What It ACTUALLY Takes To Bring A Pet Food Product To Market In The U.S.

Will you be at the AACFO mid-year meeting in New Orleans, January 20 - 22nd? Or the Pet Industry Leadership Conference in Phoenix, January 26 - 28th? We’ll be at both and we’d love to say hi! Text or call 520.390.3543 for a coffee connection.

Bringing a pet food product to market usually starts with excitement: testing formulas, choosing ingredients, imagining the pets who’ll love it. Then, somewhere along the way, the questions start creeping in. Are we allowed to say this? Do we need to register there? Who actually oversees all of this?

If that sounds familiar, you’re exactly where most pet food companies land once they move from idea to execution. The U.S. regulatory landscape is complex by design, and very few brands are given a clear roadmap from the start. This post breaks that roadmap down - plainly, practically, and without the scare tactics.

(And if you want to distribute your pet food in the U.K. and E.U. all our best tips are here!) 

Why Launching Pet Food Is More Complex Than Most Brands Expect

Pet owners are paying closer attention than ever. Research continues to show that consumers care deeply about ingredient quality, transparency, safety, and nutritional integrity—often treating pet food decisions with the same seriousness as their own food choices. That scrutiny flows downstream to regulators, retailers, and manufacturers alike.

The Agencies Involved + What Each One Cares About

Food and Drug Administration 

At the federal level, the FDA regulates animal food under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. If you manufacture, process, pack, or hold animal food, you may need to:

• Register your facility with the FDA
• Follow Current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMPs)
• Comply with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), including Preventive Controls for Animal Food (depending on size and activity)

This is the backbone of U.S. pet food regulation and where many enforcement actions start.

Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO)

AAFCO isn’t a regulatory agency, but it’s hugely influential. Most states adopt AAFCO’s model regulations, ingredient definitions, and labeling standards.

This is why you’ll hear “AAFCO compliant” constantly even though enforcement technically happens at the state level. If you want a deeper dive, we’ve written about how AAFCO labeling rules can derail launches if you’re not paying attention.

State Departments Of Agriculture (The Day-To-Day Reality)

This is where many brands feel the pain.

Even if you’re federally compliant, most states require:

• Product registration
• Manufacturer or distributor licensing
• Annual renewals
• Tonnage or sales reporting
• Fees (sometimes per-SKU)

Selling in all 50 states means managing 50 different sets of expectations, something we see brands underestimate all the time. 

Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

The FTC cares about what you claim—not just on your label, but on your website, ads, influencer copy, and social posts.

Structure/function claims, health-adjacent language, and “calming,” “supports,” or “helps with” statements can all shift how your product is viewed. This is especially important for supplements and functional treats.

Step-By-Step: How Pet Food Gets To Market

1. Lock in product classification early

Before you design packaging or write marketing copy, you need clarity on what the product is:

• Complete & balanced food
• Treat
• Topper
• Supplement

This matters because classification drives label requirements, claims you can (and cannot) make, and which regulations apply. If you’re not sure about your label, take this free, 2-minute quiz to avoid expensive mistakes!

We’ve seen brands unintentionally wander into “drug-like” territory just by using the wrong phrasing. Fixing that later is painful.

2. Vet your ingredients 

For each ingredient, you should be able to answer:

• Is it appropriate for the species and life stage?
• Is there a recognized definition or regulatory pathway?
• Do you have supplier documentation (specs, COAs, traceability)?

Ingredient compliance is rarely about a single red flag; it’s usually about documentation gaps.

3. Build your label like it will be audited

Because it might be.

Most pet food labels require:

• Product name and species
• Net quantity statement
• Ingredient statement
• Guaranteed analysis
• Nutritional adequacy statement (when applicable)
• Feeding directions (when applicable)
• Manufacturer/distributor name and address
• Calorie content (often expected by retailers)

4. Get manufacturing and food safety aligned

If you’re manufacturing in-house, expect to deal with:

• CGMP compliance
• Sanitation and process controls
• Training and recordkeeping
• Preventive Controls and a food safety plan (if applicable)

Even smaller brands benefit from treating this like infrastructure, not paperwork.

5. Register products and licenses at the state level

This is where launches stall.

States may require:

• Individual product registrations
• Manufacturer or distributor licenses
• Annual renewals (often calendar-year based)
• Fees tied to product count or tonnage

Missing one state can create retailer delays or worse - enforcement letters.

6. Prepare for retailer scrutiny

Retailers increasingly expect proof that your compliance house is in order. If you’re eyeing wholesale or national distribution, our post on what retailers actually want from pet food brands is a must-read.

Your free downloadable checklist

What it includes:

• Product classification checkpoints
• Ingredient documentation requirements
• Label review essentials
• FDA and FSMA readiness prompts
• State registration planning
• Retailer compliance prep

This checklist is designed to be something you can hand to your ops or QA team!

Helpful resources to bookmark

• FDA: Animal Food & Feeds
• FDA: Starting an Animal Food Business
• AAFCO: State regulatory overview

If you’re planning a launch (or cleaning up an existing one), start by downloading our free checklist. It’ll give you a clear picture of where you’re solid and where support might save you time, money, and stress. And we’d love to be that support!

Future you will be very glad you handled this before the pallets ship.