Ultra cat food is a popular brand of cat food made by Mars Petcare, a division of the Mars company. Mars is a large, privately owned American global manufacturer of confectionery, pet food, and other food products and a provider of animal care services. Here are some key facts about where Ultra cat food is made:
Manufacturing Locations
Ultra cat food is made at Mars petcare manufacturing facilities located across the United States. Some of the main manufacturing sites include:
- Columbus, Ohio
- Jeffersonville, Pennsylvania
- Topeka, Kansas
- Fort Smith, Arkansas
Mars Petcare has over 60 manufacturing sites around the world. By producing Ultra cat food at multiple locations in the US, Mars can distribute it efficiently to stores and customers across the country.
Main Ingredients and Sourcing
The main ingredients used in Ultra cat food include:
- Protein sources like chicken, chicken meal, turkey, turkey meal, ocean fish, etc.
- Grains like ground corn, rice, barley etc.
- Fruits and vegetables like carrots, cranberries, blueberries, etc.
- Vitamins and mineral supplements
Mars sources these ingredients from trusted suppliers in the US as well as globally. The chicken, fish, turkey, grains, fruits and vegetables used in Ultra cat foods come from US farms as well as countries like China, Thailand, India etc. Vitamins, minerals and other supplements are sourced from specialized global suppliers.
Safety and Quality Control
All Mars petcare manufacturing facilities follow stringent quality control procedures to ensure safety and quality of Ultra cat foods. These include:
- Testing of raw ingredients upon receipt
- Adhering to hazard analysis and safety protocols during production
- Metal detection and other checks during processing
- Microbiological testing of finished products
- Follow up stability tests of packaged foods
By following safety protocols at every stage from raw ingredients through to finished product, Mars ensures that only high quality and safe Ultra cat food reaches pet parents.
Manufacturing Process
The key steps in manufacturing Ultra cat foods are:
- Weighing and blending: The appropriate amounts of each ingredient, like chicken meal, grains, vitamins etc. are weighed and mixed in large blenders.
- Extrusion: The blended mixture is fed into an extruder machine which cooks the food and shapes it into kibble pieces under high heat and pressure.
- Drying: The kibbles are dried to the required moisture content in large dryers.
- Coating: Additional coatings like fish or chicken fats, vitamins etc. may be sprayed on.
- Packing: The kibbles are packed into different sized bags or cans after passing through metal detectors.
Automated production lines and high-volume capabilities allow Mars to manufacture Ultra cat food efficiently while maintaining quality control.
Certifications
Mars Petcare’s manufacturing facilities hold several quality certifications including:
- ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 standards for quality and environmental management.
- British Retail Consortium (BRC) food safety certification.
- American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) certification.
These certifications validate the sterile, high quality manufacturing environments used to produce Ultra cat foods.
Conclusion
In summary, Ultra cat food is made at Mars Petcare’s network of manufacturing facilities across the United States. The facilities source ingredients globally and follow strict protocols to test ingredients and finished products. This ensures that Ultra provides complete, balanced nutrition and high quality to cat parents in America and beyond.