LINCOLN, NEB. — Instinct Pet Food announced in early February that its Lincoln manufacturing facilities have earned the Safe Quality Food (SQF) Food Safety and Quality certification from the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), a widely recognized achievement in the food processing industry.

The pet food manufacturer received the rating of “Excellent,” becoming the first and only raw pet food company in North America to achieve the rating, according to Instinct. The certification is a stringent food safety and quality audit program recognized around the world. SQF Certification recognizes comprehensive compliance with supply chain codes, preparation, production and handling.

“SQF certification isn’t a regulatory requirement in pet food,” said Susy Tejayadi, Ph.D., chief scientific officer at Instinct. “You can have a product that meets all the regulatory requirements, but SQF certification shows that a company is dedicated to going above and beyond expectations from food safety and food quality standpoint. SQF certification should be one of the key factors for pet parents when making a decision about what to feed their pets.”

Instinct Pet Food produces frozen and freeze-dried raw pet food formulas in accordance with standards set by the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), food safety standards on-par with human food production and, now, SQF standards. The company also uses high pressure processing (HPP) to ensure maximum nutrient content and prevent product contamination.

All Instinct Pet Food formulas are tested by a third-party, ISO 17025-certified laboratory before they are released for distribution.

“Safety and quality is Instinct’s top priority – and our Excellent SQF rating demonstrates that,” commented Neil Thompson, chief executive officer of Instinct. “We’re proud of our team who helped us become the only raw pet food company in North America with this certification. We’ll continue to ensure nothing but the best for pets and pet parents everywhere. Our mission is to empower pet parents to transform the lives of their pets through raw nutrition and this certification will give many more pet parents the confidence to do just that with the Instinct brand.”

Read more about pet food safety on our Operations page.