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Selling pet food in the UK

In Great Britain, pet food is animal feed. It follows assimilated feed law on safety, hygiene, labelling and additives, with labels in English. Pet food made from animal by-products needs approval from the Animal and Plant Health Agency, and imports need health certificates. Local trading standards register feed businesses; in Northern Ireland, DAERA does.

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

Main text
Assimilated Regulation (EC) No 767/2009 on feed
Who oversees
The Food Standards Agency, for feed law
Animal by-products
Approval from APHA, under Regulation (EC) No 1069/2009
Registration
Local authority trading standards, as a feed business
Label language
English, or English and Welsh
Imports
GB health certificate and an approved establishment

Before a product goes on sale

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

  1. 1Does the pet food contain animal by-products, and is the plant approved by APHA? Read more
  2. 2Is the business registered or approved as a feed business with its local authority? Read more
  3. 3Does the label carry the mandatory particulars, in English? Read more
  4. 4Are the claims objective and substantiated, with no claims to prevent or cure disease? Read more
  5. 5Are the additives authorised and the undesirable substances within limits? Read more
  6. 6Is it imported, and does it come from an approved establishment with a health certificate? Read more

The rules, by area

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

Labelling

What a pet food label has to show.

  • The label gives the type of feed (complete or complementary feed; "compound feed" for pets other than cats and dogs), the name and address of the business responsible, the batch or lot reference, the net quantity, the additives under the heading "additives", and the moisture content where required.
  • Compound pet food also gives the species it is for, instructions for proper use, a minimum storage life, and the feed materials under the heading "composition" in descending order by weight.
  • Pet food can declare feed materials by category, such as oils and fats. A feed material emphasised on the label in words or pictures is given with its percentage.
  • The label gives a free telephone number or other means for the buyer to ask about the additives and the feed materials declared by category.
  • Mandatory particulars are shown prominently, legibly and indelibly, in English or in English and Welsh.

How we help: Compliant Always sets the mandatory pet food particulars beside your label, with the article each one comes from. Ask about this

Claims, additives and particular nutritional purposes

What a pet food may claim, and what goes in it.

  • Labelling must not mislead about the feed's use, composition or characteristics, or suggest it has special characteristics that similar feeds share.
  • A claim about a substance, nutritional characteristic or function must be objective and verifiable, and the business holds scientific substantiation when the feed is placed on the market.
  • Labels must not claim the feed will prevent, treat or cure a disease. Feeds for particular nutritional purposes, such as support of renal function, must be on the list in assimilated Regulation (EU) 2020/354.
  • Pet food is subject to controls on authorised additives and undesirable substances similar to those for livestock feed, under assimilated Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003.
  • Pet food containing animal by-products cannot be marketed as suitable for human consumption.

How we help: Compliant Always flags health wording on your pet food label and keeps the substantiation for each claim with the product. Ask about this

Animal by-products, approval and hygiene

Making pet food from material of animal origin.

  • Processing animal by-products into pet food needs approval from APHA, using form ABPR4, and the business may also need approval or registration with its local authority as a feed business. Production cannot start before both.
  • Pet food must not be made from category 1 or 2 animal by-products, catering waste, or fat from animals that failed inspection after death. Raw pet food uses only listed materials, such as slaughterhouse material passed fit for human consumption.
  • Raw pet food, dog chews, digests and processed pet food that is not canned are sampled and tested for salmonella and enterobacteriaceae by an accredited laboratory.
  • Canned pet food is heat treated to a minimum Fc value of 3; raw pet food is packed in clean, leak-proof packaging.
  • Pet food producers follow a feed safety management system based on HACCP principles. Feed hygiene law exempts the retailing of pet food from approval or registration.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the APHA approval, registration and each batch's bacterial test results together, and shows which are missing. Ask about this

Import

Bringing pet food into Great Britain.

  • Imported pet food comes from countries and establishments approved to export to GB; importers check the listing before importation.
  • High and medium risk consignments carry the appropriate health certificate based on the GB model health certificate.
  • If the plant is not listed when veterinary checks are carried out, the consignment is likely to be held and may be rejected, re-exported or destroyed.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the health certificate and the supplier's approval with each consignment, and shows what expires before the next one ships. Ask about this

Who answers for what

WhoWhat they answer forHow we help
Feed business responsible for the labellingThe label particulars, the claims and their substantiation.Label versions and claim evidence kept together and dated.
ManufacturerAPHA approval, feed business registration, HACCP and bacterial testing.Approvals and batch test results kept with each product line.
ImporterApproved establishments, health certificates and the import checks.Overseas suppliers' approvals and certificates read and dated before the goods arrive.
RetailerSelling labelled pet food; retail of pet food is exempt from feed hygiene registration.Product facts shown from the record when a customer asks.

Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Defra, DAERA and the Welsh Government are responsible for animal by-product rules, with APHA approving plants in GB. In Northern Ireland, pet food producers register with DAERA rather than trading standards.

National feed legislation applies in England, with separate but parallel legislation for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Shipping out of the UK?

Exporting pet food from the UK

Questions businesses ask

Is pet food regulated as food or feed in the UK?
As feed. Pet food follows animal feed law, including assimilated Regulation (EC) No 767/2009 on the placing on the market and use of feed.
What must a pet food label show in the UK?
The type of feed, the responsible business's name and address, batch number, net quantity, additives, species, instructions for use, minimum storage life and composition, in English.
Can pet food list ingredients by category?
Yes. Pet food may declare feed materials by category, such as oils and fats. The label gives a free phone number or other contact for more detail.
Can pet food make health claims?
Claims must be objective, verifiable and substantiated. Pet food must not claim to prevent, treat or cure a disease, and particular nutritional purpose claims must be on the authorised list.
Do I need approval to make pet food with meat in Great Britain?
Yes. Processing animal by-products into pet food needs APHA approval, and you may also need approval or registration with your local authority. You cannot start production before both.
Can I make raw pet food at home to sell?
No. The FSA says it is not permitted to make a commercial raw pet food product from a domestic kitchen. Processed pet food from domestic premises can be approved under the same conditions as other plants.
What tests does raw pet food need?
Samples from each product line are tested for salmonella and enterobacteriaceae by an accredited laboratory. APHA agrees the sampling frequency with each plant.
Does a pet shop need to register as a feed business?
Feed hygiene law exempts the retailing of pet food from approval or registration.
What do I need to import pet food into Great Britain?
Products from a country and establishment approved to export to GB, with a health certificate based on the GB model for high and medium risk consignments.
Who regulates pet food in Northern Ireland?
Pet food producers in Northern Ireland register with DAERA, which shares responsibility for animal by-product rules with Defra and the Welsh Government. NI has its own, parallel feed legislation.
How does Compliant Always help with selling in the UK?
Our team reads the rules for the markets you sell in, including the split between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. 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 the UK and what your paperwork needs to show.

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