Starting a pet food business is much more involved than making food or treats and selling them for a profit. There are regulatory requirements that must be met to sell or otherwise distribute animal food products in North Carolina (and other states as well). To help simplify this process, a series of factsheets has been developed to provide clarification of the requirements.

Regulating Pet Food

Pet food includes both food and treats to be consumed by dogs or cats. This can include complete and balanced foods, treats, nutritional supplements, nutrient-added water and edible chews (rawhides, hooves, pizzles/bully sticks).In North Carolina, in-home pet food manufacturing is regulated exclusively by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS). Once manufacturing is moved outside the home and into a separate facility, there are additional registration requirements through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

New factsheet series

To help clarify some of the most frequently asked questions about the registration process, we have developed a new factsheet series: Starting a Pet Food Business in North Carolina. The first factsheet in this series focuses on the registration process and the forms required to get started: Registering a Pet Food Business in North Carolina.

Registering a Pet Food Business in North Carolina

New factsheets will be added as they are developed.

More information

Looking for more information? Check out the webinar series from July 2023 on Pet Food Registration and Labeling that was held in conjunction with NCDA&CS Feed Division.

Contact information

If you have additional questions about the pet food registration process, please contact Marissa Cohen with NC State Extension or the NCDA&CS Registration and Labeling Compliance group.