About Teklad > Harlan Teklad Quality Program
 

Harlan Teklad standard laboratory animal diets are manufactured and stored at our drug and synthetic estrogen-free diet facility in Madison, Wisconsin. However, Teklad maintains thirteen distribution and warehouse facilities throughout the United States and Canada, all of which adhere to strict quality standards.

Harlan Teklad has a full-time Quality Control Coordinator, who is responsible for monitoring all incoming ingredients, the manufacturing process and all finished diets. The Harlan Teklad Quality Program begins with a group of specially selected ingredient vendors who have successfully completed a thorough Harlan audit process and meet all standards and specifications relative to their respective ingredient(s). Harlan Teklad conducts bi-annual audits of all ingredient suppliers.

Prior to receiving any ingredient, the material must pass a thorough inspection process. Ingredients are visually checked, sampled and assayed to meet Harlan Teklad specifications, i. e., protein, fat, fiber and moisture.  Specific grains are screened for mycotoxins using a commercial testing kit. Bagged ingredients, pallets and all delivery vehicles are screened with a black light for possible rodent contamination. Should an ingredient fail to meet any of these standards, it is rejected.

Upon receipt, each ingredient is assigned a lot number and a composite sample is taken and retained for a period of six months. The lot number is essential to allow for trace-ability during and after production of Harlan Teklad diets. During the manufacturing process, several quality checks are performed to ensure that each diet is made according to Harlan Teklad specifications. A physical inventory check system is performed daily to verify the accuracy of the automated mixing system and to cross-reference the finished feed production reports.

Production reports are generated for all diets and provide detailed information regarding temperature and moisture conditions, run time, packaging yield, and all start-up and shut-down clean-out information. This procedure helps prevent cross-contamination of diets.

Finished diets must meet all nutrient specifications, and are analyzed using an in-house Foss 5000 NIR Feed Analyzer. In addition to in-house nutrient analysis, Teklad diets are routinely sent to an independent laboratory for proximate analysis. Finished diet samples are kept frozen and retained for a minimum of eighteen months after the date of manufacture.

Products such as antibiotics, drugs, fertilizers, and other undesirable chemical compounds are not permitted on Harlan Teklad premises. Rodent control service is provided, bi-weekly, by an independent professional pest control organization. Bird and weed control services are also provided.

When necessary, Harlan Teklad facilities utilize a non-residual vaporizing pesticide approved by the EPA and FDA for use in food processing facilities. A detailed summary of our pest control program is available upon request.

All Harlan Teklad production and storage facilities are constructed with poured concrete floors with metal sides and roofs. All finished product storage areas are temperature-controlled. All finished feed is stored on new, single-use pallets in a location separate from the ingredient storage area. Pallets are placed a minimum of eighteen inches from all walls, and aisles are maintained between rows.

All Teklad Diets are distributed from our climate-controlled storage facility in Madison, Wisconsin.  Diets are rotated approximately every two to three weeks. Diets are delivered on Harlan Transportation Services vehicles and a select group of independent contractors. All Harlan vehicles are climate-controlled and adhere to a strict daily sanitation program.

In addition to supplying diets to all Harlan Sprague Dawley animal production facilities throughout the world, Harlan Teklad provides diets to numerous universities, pharmaceutical companies, independent research facilities and government agencies. Harlan Teklad is committed to maintaining the highest quality control standards within the laboratory animal diet industry.