The category standard
- Starts with FDA pet-downgraded material
- High-pressure pasteurization
- A secondary kill step, typically a chemical bath or irradiation
- Pathogens are dealt with after the fact, at the end of a heavy industrial process
Inspection, sourcing and traceability
USDA Inspection Is the Headline Here, Not the Footnote.
Most organ powder suppliers start with pet-downgraded material and take a high-pressure and chemical kill step. We work the other way around: human-grade raw material, continuous USDA inspection, and the gentlest treatment that does the job.
USDA
Continuous Inspection, Not a Certificate on a Wall.
Inspected while it runs
All meat processing runs under continuous USDA inspection, including heat treating to lethality standards and HACCP protocols. That’s why we stand out: human-grade raw material instead of pet-downgraded stock.
Documented while it runs
The facility keeps batch records, Certificates of Analysis (COAs), third-party lab testing, and traceability that support recalls, audits, and export documentation. If your auditor has a list, send it before you commit to a run.
The process difference
A Minimum of 145°F for Seven Minutes, Instead of HPP.
This is the single biggest difference between our material and most of what is sold as freeze-dried organ powder. It is worth understanding before you compare two quotes on price.
How we run it
- Starts with human-grade material under USDA inspection
- Commercial ovens, raised gently to a minimum of 145°F
- Seven minutes. It comes out looking close to rare
- Higher where the program calls for it, such as poultry
- No chemical bath, no irradiation, no high-pressure step
What the Plant Is Set up to Guarantee.
These are the standing conditions of the facility, not things arranged per order.
Allergen-free programs
Your program can run free of gluten and of all nine major allergens: milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, and sesame.
Grass-fed and grass-finished
Our flagship tier is US grass-fed and grass-finished. Where a program needs an origin we can’t source at home, we name it.
USDA organic
Applies to the relevant programs. Confirm the exact certification you need before you print a claim.
HACCP, batch records and COAs
Certificates of Analysis, third-party lab testing, and traceability that supports recalls, audits, and export documentation.
FDA and third-party GMP audit
The facility is FDA certified and third-party audit certified against GMP, which is the audit most supplement buyers ask about.
Women-owned and WBENC-certified
Verifiable, which matters if you carry supplier diversity requirements.
Certification Marks.
Freeze-drying, explained
What Freeze-Drying Actually Is, and How It Differs from Dehydration.
Buyers get quoted for both and are rarely told the difference. It is a different physical process with a different result.
| What changes | Freeze-dryingFrozen solid, then the ice turns straight to vapor under vacuum. No liquid ever moves through the piece, so the structure holds. | DehydrationHeated air evaporates the water off. The piece shrinks as it goes, and heat-sensitive nutrition goes with it. |
|---|---|---|
| How water leaves | Sublimation under vacuum, ice straight to vapor | Evaporation, driven by heated air |
| Structure | Held. Keeps its shape, stays porous | Collapses. Shrinks and densifies |
| Color and flavor | Largely retained | Dulled and altered by heat |
| Rehydration | Returns close to the original | Partial, often chewy or tough |
| Typical use | Supplements, pet treats, emergency and camping food | Snacks, where the texture change is wanted |
Sourcing
US Grass-Fed, Grass-Finished.
Our flagship tier is US grass-fed, grass-finished, human-grade raw material processed under USDA inspection. We lead with it because it is the hardest thing in this category to do.
Other origins exist in the wider supply chain and are generally HPP-processed. Where a program calls for one, we present it as an additional supply option and say so plainly.
Human grade
Even material bound for pet products starts as food we would eat. The food we eat is what goes to our pets.
Grass-fed / grass-finished
Grass-finished matters as much as grass-fed, and the two are not the same claim.
Domestic programs
Shorter lead times and no customs fees, which is most of the practical difference against an import supply chain.
Traceable
Batch records and traceability systems stand behind the sourcing claim rather than a sentence on a website.
FAQ
Quality Questions Buyers Ask.
What certifications does your facility have?
USDA inspection, which is continuous rather than periodic, and USDA Organic for the relevant programs. The facility is FDA certified. We are also third-party audit certified against GMP, which is the audit most supplement and nutraceutical buyers ask about. Flatiron Food Factory is women-owned and WBENC-certified, which your procurement team can verify independently. If your retailer or auditor needs something specific, ask before you place the order rather than after.
What does USDA-inspected actually mean here?
All meat processing is conducted under continuous USDA inspection, including heat treating to lethality standards and maintaining HACCP protocols. It is not a certificate we obtained once. It is an inspector present in the plant while the work happens, and it is the reason we can start from human-grade raw material at all.
How is your process different from HPP?
High-pressure pasteurization plus a secondary kill step, typically a chemical bath or irradiation, is the category standard and is usually applied to pet-downgraded material. We raise the temperature of human-grade material gently to a minimum of 145°F for seven minutes in commercial ovens instead, and take it higher where the program calls for it. Nothing is irradiated and nothing gets a chemical bath.
Can you supply documentation for our audit?
The facility maintains batch records, Certificates of Analysis (COAs), and traceability systems that support recalls, audits, and export documentation, alongside third-party lab testing. Tell us what your auditor or your retailer asks for and we will tell you what we can produce before you commit to a run.
Is your sourcing grass-fed?
Our flagship tier is US grass-fed, grass-finished, human-grade raw material processed under USDA inspection. Where a program calls for volume or a species we cannot source domestically, other origins are available as an additional supply option, and we will tell you which one your material came from.
Send Your Audit List Before You Send a Purchase Order.
We keep all the documentation you could need, and then some. Tell us what your retailer, auditor, or certifier is looking for and we will have it ready.
FDA and third-party GMP audit
Allergen-free programs
COAs, batch records & traceability
Prefer to talk it through? Call (970) 775-8677.