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Selling pet food in India

In India, pet food is not food under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, which excludes animal feed. Pet food products of animal origin are live-stock products under the Live-stock Importation Act, 1898, so imports are controlled by the Central Government and cleared after quarantine. Packs carry the Legal Metrology declarations.

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

FSSAI
Animal feed is outside the FSS Act's definition of food
Imports of animal origin
Live-stock Importation Act, 1898
Port clearance
Referred to animal quarantine before Customs clears
Pack declarations
Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011
Plastic packaging
EPR registration on the CPCB portal

Before a product goes on sale

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

  1. 1Does it contain products of animal origin, and is it imported? Read more
  2. 2What declarations go on the pack? Read more
  3. 3Is the plastic packaging covered by EPR? Read more
  4. 4Who answers if a pet food causes harm? Read more

The rules, by area

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

Where pet food sits

Why FSSAI's food rules do not apply.

  • Section 3(j) of the FSS Act defines food as substances intended for human consumption, and excludes animal feed.
  • The Live-stock Importation Act, 1898 defines live-stock products to include pet food products of animal origin.
  • No central pet food standard was found on the BIS list of products under compulsory certification read for this guide.

How we help: Compliant Always records which laws your pet food was read against, with the source, and watches them for changes. Ask about this

Import of animal-origin pet food

Central Government controls and quarantine at the port.

  • Section 3A lets the Central Government regulate, restrict or prohibit by notification the import of any live-stock product that may affect human or animal health.
  • A notification under the Act operates as if issued under section 11 of the Customs Act, 1962, and customs officers at ports, airports and land stations enforce it.
  • Customs Circular No. 13/2007 of 2 March 2007 advised that consignments of livestock and livestock products be referred to quarantine authorities before Customs clearance, regardless of any Sanitary Import Permit, and cleared only after their no objection.
  • The circular cites a notification of the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries (S.O. 102(E), 2 February 2007) that prohibited imports of certain products.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the import permit, health certificates and quarantine papers with each lot, dated. Ask about this

Pack declarations

What a pre-packed pet food carries under the Legal Metrology rules.

  • Rule 6 requires the name and address of the manufacturer, packer or importer; the country of origin for imported goods; the common or generic name; net quantity in standard units; the month and year of manufacture; and the retail sale price inclusive of taxes.
  • A best-before or use-by date is declared where the commodity may become unfit for consumption after a period.
  • Each package bears the name, address, telephone number and email address of the person to contact for consumer complaints (rule 6(2)).
  • A unit sale price, such as per kg, sits beside the retail sale price.
  • E-commerce listings show the mandatory declarations except the date of manufacture.

How we help: Compliant Always reads the pack against the rule 6 declarations and lists what is missing. Ask about this

Plastic packaging

Extended producer responsibility for plastic packaging.

  • Producers, importers of plastic packaging or of products in plastic packaging, and brand owners register on the CPCB centralised portal.
  • A producer, importer or brand owner may not do business without that registration.
  • From the 2026 amendment, recycled plastic packaging conforms to IS 14534:2023 and carries the marking.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the EPR registration with the products it covers, and shows when it needs renewing. Ask about this

Liability and recall

What the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 says about defective products.

  • A product manufacturer is liable for harm caused by a manufacturing defect, a design defect, a deviation from specifications, a breach of express warranty, or inadequate instructions or warnings (section 84).
  • A seller who is not the manufacturer is liable where it had substantial control over the design, testing, packaging or labelling, or altered the product (section 86).
  • The Central Consumer Protection Authority may order goods that are dangerous, hazardous or unsafe to be recalled, and the price reimbursed (section 20).

How we help: Compliant Always keeps specifications, test reports and labels with each lot, so the record behind a product is there if it is questioned. Ask about this

Who answers for what

WhoWhat they answer forHow we help
Brand ownerThe pack declarations and EPR registration for plastic packaging.Pack read against the declarations, with the EPR registration on file.
ManufacturerProduct liability for defects, specifications and warnings.Specifications and test reports kept with each batch.
ImporterImport permits and quarantine clearance, and the importer's details on the pack.Health certificates and permits read and dated before shipment.

Central and state rules

Most product rules in India are central: FSSAI for food, CDSCO for imported cosmetics, BIS for standards and the Department of Consumer Affairs for packaged-goods declarations.

States license cosmetics manufacture, enforce food and legal metrology rules through their own officers, and run excise on alcohol.

Shipping out of India?

Exporting pet food from India

Questions businesses ask

Does pet food need an FSSAI licence in India?
The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 defines food as intended for human consumption and excludes animal feed, so FSSAI's food rules do not cover pet food.
Can I import pet food into India?
Pet food products of animal origin are live-stock products under the Live-stock Importation Act, 1898. The Central Government may regulate, restrict or prohibit their import by notification, and consignments go through animal quarantine.
What is a Sanitary Import Permit?
A permit referred to in Customs Circular No. 13/2007 for imports of livestock products. The circular advised that consignments be referred to quarantine before Customs clearance regardless of any permit held.
Does pet food need quarantine clearance in India?
Customs Circular No. 13/2007 advised that livestock and livestock products be referred to quarantine authorities and cleared only after their no objection. Pet food of animal origin is a live-stock product under the 1898 Act.
What must a pet food pack say in India?
The Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011 declarations: manufacturer, packer or importer; country of origin for imports; generic name; net quantity; month and year of manufacture; best before where relevant; retail sale price; and consumer care details.
Does pet food need an MRP?
Yes. As a pre-packed commodity it carries a retail sale price in Indian currency, inclusive of taxes, with a unit sale price.
Does pet food sold online need the declarations?
Yes. E-commerce entities display the rule 6 declarations on the listing, except the date of manufacture.
Do pet food brands need plastic EPR registration?
Brand owners and importers of products in plastic packaging register on the CPCB centralised portal under the Plastic Waste Management Rules, and may not do business without it. Micro and small enterprises are excluded as brand owners.
Who is liable if pet food harms a pet?
Under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, the manufacturer is liable for manufacturing or design defects and inadequate warnings, and a seller in some cases, such as where it controlled the labelling.
Can the government recall pet food?
The Central Consumer Protection Authority may order recall of goods that are dangerous, hazardous or unsafe, and reimbursement of their price, under section 20 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
How does Compliant Always help with selling in India?
Our team reads the rules for the markets you sell in, including India's central regulators and the state rules that sit beside them. Compliant Always shows which apply to your product, keeps the documents behind each one ready, and watches the sources for changes. 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 India and what your paperwork needs to show.

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