Supporting the green agenda

Download: Supporting the green agenda (PDF file)Wagg Foods is a family company in the UK, which William Page, the grandfather of the current managing director, set up in 1923. Initially it was an animal feed mill in Tadcaster, North Yorkshire. The company was known as Page Feeds and supplied the farming community through four feed mills that were strategically placed around Yorkshire.In the 1980s the company started to manufacture pet food. By 1990 Page Feeds had stopped producing animal feeds for farming, changed its name to Wagg Foods and moved to the current purpose-built site at Topcliffe, near Thirsk. During the 1990s, the company expanded its complete dry dog food range as well as moving into small animal foods. It doubled its capacity by extending the Topcliffe site. In 2002 Wagg Foods opened a dog food extrusion factory and kitted it out with the latest production equipment, which enables the company to produce in excess of 40 000 t of extruded products per year. In 2007 the company doubled its pet food capacity with a second extruder and further increased the total blending capacity.Reducing waste and energy requirementsWagg Foods' aim is to provide the highest quality pet food products in the UK at the best possible prices through constant improvement in manufacturing processes, focus on research and an innovative approach to nutrition. Wagg Foods is keen on doing everything to conserve energy and support the green agenda, so the company uses state-of-the-art machinery that is more efficient and helps reduce absolute energy requirements. Wagg Foods tries to source its wheat and meat meal products locally and is always looking for new ways to reduce and recycle waste from its UK manufacturing process. On top of this, the pet food producer supports its key customers and minimises its carbon footprint by trying to reduce transport miles. It is currently looking at its packaging with a view to reducing waste and investigating new, alternative options that are more environmentally friendly, and its 15 kg and 17 kg bags are already recyclable. The company has even achieved British Retail Consortium (BRC) accreditation. This is an internationally recognised accreditation system against which suppliers of retail branded products can be assessed. It ensures suppliers produce a safe and legal product that complies with human food quality standards. The company is in the process of implementing an environmental management system that will monitor…