Kemin investigating tocopherol supplier

The US-based company announced this move after certified lab results in Europe showed 40.035 ng/kg of dioxin had been found on April 3, in a single batch of its product Naturox IP Plus Dry, an antioxidant used in pet food.

In a press release, the company emphasised that, when the antioxidant is applied at recommended application rates, the amount of dioxin in finished pet food would be 0.04 – 0.09 ng/kg, well below the maximum allowable limit for dioxin, which in the European Union is 1.75 ng/kg.

As a precaution, however, the company decided to replace any unused antioxidants containing tocopherols from this supplier.

In the statement, Kemin wrote: “Although this tocopherol supplier is FAMI-QS certified and provided a certificate of analysis showing the material complied with EU requirements for undesirable substances, including dioxins, Kemin takes full responsibility for all materials that enter our facilities.”

The company has been in contact with all affected European customers, calling the discovery an ‘isolated incident’. Kemin stresses that quality and safety of its products continues to remain the company’s priority.

In 2012, the company analysed hundreds of individual samples of raw materials for dioxin as part of a statistically valid sampling method for raw materials.

Author: Kemin