“Lack of Pet Food Law, Increasing Safety Accidents”...Pet Food Safety Management System Urgently Needed

As the Korean pet market grows rapidly, the number of pet food safety accidents has been steadily increasing. Recently, there have been a number of cases of pets visiting emergency rooms with abnormal symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea after consuming pet food. It has been pointed out that this is the result of a lack of small businesses, a market structure with low barriers to entry, and the absence of a 'pet food law' tailored to domestic conditions.

Currently, livestock and pet food are managed together through the Feed Management Act. However, this law does not clearly set nutritional standards for each animal and growth stage, so nutrient formulation is done autonomously by each company. In practice, domestic companies produce products based on the American Association of Feed and Consumer Organizations (AAFCO) standards, which are different from the domestic environment and are not legally enforceable.

The government and the Rural Development Administration recently released pet nutrition standards that are tailored to Korean conditions. By specifying the essential nutrients and recommended amounts for each growth stage of dogs and cats, the government hopes to uniformize quality across the industry and improve export competitiveness3. However, the standard is still only a recommendation, not legally binding, and has a low rate of application in the field.

Experts emphasize that it is urgent to establish an effective safety management system, including the enactment of a separate pet food law, the introduction of certification agencies and demonstration centers, and the legislation of nutrition standards, for the health of pets and consumer trust. It is time for the government, industry, and consumers to discuss together and make practical improvements to the system.

In Korea, there have been an increasing number of cases of abnormal symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea after eating pet food. This is due to the rapid growth of the pet food market, a lack of small businesses, low barriers to entry, and the absence of a 'pet food law' tailored to Korean conditions. Currently, only the same 'Feed Management Act' is applied as for livestock, which lacks nutritional standards for each animal and growth stage. Most companies refer to the U.S. AAFCO standards, but they are different from domestic conditions and are not legally binding. Recently, the government and the Korea Rural Development Administration have come up with nutrition standards that meet domestic conditions, but they are only recommendations and have limited effectiveness. The industry and experts are calling for the enactment of a separate pet food law and the introduction of a certification and verification system to prevent safety accidents and improve quality.

FAQs on pet food safety and systems

Q1. Why are pet food safety incidents on the rise?

As the pet food market is rapidly growing, safety accidents are on the rise due to the proliferation of small businesses and inadequate production facilities and quality control. In particular, unclear nutritional standards are also a problem.

Q2. Is there currently no pet food law in Korea?

Yes. Currently, livestock and pet food are managed together under the Feed Management Act, so nutritional standards for pet characteristics and growth stages are not clearly defined by law.

Q3. How are overseas standards applied?

Domestic companies mainly refer to the American Feed Council (AAFCO) standards, but these are different from the domestic environment and are not legally enforceable.

Q4. What are the government's recent actions?

In 2024, the Korea Rural Development Administration released nutrition standards tailored to domestic conditions, suggesting essential nutrients and recommended amounts for each growth stage. However, these are only recommendations and are not legally binding3.

Q5. What improvements to the system are needed in the future?

The industry and experts are calling for the establishment of an effective safety management system, including the enactment of a pet food law, the introduction of certification bodies and demonstration centers, and the legislation of nutrition standards.

#Pet Food Law

#PetSafety

#petfoodnutritionstandards

#Animal Welfare

#Environmental Policy

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