus on a certain type of dried pet treats, with relatively mature production technology and stable product quality, which are mainly sold in the domestic regional market. Small-scale processing enterprises have simple production equipment, low production capacity and relatively backward quality control level, and their products are mainly sold in the local low-end market. The uneven development level of enterprises has led to the problem of uneven product quality in the industry.
In terms of policy and standard system, China has gradually improved the regulatory system for the pet food industry in recent years. In 2021, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs issued the Measures for the Administration of Pet Feed (Trial), which for the first time systematically included pet food into the feed management system, clarifying that dried and freeze-dried pet food belongs to the category of pet compound feed or pet additive premixed feed, requiring production enterprises to obtain the Feed Production License, and product labels to comply with the Provisions on Pet Feed Labels. In 2023, the China Quality Inspection Association issued the group standard T/CAQI 345—2023 “Requirements for Quality and Safety Management of Pet Treats”, which stipulates the general requirements, raw material procurement and management, production process control, product quality control and other contents of pet treats, providing a basis for the standardized production of enterprises. At the same time, the revised Hygienic Provisions for Pet Feed has refined the limit indicators of harmful substances such as Salmonella, aflatoxin B1 and heavy metals to the exclusive detection standards for products with drying and freeze-drying processes, which has further improved the quality and safety requirements of the industry. However, compared with developed countries such as Europe and America, China’s pet food standard system still has some deficiencies, such as incomplete standard coverage and imperfect testing methods, which need to be further improved.

2. Production Process of Dried Pet Treats in China

The production process of dried pet treats in China is relatively complex, which mainly includes raw material selection and pretreatment, drying technology, post-processing, packaging and storage and other links. Each link is closely connected, and the quality of each link directly affects the final product quality. The following will elaborate on each production link in detail.

2.1 Raw Material Selection and Pretreatment
Raw materials are the foundation of the quality of dried pet treats, and the selection and pretreatment of raw materials directly determine the nutrition, safety and palatability of the final product. Therefore, enterprises must strictly control the quality of raw materials in the production process.
In terms of raw material selection, the raw materials of dried pet treats mainly include animal-derived raw materials and plant-derived raw materials. Animal-derived raw materials are the main raw materials of dried meat treats, including chicken, beef, pork, fish and other meats. When selecting animal-derived raw materials, enterprises must choose raw materials that have passed veterinary quarantine, with complete muscle tissue, no congestion or lesions, and the fat content must be strictly controlled below 10% to avoid oil oxidation leading to rancidity during the drying process. At the same time, it is necessary to check the supplier’s “two certificates and one report” (detection report, factory inspection list, animal quarantine qualification certificate) to ensure that the raw materials do not contain harmful substances such as veterinary drug residues and pathogenic bacteria. Plant-derived raw materials mainly include sweet potatoes, carrots, pumpkins, apples and other fruits and vegetables, which need to be fresh, free from rot and deterioration, and free from pesticide residues and heavy metal pollution. In addition, enterprises should establish a supplier evaluation and management system, regularly evaluate the quality of suppliers, and select suppliers with stable quality and reliable reputation to ensure the stability of raw material quality.
Raw material pretreatment is an important link to remove impurities and improve product quality, which mainly includes thawing, cleaning, cutting, deboning, degreasing and other operations. For frozen animal-derived raw materials, the gradient temperature control method is usually adopted for thawing: transfer from the -18℃ cold storage to the 4℃ refrigeration environment for slow thawing for 12 hours, and then place it in a 15℃ clean workshop for balance for 2 hours to ensure that the central temperature rises to the process requirements evenly, and at the same time inhibit the growth of spoilage bacteria. For plant-derived raw materials, it is necessary to clean them thoroughly to remove soil, impurities and pesticide residues on the surface. Cutting is to cut the raw materials into a certain shape and size according to the product requirements, which is conducive to the uniformity of drying. For example, chicken breast meat is usually cut into slices or strips along the muscle fiber direction, and the cutting accuracy directly affects the uniformity of drying. Deboning and degreasing are mainly for animal-derived raw materials, removing bones, tendons and excess fat to avoid affecting the palatability and shelf life of the product. The removed fat and bones should be treated in a centralized manner to avoid environmental pollution.

2.2 Drying Technology
Drying technology is the core link in the production of dried pet treats, which mainly realizes the dehydration of raw materials through physical or chemical methods, reduces the water content of the product, inhibits the growth and reproduction of microorganisms, and thus extends the shelf life of the product. At present, the main drying technologies used in China’s dried pet treats production enterprises include hot air drying, vacuum freeze-drying, simulated natural air drying and other methods, among which hot air drying is the most widely used due to its low equipment cost and simple operation, and vacuum freeze-drying is mainly used in high-end products due to its advantages of retaining nutrition and flavor.
Hot air drying is a drying method that uses hot air as the heat transfer medium to transfer heat to the raw materials, so that the moisture in the raw materials evaporates and is taken away by the hot air. The hot air drying equipment mainly includes a hot air dryer, a tunnel dryer, etc. The key parameters of hot air drying include drying temperature, drying time, air speed and humidity. In the production process, the gradient heating process is usually adopted: the initial temperature is 55-60℃ to prevent excessive denaturation of protein, and then gradually increased to 70-80℃. The total drying time is 6-12 hours, which is adjusted according to the thickness of the raw materials. The air speed is set at 1.5-2.5m/s, and the humidity is controlled at 20%-30% to avoid surface hardening or internal moisture residue. After drying, the meat is uniformly brownish yellow without burnt smell. This process has the advantages of low cost and simple operation, but the protein loss rate is 15%-20%, and the texture is relatively hard. In addition, some enterprises use electric oven drying, which heats the stainless steel tube to increase the temperature of the air inside the equipment, and then dehydrates the food materials. The temperature is set at 60-70℃, and the drying time is about 8-14 hours. The chicken breast jerky needs to be spread on a stainless steel mesh frame with a layer spacing of 5-8cm to ensure hot air circulation, and the meat slices should be turned over every hour to observe the color change to avoid local overheating or coking.
Vacuum freeze-drying is a drying method that freezes the raw materials to a solid state under low temperature and vacuum conditions, and then sublimes the ice directly into water vapor to achieve dehydration. The vacuum freeze-drying process mainly includes three stages: rapid freezing, vacuum sublimation and final drying. In the rapid freezing stage, the fresh raw materials are quickly frozen at -30℃ to -40℃ for about 4 hours, so that the moisture in the materials condenses into tiny ice crystals. In the vacuum sublimation stage, under a near-vacuum environment, the temperature is increased (but still at low temperature or normal temperature), so that the solid ice sublimes directly into water vapor, thereby removing most of the moisture in the materials. In the final drying stage, slight heating is performed to remove the remaining trace moisture. The whole process takes 18-36 hours. The biggest advantage of vacuum freeze-drying is that it can maximize the retention of the original nutrition, flavor and color of the raw materials, and the product has good rehydration, soft texture and high nutritional value. However, the equipment investment and energy consumption of vacuum freeze-drying are high, so the product price is relatively expensive, which is mainly used in high-end dried pet treats such as freeze-dried chicken breast and freeze-dried fish pieces.
Simulated natural air drying is a low-temperature dehydration technology that simulates the natural air drying environment, and its core lies in the cooperation of low temperature and high-speed circulating air. Through the continuous circulation of dry air, the moisture in the materials is continuously and uniformly evaporated at a temperature lower than 80℃ (usually 45-55℃). This process is slower than hot air drying, but faster and more controllable than natural air drying. It is especially suitable for making high-end staple foods and meat treats. The low-temperature environment avoids the damage of heat-sensitive nutrients such as proteins and vitamins, and the nutrition retention rate is much higher than that of traditional hot air drying. In the drying process, it is necessary to strictly control the temperature and air speed to ensure the uniformity of drying and the stability of product quality.

2.3 Post-processing
After the drying process, the dried pet treats need to go through post-processing links such as cooling, sorting, crushing (if necessary) and inspection to ensure the quality and safety of the products.
Cooling is an important link to prevent the product from being damp and mildewed. After drying, the temperature of the product is relatively high, and it needs to be cooled to room temperature in a clean workshop in time. The cooling environment should be clean, dry and well-ventilated, and the temperature and humidity should be strictly controlled to avoid the product absorbing moisture in the air. At the same time, the cooling time should be controlled to prevent the product from being contaminated by microorganisms during the cooling process.
Sorting is to remove unqualified products such as broken products, unevenly dried products, and products with impurities through manual or mechanical methods. Manual sorting is suitable for small-scale production, with high accuracy but low efficiency. Mechanical sorting is suitable for large-scale production, with high efficiency and stable quality. In the sorting process, it is necessary to set clear sorting standards to ensure that unqualified products are not put into the next link.
Crushing is mainly for some dried pet treats that need to be made into powder or small particles, such as dried vegetable powder and mixed dried treats. Pet Treats Factory equipped with Advanced crushing equipment. The crushing equipment mainly includes a crusher, a grinder, etc. The particle size of the crushed product should meet the product requirements, and the particle size should be uniform to avoid affecting the palatability of the product. At the same time, the crushing equipment should be cleaned and disinfected regularly to avoid cross-contamination.
Inspection is the last pass of post-processing. The dried products after cooling, sorting and crushing need to be inspected for sensory indicators, physical and chemical indicators and microbial indicators. Sensory indicators include color, smell, taste, shape, etc.; physical and chemical indicators include water content, protein content, fat content, ash content, etc.; microbial indicators include total bacterial count, coliform bacteria, Salmonella, etc. Only the products that pass the inspection can enter the packaging link.

2.4 Packaging and Storage
Packaging and storage are important links to ensure the shelf life and quality stability of dried pet treats. The packaging of dried pet treats should not only have the functions of moisture-proof, oxygen-proof, light-proof and anti-pollution, but also meet the requirements of food safety and environmental protection.
In terms of packaging materials, enterprises usually choose high-barrier materials such as aluminum foil composite film, plastic composite film and paper-plastic composite film. These materials have good moisture-proof, oxygen-proof and light-proof performance, which can effectively prevent the product from being damp, oxidized and deteriorated. For high-end products, vacuum packaging or nitrogen-filled packaging is usually adopted to further extend the shelf life of the product. At the same time, the packaging materials should be non-toxic, harmless and in line with national food safety standards. Before use, the packaging materials should be inspected for quality to avoid the packaging materials affecting the product quality.
In the packaging process, it is necessary to strictly control the packaging environment, which should be a clean workshop that meets the requirements of food hygiene, and the operators should wear clean work clothes, masks and gloves to avoid cross-contamination. The packaging specifications should be set according to the product requirements, and the packaging should be tight to avoid air leakage and moisture absorption. In addition, the packaging label should be complete, including the product name, ingredient list, net content, production date, shelf life, production enterprise name and address, product standard number, feeding method and other information, which should be true and accurate to facilitate consumers’ purchase and use.
Storage is an important link to ensure the quality stability of dried pet treats. The stored products should be placed in a clean, dry, well-ventilated and cool warehouse, and the temperature should be controlled below 25℃, and the relative humidity should be ≤55%. The warehouse should be equipped with intelligent temperature and humidity monitoring system, ultrasonic rodent repellent and pheromone trap to prevent pests and mold growth. The products should be placed neatly, and the distance between the products and the wall, ground and ceiling should meet the requirements to facilitate air circulation. At the same time, the first-in-first-out principle should be implemented in the storage process to avoid the expiration of the product. For products that need cold storage, they should be stored in a cold storage with a suitable temperature, and the temperature should be monitored and recorded regularly to ensure the quality of the product.
In the transportation process, it is necessary to choose appropriate transportation tools according to the product characteristics. For general dried pet treats, ordinary transport vehicles can be used, but the vehicle should be clean, dry and free from pollution. For products that need cold storage, cold chain transport vehicles should be used, and the transport vehicle should be equipped with a temperature recorder, and the data should be uploaded to the cloud in real time for traceability query. During transportation, it is necessary to avoid collision, extrusion and moisture, and ensure that the product packaging is intact. At the same time, the transportation time should be shortened as much as possible to avoid the product being deteriorated due to long-term transportation.

3. Quality Control of Dried Pet Treats in China

Quality control is the core of the production of dried pet treats, which runs through the entire production process from raw material selection to product storage and transportation. The quality control of dried pet treats in China mainly includes quality control of raw materials, quality control of production process, quality control of finished products, and quality traceability system construction. The following will elaborate on each aspect in detail.

3.1 Quality Control of Raw Materials
The quality control of raw materials is the first line of defense for the quality and safety of dried pet treats. Enterprises must establish a strict raw material quality control system to ensure that the raw materials meet the requirements of national standards and product quality.
First of all, the supplier evaluation and management system should be established. Enterprises should conduct a comprehensive evaluation of suppliers’ qualification, production capacity, quality control level, product quality and other aspects, and select qualified suppliers. At the same time, regular re-evaluation of suppliers should be carried out, and unqualified suppliers should be eliminated in a timely manner. For key raw materials, enterprises can sign long-term cooperation agreements with suppliers to ensure the stability of raw material supply and quality.
Secondly, the incoming inspection of raw materials should be strengthened. For each batch of incoming raw materials, enterprises should conduct strict inspection, including sensory inspection, physical and chemical inspection and microbial inspection. Sensory inspection mainly checks the color, smell, shape and other indicators of raw materials to see if there is rot, deterioration, impurities and other problems; physical and chemical inspection mainly checks the moisture content, protein content, fat content, pesticide residues, heavy metals and other indicators of raw materials; microbial inspection mainly checks the total bacterial count, coliform bacteria, Salmonella and other indicators of raw materials. For animal-derived raw materials, it is necessary to check the “two certificates and one report” to ensure that the raw materials have passed veterinary quarantine. Only the raw materials that pass the inspection can be put into production; for unqualified raw materials, they should be isolated and handled in a centralized manner, and shall not be put into production.
In addition, the storage and management of raw materials should be done well. Raw materials should be stored in a special warehouse, which should be clean, dry, well-ventilated and free from pollution. Different types of raw materials should be stored separately to avoid cross-contamination. The storage time of raw materials should be controlled, and the first-in-first-out principle should be implemented to avoid the deterioration of raw materials due to long-term storage. At the same time, the temperature and humidity of the warehouse should be monitored and recorded regularly to ensure the quality stability of raw materials.

3.2 Quality Control of Production Process
The production process is the key link affecting the quality of dried pet treats, and enterprises must strengthen the quality control of each link in the production process to ensure that the production process meets the requirements of product quality and safety.
In the raw material pretreatment link, it is necessary to strictly control the thawing, cleaning, cutting, deboning, degreasing and other operations. The thawing temperature and time should be controlled to avoid the growth of microorganisms caused by improper thawing; the cleaning should be thorough to remove impurities and pesticide residues on the surface of raw materials; the cutting size should be uniform to ensure the uniformity of drying; the deboning and degreasing should be thorough to avoid affecting the palatability and shelf life of the product. At the same time, the pretreatment equipment should be cleaned and disinfected regularly to avoid cross-contamination.
In the drying link, it is necessary to strictly control the key parameters such as drying temperature, drying time, air speed and humidity. Different types of products should adopt different drying parameters, and the parameters should be adjusted according to the characteristics of raw materials and product requirements. For example, for chicken breast jerky, the gradient heating process should be adopted, and the drying temperature and time should be strictly controlled to avoid excessive protein denaturation and moisture residue. In the drying process, the temperature, time, air speed and humidity should be monitored and recorded regularly to ensure the stability of the drying process. If the parameters deviate, timely adjustment should be made, and the products produced during the deviation should be isolated and inspected to determine whether they are qualified.
In the post-processing link, it is necessary to strictly control the cooling, sorting, crushing and inspection operations. The cooling environment should be clean and dry, and the cooling time should be controlled to avoid the product absorbing moisture; the sorting should be strict to remove unqualified products; the crushing particle size should be uniform to meet the product requirements; the inspection should be comprehensive to ensure that the products meet the quality standards. At the same time, the post-processing equipment should be cleaned and disinfected regularly to avoid cross-contamination.
In addition, the production environment should be controlled. The production workshop should be a clean workshop that meets the requirements of food hygiene, and the air cleanliness, temperature and humidity should meet the specified standards. The operators should wear clean work clothes, masks and gloves, and undergo strict health checks before going to work. The production equipment should be cleaned and disinfected regularly, and the production site should be kept clean and tidy to avoid cross-contamination.

3.3 Quality Control of Finished Products
The quality control of finished products is the last pass to ensure the quality and safety of dried pet treats. Enterprises must conduct strict inspection of finished products to ensure that the products leaving the factory meet the requirements of national standards and product quality.
The inspection of finished products mainly includes sensory indicators, physical and chemical indicators and microbial indicators. Sensory indicators: the product should have the inherent color and smell of raw materials, no peculiar smell, uniform shape, no impurities, no mildew and no insect infestation. Physical and chemical indicators: the water content of dried pet treats should generally be controlled below 12% to ensure the shelf life of the product; the protein content, fat content, ash content and other indicators should meet the product requirements and national standards; the content of harmful substances such as pesticide residues, heavy metals and mycotoxins should not exceed the limit requirements. According to relevant standards, the maximum content of aflatoxins in pet food is 0.02 ppm, deoxynivalenol (DON) is 2 ppm for dogs and 5 ppm for cats, fumonisins (B1+B2) is 5 ppm, zearalenone (ZEN) is 0.2 ppm, ochratoxin A is 0.01 ppm, and T-2 toxin is 0.05 ppm for cats. For heavy metals, the maximum content of arsenic is 2 ppm (10 ppm for pet feed containing aquatic animals, seaweed and their products, and inorganic arsenic is less than 2 ppm), cadmium is 2 ppm, lead is 5 ppm, and mercury is 0.3 ppm. Microbial indicators: the total bacterial count, coliform bacteria and other indicators should meet the national standards, and Salmonella should not be detected.
Enterprises should establish a finished product inspection system, set up a special inspection department and professional inspectors, and conduct strict inspection of each batch of finished products. For products that pass the inspection, a product inspection report should be issued, and the products can leave the factory only after passing the inspection; for unqualified products, they should be isolated and handled in a centralized manner, and shall not leave the factory. At the same time, pet food manufacturers should regularly send samples to third-party inspection institutions for inspection to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the inspection results.

3.4 Construction of Quality Traceability System
The quality traceability system is an important means to ensure the quality and safety of dried pet treats, which can realize the whole-process traceability of products from raw material selection to product storage and transportation. In recent years, with the continuous improvement of the national regulatory requirements and the increasing awareness of consumers’ rights protection, more and more enterprises have begun to establish quality traceability systems.
The quality traceability system of dried pet treats mainly includes the following aspects: first, the traceability of raw materials, which records the supplier information, production date, batch number, inspection results and other information of raw materials, so as to realize the traceability of raw material sources; second, the traceability of production process, which records the operation parameters, operation time, operator and other information of each link in the production process, so as to realize the traceability of the production process; third, the traceability of finished products, which records the batch number, production date, inspection results, packaging information, storage and transportation information of finished products, so as to realize the traceability of finished products.
Enterprises can use information technologies such as barcodes, two-dimensional codes and Internet of Things to establish a quality traceability system. Pet Treats Factory, as the leading Pet Treats manufacturer, stick to high level QC system. At the same time, the quality traceability system can help enterprises find problems in a timely manner when product quality problems occur, trace the causes of problems, and take corresponding measures to avoid the expansion of losses.

4. Existing Problems and Improvement

Strategies of Quality Control of Dried Pet Treats in ChinaAlthough China’s dried pet treats industry has made great progress in production technology and quality control in recent years, there are still some problems in quality control, which affect the healthy development of the industry. The following will analyze the existing problems and put forward corresponding improvement strategies.

4.1 Existing Problems
First, the quality control level of small-scale enterprises is low. At present, there are a large number of small-scale processing enterprises in China’s dried pet treats industry. These enterprises have simple production equipment, backward production technology, imperfect quality control system, and lack professional inspection personnel and equipment. They often only pay attention to production efficiency and ignore product quality, resulting in uneven product quality, and some products even have potential safety hazards such as excessive harmful substances and microbial contamination.
Second, the standard system is not perfect. Although China has issued some national standards and industry standards for pet food, there are still some deficiencies in the standard system. For example, the coverage of standards is not complete, and there are no clear standards for some new types of dried pet treats; the indicators of some standards are not detailed enough, and the operability is not strong; the update speed of standards is slow, which cannot keep up with the development of the industry and the needs of consumers.
Third, the supervision is not in place. The supervision of China’s dried pet treats industry involves multiple departments such as agriculture, market supervision, and health. There are problems such as unclear division of responsibilities and inadequate supervision between departments, which leads to inadequate supervision of some enterprises, especially small-scale enterprises. Some enterprises take the opportunity to produce unqualified products, which disrupts the market order.
Fourth, the awareness of quality control of enterprises is weak. Some enterprises only pay attention to short-term interests, ignore the importance of quality control, and do not invest enough in quality control, such as not establishing a perfect quality control system, not strengthening the inspection of raw materials and finished products, and not updating production equipment and technology in a timely manner. At the same time, the quality awareness of some operators is weak, and they do not operate in accordance with the production process and quality control requirements, resulting in product quality problems.
Fifth, the quality of raw materials is unstable. The raw materials of dried pet treats are mainly animal-derived and plant-derived raw materials, and the quality of raw materials is easily affected by factors such as climate, environment and breeding conditions. Some suppliers cut corners in order to reduce costs, providing raw materials with unqualified quality, which brings hidden dangers to the quality and safety of products. At the same time, the price fluctuation of raw materials is large. For example, the price fluctuation range of chicken in 2024-2025 reached 20%, which brings pressure to the cost control of enterprises and may lead to enterprises reducing the quality of raw materials to reduce costs.

4.2 Improvement Strategies
First, strengthen the guidance and support for small-scale enterprises. The government and industry associations should strengthen the guidance and support for small-scale enterprises, help them improve their production equipment and technology, establish a perfect quality control system, and train professional inspection personnel and operators. At the same time, encourage small-scale enterprises to carry out technological innovation and product upgrading, and guide them to develop in the direction of standardization and specialization. For enterprises that meet the requirements, they can be given policy support and financial subsidies to promote the improvement of the overall quality control level of the industry.
Second, improve the standard system. The relevant departments should speed up the formulation and revision of standards for dried pet treats, expand the coverage of standards, and formulate clear standards for new types of dried pet treats; refine the indicators of standards, enhance the operability of standards; speed up the update speed of standards, keep up with the development of the industry and the needs of consumers. At the same time, strengthen the promotion and implementation of standards, guide enterprises to produce in accordance with standards, and ensure that product quality meets the requirements of standards. For example, further improve the relevant standards of drying technology and quality control, and clarify the key parameters and control requirements of each production link.
Third, strengthen supervision and law enforcement. The relevant departments should clarify the division of responsibilities, strengthen coordination and cooperation, and form a joint supervision force. Strengthen the supervision of enterprises, especially small-scale enterprises, increase the frequency of inspections, and severely crack down on illegal acts such as producing and selling unqualified products. At the same time, establish a blacklist system for enterprises, record the illegal acts of enterprises, and publicly disclose them to the society, so as to play a warning role. In addition, strengthen the supervision of raw material suppliers, ensure the quality of raw materials, and from the source to ensure the quality and safety of products.
Fourth, enhance the awareness of quality control of enterprises. Pet treats factories should establish the concept of “quality first”, pay attention to the importance of quality control, and increase investment in quality control, such as establishing a perfect quality control system, strengthening the inspection of raw materials and finished products, and updating production equipment and technology in a timely manner. At the same time, strengthen the training of operators, improve their quality awareness and operational skills, and ensure that they operate in accordance with the production process and quality control requirements. In addition, enterprises should strengthen brand building, take quality as the core, improve brand influence and reputation, and realize long-term development.
Fifth, strengthen the management of raw material supply chain. Enterprises should establish a stable raw material supply chain, select qualified suppliers, sign long-term cooperation agreements with them, and strengthen the evaluation and management of suppliers. At the same time, establish a raw material quality early warning mechanism, monitor the quality of raw materials in real time, and take corresponding measures in a timely manner when quality problems are found. In addition, enterprises can carry out joint construction with raw material suppliers, guide suppliers to standardize production, and ensure the stability and safety of raw material quality. For example, establish a raw material traceability system together with suppliers to realize the traceability of raw material sources.