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Selling pet food and treats in Australia

In Australia, pet food sits outside the Food Standards Code, which covers food for human consumption. A product represented to prevent or treat disease or modify an animal's physiology can be a veterinary chemical product under the Agvet Code. Imports of animal or plant material face biosecurity conditions, and packaged pet food follows trade measurement and consumer law.

Updated · Each section links to the official source it comes from

Food Standards Code
Does not apply: it covers food for human consumption
Therapeutic claims
Can make it a veterinary chemical product (Agvet Code)
Imports
Biosecurity: import permit or alternative conditions
Trade description
Required on imported prepacked goods, in English
Net quantity
National Trade Measurement Regulations 2009
Claims
Australian Consumer Law: truthful, not misleading

Before a product goes on sale

The questions to answer, in the order they usually come up.

  1. 1Does any claim on the pack describe treating, preventing or alleviating a condition in the animal? Read more
  2. 2Does the product contain meat, dairy or other animal or plant material from overseas? Read more
  3. 3Does the imported pack carry an English trade description with the country of origin? Read more
  4. 4Is the net quantity marked on the principal display panel, at the right size? Read more
  5. 5Can each claim on the label be backed up? Read more

The rules, by area

What each area covers, the texts that set it, and what the official pages say.

Which law applies to pet food

Pet food is not 'food' for the purposes of the Food Standards Code.

  • Under the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Act 1991, food means substances used, or represented for use, for human consumption, and their ingredients and additives.
  • The Australian Consumer Law applies to businesses selling goods in Australia, including businesses overseas: information about goods must be truthful.
  • Goods sold to consumers must meet the consumer guarantees, including acceptable quality and matching their description.

How we help: Compliant Always records which rules apply to each pet product and why, so the documents you keep match them. Ask about this

Therapeutic claims and veterinary chemical products

When a pet product stops being food and becomes a regulated veterinary chemical.

  • A veterinary chemical product is a substance represented as suitable for consumption by an animal as a way of preventing, diagnosing, curing or alleviating a disease or condition, curing an injury, or modifying the animal's physiology.
  • A vitamin, mineral or additive is a veterinary chemical product only if it is used for one of those purposes; regulations can declare substances in or out.
  • The Agvet Code provides for the evaluation, registration and control of veterinary chemical products, and the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) keeps the Register.

How we help: Compliant Always sets each claim on your pack and website beside the Agvet Code definition, so claims that could change the product's status are visible. Ask about this

Biosecurity and import

Conditions on bringing pet food and its ingredients into Australia.

  • Animal material, plant products and goods containing them may be imported only if covered by an import permit or if alternative conditions in the Determination are met.
  • Goods made from two or more kinds of goods need a permit if any component needs one with no alternative conditions.
  • The alternative conditions for meat and meat products do not apply to meat intended for animal consumption.
  • Goods imported as prepacked articles carry an English trade description with a true description and the country where they were made; the ABF may seize goods not labelled correctly.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the import permit, health certificates and supplier declarations with each consignment, dated, and shows what expires before the next shipment. Ask about this

Measurement marking and claims

What the pack must show about quantity and who packed it, and the limits on claims.

  • A prepackaged product is marked with a clear, conspicuous statement of its measurement on the principal display panel, in metric units, at least 2 mm from other graphic matter.
  • Minimum character height runs from 2.0 mm for packages up to 120 mm to 4.8 mm for packages over 360 mm.
  • Products packed in Australia carry the name and address (a place in Australia where documents can be served personally, not a post office box) of the packer or the person it was packed for; imported prepackaged products are exempt from this marking.
  • Expressions qualifying the measurement, such as 'gross mass', are prohibited unless permitted.
  • Country of origin claims such as 'made in Australia' must be accurate and truthful under the Australian Consumer Law.

How we help: Compliant Always reads your pack artwork for the measurement marking, packer details and origin claim, and keeps the evidence behind each claim with the product. Ask about this

Who answers for what

WhoWhat they answer forHow we help
BrandClaims on the pack and in advertising, and whether they make it a veterinary chemical product.Each claim kept with the evidence behind it.
PackerMeasurement marking, name and address, and packing to the stated quantity.Pack artwork and quantity checks kept by lot.
ImporterBiosecurity permits or conditions, and the trade description.Permits and certificates kept with each consignment, dated.

States and territories

Food standards are developed by FSANZ and adopted without variation by the states and territories, whose agencies and local councils enforce the Food Standards Code. The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry enforces it at the border.

The Australian Consumer Law is enforced by the ACCC for widespread issues and by state and territory consumer protection agencies, which handle individual complaints.

Shipping out of Australia?

Exporting pet food from Australia

Questions businesses ask

Does the Food Standards Code apply to pet food in Australia?
No. The Code is made under the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Act 1991, which defines food by reference to human consumption.
When is a pet product regulated by the APVMA?
When it is a veterinary chemical product: represented for consumption by an animal to prevent, diagnose, cure or alleviate a disease or condition, cure an injury, or modify the animal's physiology. The Agvet Code provides for registration of those products.
Can a pet treat claim to improve joint health?
A claim to alleviate a condition or modify physiology can bring a product within the Agvet Code's definition of a veterinary chemical product. The wording of the claim matters, and regulations can declare substances in or out.
Do I need an import permit for pet food?
Goods containing animal or plant material need an import permit unless alternative conditions in the Biosecurity (Conditionally Non-prohibited Goods) Determination 2021 are met. The alternative conditions for meat do not apply to meat for animal consumption.
Does imported pet food need a trade description?
Goods imported as prepacked articles need an English trade description with a true description of the goods and the country where they were made or produced, under the Commerce (Trade Descriptions) Regulation 2016.
How must net weight be shown on pet food?
As a clear, conspicuous measurement marking on the principal display panel, in metric units, with characters at least 2.0 mm to 4.8 mm high depending on package size.
Can I write 'gross weight' on a pet food bag?
No. 'Gross mass' and similar expressions are prohibited on packages unless permitted, for example for transport only with the net mass also marked (regulation 4.28).
Who enforces consumer law for pet products?
The ACCC deals with widespread issues, and state and territory consumer protection agencies handle individual complaints. Courts and tribunals can also enforce the Australian Consumer Law.
How does Compliant Always help with selling in Australia?
Our team reads the rules for the markets you sell in, including the Commonwealth, state and territory layers in Australia. Compliant Always shows which apply to your product and keeps the documents behind each one ready. It shows what the requirements say and what your documents show; you decide.

Sources

Compliant Always is a product of Lettuce Labs LLC. It shows what requirements say and what your documents show. It is not legal advice, and you decide.

Tell us what you make, and we will show you the rules for it.

Name the product and the markets you sell in. We will come back to you with what applies in Australia and what your paperwork needs to show.

Get in touch

No card, no account, and no call to book. Tell us what you make and where you sell it, and we will come back to you.

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