Jump Through Compliance Hoops with Pet Food Compliance

As a pet food manufacturer or guarantor, you’ve already pulled off some big wins. You perfected your recipe, your branding, and your go-to-market strategy — but if you don’t master the complexities of registration and license renewals, you can get tripped up before the finish line.

Pet food, treats and animal feed are all subject to a tangled web of compliance that can get your products pulled from shelves and subject to costly fines. Pet Food Compliance helps manufacturers, guarantors, and retailers clear those hurdles and clear the way for success in the marketplace.

The Ruff State of Regulations

In the 2010s and early 2020s, several major household goods companies added pet treats to their product lines. Unfortunately, many of those products were pulled from shelves because the companies didn’t know the ropes of pet food compliance.

“When we took over management for one major brand, we found that they were facing thousands of back fees between late fees and offsale fines,” says Deven Wisner, Co-Founder and CEO of Pet Food Compliance.

Costly missteps like those are easy enough to understand once you start to unravel the complex requirements of pet food compliance.

Who’s Walking Who?

Unlike human food products which are governed by the FDA, there’s no single governing body for pet food. That means every state has their own set of regulations for registration, renewals, fees and ongoing compliance considerations.

In Wisner’s experience, navigating that complex web is simply too much for one person to handle. “Most of our clients were handling compliance by themselves,” he explains. “It usually got passed around to different folks who already wore other hats, and turnover could throw things for a major loop.”

Pet Food Compliance stepped in to handle the administrative burden and make compliance simple, transparent and headache-free. The sooner you get our experts on the case, the easier it is to avoid mistakes that can cost you an arm and a leg.

Tips from the Top Dog in Compliance

In short, pet food compliance boils down to two components: first, companies need to register their pet food products with the states. Then, once they’ve registered, they must keep up with ongoing compliance requirements on a yearly basis.

Pet Food Compliance is the only company that exclusively focuses on registration, renewal and tonnage reporting for pet food companies. They also provide much-needed transparency for retailers who want to keep a finger on the pulse of compliance.

Registration

The first hurdle for pet food companies is registering their products so they can legally be sold in the United States. Unfortunately, since every state has different registration requirements, this means working with up to 50 different regulatory agencies for each product.

Pet Food Compliance offers a simple solution to registration. Our experts work directly with the various regulatory agencies on your behalf, so you have a single point of contact rather than dozens. The result is a quick and painless registration process that clears your product for sale across the country. 

“Our team always says, what would you pay to not have to deal with the DMV?” jokes Wisner. If you ask our long-time customers, dodging those headaches is close to priceless.

Renewal and Reporting

Getting compliant is just the first step — staying compliant for all the years to come is just as important. Pet food companies must also stay on top of annual license renewals and tonnage reporting to stay in good standing with the states.

“It’s easy to let renewals and reporting slip off your radar, especially considering the scattered dates and requirements for different states,” says Wisner. “Just like with registration, we also handle renewals and tonnage reporting on behalf of our clients so they don’t have to worry about missing important dates.”

Visibility for Retailers

On top of concierge services for suppliers, Pet Food Compliance offers a proprietary solution to give retailers peace of mind about the compliance status of each one of the pet food products offered in their stores and online: the Pet Food Compliance Automation Wizard (PAW).

PAW is an online database that consolidates electronic versions of compliance documents for easy 24/7 access. Retailers can see a quick overview of the compliance status of each one of their suppliers, pinpointing which suppliers are in good standing and which ones need extra support to get compliant.

The platform also gives retailers high-level insights to empower more data-informed decision making. PAW can generate custom reports, as well as download licenses, registrations and tonnage documents.

“People tell us PAW alone is worth working with us,” says Wisner. “If you’ve got compliance documents scattered across your desk or lost in filing cabinets, PAW is your helping hand. You can get organized and pull up whatever files you need with just a couple clicks.”

A Paw on the Pulse

Compliance is a lot easier to navigate when you know the people behind the regulatory desk. The Pet Food Compliance team has worked with regulatory agencies for decades, so we understand who to call, how they prefer to receive information, and how to wrap up compliance issues in a timely manner.

We also have a strong network of all the supporting players in compliance. From test labs and consultants to strategic planners and marketers, Pet Food Compliance has the connections to support pet food brands from every angle.

If you want to see those connections in action, you can find Wisner and the team at some of the industry’s top events. We are attendees, exhibitors and members of associations including PIDA, Pet Food Forum, AAFCO and Global Pet Expo, among others. 

Stay Out of the Compliance Doghouse

Whether you’re a well established brand or making your debut in the pet food, treat and animal feed industry, don’t leave your reputation to chance. 

Pet Food Compliance’s experts offer support for registration, renewals and tonnage reporting, as well as 1-on-1 consulting on branding, analytics, strategic planning and more.

Schedule a free consultation and take a confident step forward for compliance.