NCQM — National Committee for Quality Management

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Industry reference

Animal Food & Veterinary Products

Animal food safety and veterinary product regulation turn on intended use, species, ingredients and claims. Food manufacturing controls do not establish that a drug claim or feed ingredient is authorized.

A product-specific review

Move from scope to evidence

  1. Define the product and activity

    Identify the species, life stage, formulation and intended claims. Distinguish animal food, medicated feed and veterinary drug uses. Ingredient acceptability and product category require their own review; general manufacturing controls do not establish that every ingredient or therapeutic claim is authorized.

  2. Connect requirements to evidence

    Connect animal food hazards to the process, preventive controls and supplier evidence. Review the material and formulation actually used in production. Where specialized feed or drug provisions apply, identify the responsible establishment activities and records rather than assuming the ordinary food pathway covers them.

  3. Review interfaces and changes

    Review labels, use conditions and changes in formulation or source. Keep safety, nutritional and drug-related conclusions distinct. Import and distribution activities can create additional responsibilities, and a change of intended species or claim can alter the regulatory analysis.

3 source profiles

Requirements and technical resources

Review the references relevant to your product and activity. This selected federal collection does not replace a separate review of applicable state, local or contractual requirements.

Federal regulationFDA

Animal Food and Pet Food: CGMP and Preventive Controls

21 CFR Part 507

Part 507 covers current good manufacturing practice and risk-based preventive controls for animal food, including pet food and feed for food-producing animals. The food, target species and manufacturing activity affect the hazard analysis. Covered operations establish a written food safety plan and supporting controls, while farms, qualified facilities, particular storage activities and human-food by-products require careful applicability analysis.

Animal Food & Veterinary Products

Federal regulationFDA

Animal Food and Pet Food: Labeling and Claims

21 CFR Part 501; FD&C Act labeling and animal-drug provisions

Animal-food labeling identifies the product, quantity, responsible business and ingredients, while claims can affect its regulatory classification. Pet foods and livestock feeds are subject to federal requirements and potentially additional state registration and labeling rules. AAFCO model provisions are influential but are not themselves a federal approval system. Disease-treatment claims can raise new-animal-drug questions beyond ordinary food labeling.

Animal Food & Veterinary Products

Federal regulationFDA

Foreign Supplier Verification Programs for Food Importers

21 CFR Part 1, Subpart L

FSVP places risk-based verification responsibilities on the defined U.S. importer of food. The program links the food’s hazards, the foreign supplier’s performance, supplier approval, verification activities and corrective action. It is not satisfied simply by obtaining a certificate. Seafood, juice, low-acid canned food, dietary supplements and certain small-importer situations have specific regulatory treatment.

Food & BeveragesAnimal Food & Veterinary ProductsDietary Supplements

Build a defensible review record

Identify the product configuration, the controlling provision and edition, the evidence required and the person authorized to make the decision. Keep a reason for exclusions and unresolved questions alongside confirmed requirements.

Revisit the record when design, materials, suppliers, software, claims or the applicable source changes. An earlier report remains useful only to the extent that it supports the current configuration and requirement.

Practice guidance