12/28/2024
Dear Valued Distributors and Customers,
We understand that recent headlines about Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), specifically the H5 strain, have raised concerns. This strain has affected wild birds and, in some cases, led to infections in U.S. poultry and dairy cows. We want to assure you that we are actively working with our suppliers and closely monitoring the situation to maintain the quality and safety of our products.
In response to our recent inquiries, many suppliers and their representatives, including Directors of Food Safety and QA, have provided detailed information about their Avian Influenza safety measures, testing protocols, mitigation procedures, and response plans. These efforts not only comply with required standards but, in many cases, go above and beyond to ensure their products are safe and free from HPAI. This is a critical benefit of sourcing from reputable, human grade, USDA inspected suppliers.
Here’s some additional information to help qualify the issue by the proteins in question:
Pork: There are currently no known outbreaks impacting pork.
Beef: The infections are limited to some dairy cows, and we primarily source steer beef, which is not currently impacted. The dairy beef we do source is from states with currently no reported cases of HPAI.
Poultry: as with all our major proteins we only source human-grade poultry from USDA-inspected facilities. The suppliers and facilities we work with are a small but trusted network that adhere to stringent testing and compliance procedures to ensure all birds are “certified H5/H7 clean” before reaching their harvest plants.
Bottom Line:
Historically, these spikes in HPAI have aligned with wild bird migratory patterns and remain relatively isolated as the procedures in place serve to isolate and minimize the spread. At this time, we have no evidence that our supply chain has been affected. We will continue to engage with our suppliers, monitor the situation closely, and update you if anything changes.
Thank you for trusting Albright’s Raw Pet Food. The health and safety of your pets, your customers' pets and our own, remain our top priority, and we are committed to upholding the highest standards in everything we do.