And if you’re a brand owner trying to figure out what the National Animal Supplement Council actually means for your business, the whole thing can feel a little murky.

So let’s clear it up!

The NASC is genuinely valuable and worth understanding but one of the most common misconceptions we hear from pet food and supplement brands at every stage is that NASC is some kind of government or regulatory body overseeing the industry. It isn’t and understanding the difference could save you from a costly compliance gap down the road.

So, What Is the NASC?

The National Animal Supplement Council (NASC) is a nonprofit trade association. It was founded in 2001 at a moment when the animal supplement industry was in a bit of a regulatory storm. Products were being pulled from shelves, enforcement was inconsistent across states, and consumers had no reliable way to evaluate quality from one brand to the next.

NASC stepped in to create voluntary standards where few existed. They developed what’s become the gold standard of the supplement space: the NASC Quality Seal, a yellow badge you’ve probably seen on supplement packaging for dogs, cats, and horses.

To earn that seal, companies have to go through a rigorous process. It’s not something you buy or simply apply for and receive. 

To display the NASC Quality Seal, brands must:

• Pass a comprehensive independent third-party quality audit (repeated every two years)
• Maintain a quality control manual with documented standard operating procedures
• Run an active adverse event reporting system tied to the NASC’s national tracking database
• Follow NASC pet supplement labeling requirements, including specific caution statements required by the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine
• Submit to random independent product testing to verify label claims

That’s a real commitment, and it means something. The NASC Quality Seal is a credible, recognized signal of quality in the marketplace. Retailers increasingly look for it, consumers trust it, and earning it takes genuine work.

NASC Is Not a Government Agency

This is where the confusion tends to set in and it’s totally understandable. The National Animal Supplement Council works closely with the FDA. It collaborates with AAFCO. It has active relationships with state regulators. Its standards mirror many regulatory requirements. It even has a “Regulator" membership tier specifically for government employees who oversee animal supplements.

So it looks like it’s part of the regulatory system, but it isn’t.

NASC has no legal enforcement authority. It cannot fine your company, issue a stop-sale order, mandate a product recall, or compel any state or federal agency to treat your products differently. It’s a trade association — a highly influential and respected one — but a private nonprofit organization, not a government body.

A helpful comparison: AAFCO operates similarly.  AAFCO isn’t a regulatory agency either but its model regulations are adopted by most states, giving it enormous real-world influence on your compliance requirements. NASC works the same way. It works with the regulatory system, and it has shaped that system for the better, but it isn’t part of it.

Here are the agencies that have legal authority over your pet supplement products:

The FDA

It regulates animal food (including supplements) under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Depending on your facility size and production activity, you may need to register your facility and comply with FSMA Preventive Controls for Animal Food. Critically, DSHEA — the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act that governs human supplements — does not apply to animal products. Pet supplements are regulated as food or drugs depending on their intended use.

State Departments of Agriculture

This is where most day-to-day pet supplement compliance happens. Most states require product registration, manufacturer or distributor licensing, and annual renewals, often with per-SKU fees. This is separate from, and not replaced by, NASC membership.

The FTC

This group governs the claims you make — not just on your label, but on your website, in your social posts, and in influencer content. “Calming," “supports immune health," and “helps with anxiety" are all phrases that can draw scrutiny regardless of your NASC status.

Photo credit: NOW Pets

NASC Membership Is a Quality Credential Not a Compliance Shortcut

This is the most important takeaway: NASC membership does not exempt your products from state registration requirements.

It doesn’t replace your manufacturer or distributor license. It doesn’t satisfy FDA facility registration. It doesn’t handle your tonnage reporting. It doesn’t make your label automatically compliant in every state.

Even products that follow NASC’s labeling templates may still be required to register in certain states. Some states recognize those templates; others require brands to follow their own state feed regulations entirely. The only way to know which applies to your products is to check  product by product, state by state.

We know that sounds like a lot. And it is! This is why our registration and licensing services exist. Missing a single state registration can create retailer delays, or worse, enforcement letters. Selling across all 50 states means managing 50 different sets of expectations, and that’s before you factor in how individual states classify supplement products versus animal feed.

Where Pet Supplement Brands Misstep

Beyond the government agency misconception, here are two other areas where NASC membership is sometimes (incorrectly) assumed to provide a compliance free pass:

Product claims

NASC has labeling guidelines and following them is a smart baseline. But those guidelines don’t insulate you from FDA or FTC scrutiny if your language crosses into drug-claim territory. Structure/function language like “supports joint health" or “promotes calmness" can shift your product’s regulatory classification, and that shift can happen whether you’re NASC-audited or not. 

Product classification is one of the first things we encourage every brand to lock down. If you’re unsure whether your label language is creating unintended regulatory exposure, this free two-minute quiz is a fast first checkpoint.

Retailer onboarding

Retailers are asking harder questions at compliance review than they were a few years ago. A quality seal and a current state registration record tell two different stories. Buyers increasingly want documentation of both and assuming one covers the other is a gap that tends to surface at the worst possible moment.

So Where Does NASC Fit In?

Think of NASC membership and regulatory compliance as two parallel tracks. Both matter, but neither is a substitute for the other.

NASC membership demonstrates that your brand is committed to quality standards, responsible labeling, and continuous improvement. That carries weight with retailers, consumers, and regulators alike. The NASC has done meaningful work to create a more stable, more favorable regulatory environment for the supplement industry and brands that participate in that effort benefit from it.

But the state registrations, the FDA obligations, the licensing and annual renewals still have to happen regardless of your membership status.

The good news is that brands who run both tracks tend to scale much more cleanly. They don’t hit surprise roadblocks at retailer onboarding. and they’re not caught off guard when a state department of agriculture comes knocking.

Not Sure Where Your Compliance Gaps Are?

Whether you’re pre-launch, mid-growth, or cleaning up an existing product lineup, our team at Pet Food Compliance works with pet supplement and food brands every day to make sure both tracks are running smoothly. We know which states are going to ask the hardest questions about your products and we know how to get you ready before they do.

The post What Is the NASC? It’s Not a Regulatory Agency (Even Though It Feels Like One) appeared first on Pet Food Compliance.

At its core, the Compliance Hub is a centralized system that helps pet food companies manage licenses, products, formulations, and retailer-facing compliance requirements in one place. It’s how we keep registrations organized, documentation accurate, and retailers confident that what they’re receiving is complete and current.

Over the past year, as our clients’ teams grew and product lines became more complex, we  saw ways we could make this already-good online portal even better. 

Below is a walkthrough of what the Compliance Hub does today, why retailers love it, and how the newest features make compliance easier for real-world teams, not just nerdy compliance managers like us!

What The Compliance Hub does + Why It Exists

The Compliance Hub exists to answer one question: “Is everything we’ve submitted accurate, complete, and up to date—right now?”

Inside the hub, clients can:

• Manage state licenses and renewals
• Maintain product data, formulations, and documentation
• Track retailer-specific compliance requirements
• Upload and store supporting materials in one system
• Get alerts when something needs attention

Instead of chasing files across departments or wondering which version is the “real one,” the hub becomes the single source of truth. That clarity saves time internally and significantly reduces friction with retailers.

Why Retailers Love It When Brands Use The Compliance Hub

Retailers don’t want more emails. They want clean data, submitted correctly, on time.

When brands use the Compliance Hub, retailers benefit from consistent product and license information, fewer back-and-forth corrections, and faster onboarding and approval timelines. The Compliance Hub also reduced the risk of expired or missing documentation. 

In other words, using a centralized compliance system makes your brand easier to work with. And in a competitive retail environment, that matters.

Update 1: Multi-user access

One of the most requested updates we’ve ever received was “Can we set it up so more than one person log in?”

And now the answer is yes! The Compliance Hub now supports multiple users with role-based permissions, making it far easier for teams to collaborate without stepping on each other’s work. 

We also expanded access for registration companies and consultants who manage multiple brands; this reduces duplicated effort across client portfolios. Partners using RetailComply can now manage multiple company accounts within the system. To set this up, they’ll need to contact our team at rc@petfoodcompliance.com for access.

This update You can assign users as:

• View Only – can see everything, but can’t upload or edit
• Editor Access – can upload files and add or edit data
• Admin Access – can do everything an editor can, plus add, edit, or remove users

This makes it easy to loop in QA, operations, finance, or marketing—without giving everyone the same level of access.

Notification preferences by role

Each user can also choose which notifications they receive:

• License updates
• Tonnage reminders
• Billing alerts

So the right people get the right information, without inbox overload.

Update 2: Product updates

Product data is rarely simple, especially as brands scale. The Compliance Hub now includes several powerful tools designed specifically for modern pet food product lines.

PFLM uploads—single or bulk

Pet Food Labeling Model (PFLM) submissions can now be uploaded individually or in bulk using a spreadsheet

This is a major time-saver for teams managing multiple SKUs or rolling out product updates at scale.

Variety Pack builder

If you sell variety packs—where multiple finished products with their own SKUs are packaged together—the new Variety Pack Builder simplifies the process.

Each product is entered individually (if sold separately), then assembled into a variety pack within the tool. This keeps data clean and prevents duplication or mismatched documentation.

Multi-Item builder

For products with one SKU but multiple recipes or Guaranteed Analyses, the Multi-Item Builder allows you to add multiple “items” under a single product.

Each item has its own GA fields, ensuring accuracy while keeping everything tied to the same SKU.

Important note: Variety Packs and Multi-Item products cannot mix GA and PFLM products—this separation helps maintain regulatory clarity and avoid submission errors.

Update 3: The Action Center

Missed an email? It happens. That’s why we built the Action Center.

The Action Center flags:

• Licenses that need attention
• Outstanding renewals or missing items
• Tasks that haven’t been resolved yet

While the system sends automated emails and weekly reminders while items remain outstanding, the Action Center gives clients a habit-forming place to check in and stay ahead of issues before they become problems.

Update 4: Clearer, faster customer communication

As we’ve grown, we realized that mixing customer questions with state-facing paperwork wasn’t working as well as it should.

Many clients have historically emailed processing@petfoodcompliance.com, since that address appears on license applications and state documents, but that inbox is built for regulator communication, not day-to-day client support.

So we’re officially separating the two. Our new inbox for Managed Services client support is clientcare@petfoodcompliance.com

Use this inbox to reach our Managed Services team with questions about your account, submission status, the Compliance Hub, or anything else you need help sorting out.

The processing@petfoodcompliance.com email will remain dedicated to communication with state agencies and regulators, helping ensure submissions and correspondence stay on track.

This means you’ll get faster responses, clearer routing, and fewer delays. 

Why Centralized Systems Reduce Compliance Risk

These updates dramatically reduce your risk. Research from Deloitte and PwC consistently shows that organizations with centralized data systems experience fewer compliance failures and faster response times when issues arise. Fragmented systems, on the other hand, increase the likelihood of missed deadlines, inconsistent submissions, and audit exposure.

In regulated industries like pet food, process clarity is a competitive advantage.

If your compliance process still lives in email threads, shared drives, or just one person’s head, we created these updates for you. The upgraded Compliance Hub supports cross-functional collaboration, cleaner product data, and fewer retailer rejections.

Even better, it scales with you as your team and product line grow.

Want Access To The Compliance Hub?

The Pet Food Compliance Hub is available to clients using our managed compliance services. If you want a centralized system that keeps licenses, products, and retailer requirements organized and support from a team that lives and breathes pet food compliance—we’d love to help. Click here to get in touch!

The post Why We Upgraded The Pet Food Compliance Hub + How The New Features Save You Time & Stress appeared first on Pet Food Compliance.

So we were excited when our friends at the Norton Rose Fulbright law firm offered to share their legal expertise with our audience and invited us to join them for a virtual panel discussion about 2025’s hottest topics in pet products. If you didn’t have a chance to join us live, we wanted to share what we learned from this super informative conversation: what’s changing, what’s coming, and why brands can’t afford to “wait and see.”

Think of this as your friendly, plain-English rundown of the big updates (with zero legalese). And if you want to stay ahead of these changes without tracking 30+ state portals on your own, make sure you’re on our newsletter list; you’ll automatically get our free Tonnage & Renewal Dates download!

The regulatory landscape is getting more complicated, not less

Even though AAFCO isn’t a regulatory agency, states continue to rely heavily on its model regulations – typically adopting them in part if not entirely. And this creates a tricky three-layer system for every brand:

• FDA oversight (safety, ingredients, labeling truthfulness)
  
• AAFCO recommendations that states often adopt
  
• State-by-state licensing, tonnage reporting, and packaging rules
  

The biggest takeaway: state-level variation is widening. Some states require multiple license types; others are changing how they classify treats vs. supplements; still others are tightening packaging expectations.

What this means for your brand

If your compliance strategy is still based on habits or assumptions from a few years ago, this is the moment to pause and re-evaluate. State-level variation is only increasing, and small misclassifications or outdated labels can now ripple into bigger problems. 

It’s worth taking time to review whether your licenses match the actual products you’re selling, whether your classifications align with how states interpret treats vs. supplements, and whether your packaging is compliant in every state where you have a presence.

If any of that feels unclear, that’s normal and also a sign it’s time to update your approach before renewal and reporting season fully hits.

PFLM is slowly rolling out, but states are moving at different speeds

AAFCO’s Pet Food Label Modernization (PFLM) continues to be one of the biggest shifts in the industry. 

• Updated definitions and nutritional requirements are now standard
  
• Label formatting rules have changed (names, GA, ingredients, adequacy statements)
  
• AAFCO recommends full adoption by 2030
  
• Some states are even treating PFLM versions as “replacement products”

What this means for your brand

If your labels haven’t had a serious refresh in a few years, this is the perfect moment to take stock. The modernization effort is moving slowly but steadily, and states are adopting pieces of it at their own pace. 

That means you may start seeing states requiring PFLM-style formatting even before 2030. Expect reviewers to pay closer attention to guaranteed analysis formatting, ingredient statements, and how your product name aligns with AAFCO definitions. Getting ahead of this now will make future transitions much smoother — especially if you sell nationwide.

You can take this 2-minute quiz about your labels to see if you’re missing anything!

The PURR Act could reshape national standards

The PURR Act is still moving slowly through Congress, and while revisions have been made, it has not passed. If it eventually advances, it would create more uniform federal requirements for pet food. The proposed changes include:

• More consistent labeling requirements
  
• Tighter safety and quality control
  
• Increased transparency around ingredients
  
• Higher nutritional expectations
  
• Stronger recall procedures

Revised language (not yet law):

• A proposed 90-day FDA review period for ingredient submissions
  
• AAFCO-approved ingredients presumed GRAS
  

What this means for your brand

Because the bill is stalled and because added FDA oversight seems unlikely given current staffing and the administration’s priorities, none of these updates are guaranteed. But if your formulas rely on innovative ingredients, it’s still smart to prepare.

Revisit your documentation, update ingredient evidence, and flag any formulas that could be impacted by stricter federal review. Even if nothing moves soon, having strong records in place puts you ahead of the curve and ready for regulatory shifts whenever they come.

The end of the FDA–AAFCO partnership is already impacting ingredients

The 17-year Memorandum of Understanding between FDA and AAFCO expired in October 2024 and was not renewed.

AAFCO responded by launching the SRIS (Scientific Review of Ingredient Submissions) program for novel ingredients. Norton Rose Fulbright  made it clear that this transition period is… messy.

Expect:

• To follow AAFCO recommendations and FDA right now, but be aware that states do have some differences of interpretations.
  
• No differences in interpretations thus far; previously approved ingredients are grandfathered in
  
• More steps in the approval process
  
• Slower movement for innovation-forward products due to federal downsizing. We’re not sure how they’ll even begin to review product labels and handle approvals. 

What this means for your brand

If you’re working on anything innovative, factor in extra lead time. And make sure you understand how states treat SRIS-reviewed ingredients — acceptance won’t be universal.

Guaranteed analysis is under renewed scrutiny

The Texas State Chemist examined analytical variation and found several thresholds were outdated, recommending:

• Revalidating GA
  
• Auditing labels
  
• Retesting formulas regularly
  
• Testing whenever ingredients or suppliers change
  

AAFCO committees are now digging deeper here, which means more changes may follow.

What this means for your brand

Formula drift is real and states take it seriously. A stale GA can lead to misbranding, registration delays, or required reformulation.

If it’s been a while since you revisited your GA, now’s the time.

Claims litigation is rising and brands are in the spotlight

Norton Rose Fulbright shared several cases showing exactly where regulators and lawyers are focusing: Attias v. Mars Petcare (Vitamin D levels > AAFCO limits) and Krikorian v. Post Consumer Brands (“preservative free” challenge).

There are ongoing cases around “all natural,” “grain free,” “free from” claims, and prescription pet food. There are also salmonella contamination cases and facility odor and nuisance claims. All good things to be aware of!

What this means for your brand

If you’re making claims of almost any kind, it’s time to make sure every statement is fully backed by documentation. 

Litigation around claims has increased sharply. Norton Rose Fullbright has seen clients’ brands can be challenged on even subtle wording. This is a good moment to assess whether your marketing, packaging, and substantiation files tell the same story. If they don’t, tightening them up now can help you avoid costly challenges later.

Get ahead now so 2026 doesn’t run you over

Between PFLM, PURR Act changes, state-by-state variation, and increased litigation, this is one of the most dynamic periods pet food has seen in years.

If you want a simple way to stay ahead, start here. You’ll get our Tonnage & Renewal Dates PDF (free), plus seasonal reminders so you don’t find yourself drowning in December paperwork again.

And if you want to make your workday exponentially easier, you can use our system for a couple dollars a day. It’s a centralized system with automated reminders, designed by people that handle this stuff!

The post 2025 Pet Food Compliance Changes: The No-Stress, Plain-English Rundown appeared first on Pet Food Compliance.

Here’s what’s interesting: if that same product had been headed for the UK or EU, the response would have looked completely different. In the U.S., recalls and FDA/FSVP enforcement are the main tools. 

In Europe, the conversation would have started much earlier. In fact, it would have started at the border. Importers there must file pre-notifications in TRACES NT or IPAFFS, provide detailed Export Health Certificates, and prove that animal by-products meet strict rules before the food ever hits store shelves.

That contrast—reactive oversight in the U.S. versus preventative control in the UK/EU—says everything about how licensing and compliance differ depending on which side of the Atlantic you’re on.

How pet food licensing works in the U.S.

In the States, licensing often feels like juggling. Every state has its own rules, which means a brand launching nationwide has to navigate dozens of applications, fees, and tonnage reports. On top of that, the FDA expects facilities to be registered, and importers must run a documented Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP).

Think of it as a patchwork quilt: each square (state) has its own pattern, and the FDA stitches them together with broader food safety oversight. Most companies end up tracking multiple state licenses, managing product registrations for each SKU, submitting annual tonnage reports, and making sure their FDA facility registration is up to date. If they import, the FSVP program adds another layer, requiring documentation that proves suppliers are vetted and hazards have been analyzed.

And let’s not forget animal-based ingredients. Chews, treats, or raw formulas can trigger APHIS permits or special declarations. In short, the U.S. system gives you room to get products on shelves quickly but relies heavily on enforcement after the fact—recalls, warning letters, and inspections are the pressure points.

How licensing works in the UK/EU

Across the pond, the focus isn’t on state-by-state approvals. Instead, the burden falls on the importer or distributor, and the whole system is designed to catch issues before products reach the consumer.

Before a shipment even leaves port, importers must:

• Register with the national feed authority (APHA in the UK, or the competent authority in an EU Member State)
  
• Prove compliance with feed hygiene rules (Regulation 183/2005), including HACCP documentation and facility registration
  
• File pre-notifications through TRACES NT (EU) or IPAFFS (UK)
  
• Provide detailed animal by-product (ABP) paperwork if raw or high-risk ingredients are used
  
• Ensure labels comply with Regulation 767/2009, often in multiple languages
  

The philosophy is simple: the U.S. says “get licensed and we’ll deal with problems later,” while the UK/EU says “prove safety and traceability before we even let you in.”

Timelines, costs, and paperwork you can’t ignore

The UK/EU Pet Food Regulatory Guide lays out a week-by-week roadmap, and it shows just how front-loaded the process is. Instead of trickling in requirements, most of the heavy lifting happens before your product ever ships. Here’s what a typical first-time exporter timeline looks like:

Costs aren’t negligible either. Facility registration runs around £1,000 in the UK or €1,200 in the EU, and every shipment requires an EHC or CHED-P certificate that costs about £150/€150. Add in translations, certificate preparation, and customs broker fees, and it’s easy to see why brands underestimate the financial and time investment of expanding overseas.

Common pitfalls that stop shipments cold

Plenty of U.S. brands have learned the hard way that what worked at home doesn’t always fly in Europe. The most common mistakes include:

• Leaving the importer’s address off the label
  
• Using a U.S.-style “Guaranteed Analysis” instead of the EU-required “Analytical Constituents”
  
• Shipping English-only labels into non-English markets like France or Germany
  
• Overstating claims such as “100% natural,” which face tighter scrutiny abroad
  
• Forgetting durability dates or lot numbers required for traceability
  

Each of these errors has led to shipments being stopped at customs. They’re small details, but they carry big consequences. If you want help with this, we’d love to chat!

A shared lesson from H5N1

Back to that San Francisco story: the contamination triggered recalls and FDA oversight, but not before the product reached consumers. In the UK/EU, the shipment likely wouldn’t have cleared customs without the right paperwork on sourcing, processing, and disease status.

Neither system is perfect, but both highlight what matters most for brands: knowing where you’re selling, who carries the compliance burden, and how risk is managed. 

In the U.S., it’s usually the manufacturer or brand owner who holds the responsibility.

In the UK/EU, it’s the importer, but your reputation is still at stake if things go wrong.

What to do next

So what should a growing brand do? Start by mapping out where you plan to sell. If you’re U.S.-only, get familiar with each state’s licensing requirements, track your renewal dates, and make tonnage reporting part of your rhythm. If you’re importing, don’t just file an FSVP binder and call it good—build a real program that documents supplier audits, hazard analyses, and verification steps.

For the UK and EU, plan ahead for longer lead times. Appoint your importer early, build HACCP and traceability into your production process, and don’t underestimate the time it takes to apply for EHCs or access TRACES NT. 

Most importantly, get your labels right before you print thousands of bags. A multilingual, Regulation 767/2009-compliant label is a lot cheaper to produce at the start than to redo after customs seizes your first shipment.

If you want your brand to grow globally, you’ll need to play by both sets of rules. The good news? You don’t have to do it alone. Whether it’s a state regulator in Montana asking for tonnage reports or a customs officer in Rotterdam asking for an EHC you didn’t know you needed, we can help you prepare before those headaches hit.

The post Navigating Pet Food Licenses in the US vs. UK/EU appeared first on Pet Food Compliance.