(BROOKLYN CENTER, Minnesota) — Feed Management Systems (FMS), a global leader in information management software solutions for the worldwide feed industry, walked away with top honors from the American Feed Industry Association for its breakthrough work in ruling out the feed supply as the cause on the first U.S. case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), or “mad cow” disease.
AFIA presented its 2004 Food Safety Award to Feed Management Systems, at the association’s annual conference in Baltimore, Md. According to David A. Bossman, President, American Feed Industry Association, "In the second annual Food Safety Innovation Award program, the American Feed Industry Association awarded its first-ever award in the two-year program to Feed Management Systems for its effective trace back and trace forward software that has become increasingly important in recent years."
FMS is the only software solutions company that creates sells and implements solutions that address all of the complex information monitoring and management needs of feed manufacturers. At FMS, we are committed to helping the global feed industry to effectively and efficiently manage all the information they need to develop high quality, low cost, safe feed. This Award is especially meaningful to our company because it underscores how technology can be a vital link in ensuring the safety of our food supply from farm to fork.
Technology: First Line of Defense
In 2003, the first U.S. case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) or mad cow disease was discovered in a Washington dairy cow. As the only application software company that designs, implements and services a complete system that monitors information from formulation, distribution and feeding, FMS executives immediately contacted Washington customers to assist in the investigative process. One customer had provided feed to the infected cow’s herd. Within 48 hours, FMS’s software helped the feed company to access and analyze all pertinent records, which were then provided electronically to the USDA. The feed company supplying feed to the infected cow was able to quickly trace the ingredients and clear its feed as the source of BSE.
Instant Data: From Formulation to Feeding
FMS’s feed formulation and management technologies allowed the Washington feed company to maintain current and extensive electronic records. It was this comprehensive and precise record-keeping capability that enabled the mill to prove to the USDA that neither the infected cow nor her herd had been given feed suspected of spreading mad cow disease. The USDA then began focusing on the age of the cow and it’s origins in Canada.
The ability for feed manufacturers to identify the source of feed ingredients and track consumption by specific animals is essential for an industry facing increased threats from BSE, bio-terrorism and potential regulation. Because of heightened concerns and the globalization of the feed and food industries, feed production is widely viewed as a critical component in the ‘farm to fork’ pipeline. The result is stepped-up accountability for feed producers from regulatory agencies and food manufacturers.
As a leading software application company assisting in the information management of a large percentage of the world’s feed production, FMS recognizes the critical role that its software applications play in protecting the efficacy of the global feed and food supply.
About Feed Management Systems
Founded in Minnesota in 1986, FMS solutions manage the comprehensive information needs of more than 800 feed industry companies, representing a significant percentage of the world’s commercial feed production. The company’s technologies enable feed producers to track formulation, labeling and production, gather and store every fact related to the feed order processing cycle—and access that information instantly. This data includes Group History Reports, Feed Production Reports for formulas and ingredients, Purchase Receipt Reports, Inventory History Transactions, Lot Tracking, Ingredient “where-used” Reports and Order History.
For more information about FMS and its industry-leading solutions, visit the company’s website at http://www.feedsys.com
