Compliant Always
Get in touch

Selling pet food in South Korea

In South Korea, feed for animals the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) has publicly notified falls under the Control of Livestock and Fish Feed Act. Manufacturers register their business, manufacturers and importers register each feed's ingredients with the Mayor/Do Governor, labels show the registration and expiry date, and notified imports are reported to MAFRA.

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

Ministry
Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA)
Main law
Control of Livestock and Fish Feed Act (사료관리법)
Before sale
Registration of ingredients for each feed
Label
Registration, expiry date and precautions
Imports
Reported to MAFRA; inspection where required
Self-inspection records
Kept for two years

Before a product goes on sale

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

  1. 1Is the product feed for animals MAFRA has publicly notified under the Act? Read more
  2. 2Is the manufacturing business registered, and are the feed's ingredients registered? Read more
  3. 3Does the label show the registration, expiry date and precautions? Read more
  4. 4Is the feed free of the substances and by-products the Act prohibits? Read more
  5. 5Has the import been reported, with an inspection certificate where one helps? Read more
  6. 6Has the quality self-inspection been done, and are the records kept? Read more

The rules, by area

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

What counts as feed

The Act covers feed for livestock and for animals MAFRA publicly notifies.

  • "Feed" means single-compound, assorted and supplementary feed used as nutrients for livestock and for animals, fish, etc. determined and publicly notified by MAFRA, and needed for their health and growth; feed taken as animal medicine is excluded (Article 2, Control of Livestock and Fish Feed Act).
  • The Act does not name pets in its English text; which animals it covers is set by MAFRA notice.
  • "Import business" includes simply repackaging imported feed for sale (Article 2).

How we help: Compliant Always records the feed type each product is sold as, with the specification behind it. Ask about this

Business and ingredient registration

Who registers, and what is registered before a feed is sold.

  • A person operating a feed manufacturing business registers it with the Mayor/Do Governor, with facilities meeting the MAFRA standards (Article 8).
  • A manufacturer or importer registers the type, ingredients and contents of each feed it intends to make or import with the competent Mayor/Do Governor, who issues a feed ingredient registration certificate (Article 12).
  • Feed made or imported without registration of ingredients may not be made, imported or sold (Article 14(1)5).

How we help: Compliant Always keeps each ingredient registration certificate with the product it covers, and shows which are missing. Ask about this

Labelling

What the container or package shows.

  • Manufacturers, importers and distributors label containers or packages with the fact that the ingredients are registered, the expiration date, precautions for use and other matters set by MAFRA ordinance (Article 13(1)).
  • No label may be false or exaggerated (Article 13(2)).
  • Feed made with genetically modified organisms approved for import carries a label saying so (Article 13-2).

How we help: Compliant Always sets the particulars beside what your label shows, with the article for each. Ask about this

Prohibited feed and quality self-inspection

What may not be sold as feed, and the checks makers and importers run.

  • Feed may not contain toxic substances or animal medicine residues beyond permissible limits, or be contaminated by pathogens or considerably decomposed (Article 14(1)).
  • Animal by-products and food leftovers MAFRA bans from feed may not be used (Article 14(1)7).
  • Feed past its expiration date may not be sold, stored or displayed for sale (Article 14(3)).
  • Manufacturers and importers inspect their feed for conformity with the manufacturing process, its registered ingredients and the prohibitions, and keep the records for two years (Article 20).
  • The inspection can be done by a designated feed testing and inspection institution, which issues a certificate (Article 20(2) and (3)).

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the inspection reports with each lot, dated, and shows when a record is missing. Ask about this

Import

Reporting imports of feed to MAFRA.

  • An importer of feed MAFRA has publicly notified reports the import to MAFRA (Article 19(1)).
  • Where there is good cause, such as feed safety, officials inspect the feed before customs clearance is completed (Article 19(2)).
  • A report filed with an inspection certificate from a designated institution may be treated as passing that inspection, or have its inspection items adjusted (Article 19(3)).
  • Feed imported without the report may not be sold (Article 14(1)6).
  • The Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency publishes a quarantine guide to pet food (애완동물사료 검역안내); its content could not be read from here.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the import report, certificates and inspection results with each consignment. Ask about this

Who answers for what

WhoWhat they answer forHow we help
ManufacturerBusiness registration, ingredient registration, labelling and quality self-inspection.Registrations and inspection reports kept with each product.
ImporterIngredient registration, the import report, labelling and quality self-inspection.Import reports and certificates read and dated before the goods arrive.
DistributorLabelling, and not selling prohibited or expired feed.Product documents ready for the retailer that asks.

National ministries and local government

Product law in South Korea is national. Each Act names the minister in charge, such as the Minister of Food and Drug Safety for food and cosmetics, and the Minister of Trade, Industry and Resources for electrical, consumer and children's products.

Many licences, reports and inspections under those Acts are handled by a Mayor or Do Governor or the head of a Si/Gun/Gu, so the local office named in the Act is often the one a business deals with.

Shipping out of South Korea?

Exporting pet food from South Korea

Questions businesses ask

Which law covers pet food in South Korea?
Feed for animals MAFRA publicly notifies falls under the Control of Livestock and Fish Feed Act. Its English text does not name pets, so the MAFRA notice decides which animals are covered.
Who regulates feed in Korea?
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, with registrations handled by the Mayor/Do Governor under the Control of Livestock and Fish Feed Act.
Do I need to register a pet food before selling it in Korea?
A manufacturer or importer registers the type, ingredients and contents of each feed with the Mayor/Do Governor, unless MAFRA ordinance waives it (Article 12).
Do feed manufacturers register their business?
Yes, with the Mayor/Do Governor, with manufacturing facilities meeting the MAFRA standards (Article 8, Control of Livestock and Fish Feed Act).
What must a pet food label show in Korea?
That the ingredients are registered, the expiration date, precautions for use and other matters set by MAFRA ordinance, with nothing false or exaggerated (Article 13).
Do GM ingredients in feed need a label?
Feed made using genetically modified organisms approved for import carries a label saying so (Article 13-2, Control of Livestock and Fish Feed Act).
Can expired feed be sold?
No. Manufacturers, importers and distributors may not sell feed past its expiration date, or store or display it for sale (Article 14(3)).
How is imported pet food reported?
Imports of feed MAFRA has publicly notified are reported to MAFRA, and may be inspected before customs clearance; an inspection certificate from a designated institution can count towards that (Article 19).
Do I have to test my feed?
Manufacturers and importers inspect their feed for conformity with the manufacturing process, registered ingredients and prohibitions, or have a designated institution do it, and keep records for two years (Article 20).
What is banned from feed?
Toxic substances or animal medicine residues beyond limits, pathogen contamination, and animal by-products and food leftovers MAFRA bans (Article 14, Control of Livestock and Fish Feed Act).
How does Compliant Always help with selling in South Korea?
Our team reads the rules for the markets you sell in, from Korean law and the regulators' own pages. 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 South Korea 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.

Get in touch