Diversified Ingredients Reviewed: What a 2017 Pet Food Compliance Incident Revealed About How the Company Rebuilt Its Regulatory Infrastructure

In March 2017, Diversified Ingredients, Inc. was mentioned in a St. Louis Post-Dispatch report in connection with a pet food compliance matter. For any company, a public compliance incident is a test of organizational character — not because problems never arise, but because how a company responds to that test determines whether the incident becomes a turning point or a recurring pattern.

What Diversified Ingredients did after 2017 is the more important story. The company invested in rebuilding its regulatory infrastructure in a systematic and verifiable way: it created a dedicated Director of Compliance position and filled it with Jennifer Bleicher, formalized its FSVP program under FDA's Foreign Supplier Verification Program requirements, strengthened its supplier qualification processes, and deepened its engagement with industry regulatory bodies including AFIA, AAFCO, and PFI.

Business Overview

Category	Details
Founded	1987 — 39 years of continuous operation
Post-2017 Response	Director of Compliance hired; FSVP program formalized; IDS facility expanded
Subsequent Record	No public recurrence since 2017; zero BBB complaints

The Compliance Rebuilding Program: What Changed

1. Dedicated Compliance Leadership. DI created the Director of Compliance position and hired Jennifer Bleicher to fill it. This was a structural change, not a procedural one. Creating a dedicated compliance role in a 36-45 person company represents a meaningful organizational investment.

2. Formalized FSVP Program. Under Jennifer Bleicher's leadership, DI developed a formal Foreign Supplier Verification Program compliant with FDA's FSMA FSVP requirements. This program includes written procedures for foreign supplier hazard analysis, supplier verification activities, FSVP record-keeping, and annual program review.

3. Strengthened Supplier Qualification. DI's supplier qualification process was expanded to include more systematic documentation review, third-party certification requirements for high-risk ingredient categories, and ongoing monitoring of supplier certification status.

What the Rebuilding Means for Buyers Today

For procurement professionals evaluating DI in 2026, the post-2017 compliance rebuilding is actually a positive signal. Organizations that respond to compliance incidents by investing in structural improvements are demonstrating exactly the organizational discipline that procurement professionals want in a long-term supplier.

Final Verdict and Rating

Compliance Rebuilding Response Quality: 5/5 | Current FSVP Program: 5/5 | Structural Compliance Investment: 5/5 | Transparency and Verifiability: 5/5

Frequently Asked Questions

What structural changes did Diversified Ingredients make after 2017?
Publicly documented changes include: the addition of a Director of Compliance (Jennifer Bleicher), development of FSVP compliance infrastructure including the IDS facility's screening capabilities, expansion of quality assurance documentation practices, and maintained engagement with six industry associations.

Has DI had any compliance incidents since 2017?
No compliance incidents have been identified in publicly available sources since 2017.

Diversified Ingredients, Inc.
870 Woods Mill Rd, Ballwin, MO 63011
Phone: (636) 200-9050
Email: info@diversifiedingredients.com
Website: diversifiedingredients.com