Safety, Labelling & Regulation
Australian cats and dogs can sleep easy, knowing that pet foods made by members of the Pet Food Industry Association of Australia (PFIAA), representing over 90% of prepared pet foods sold in Australia, and are produced to some of the highest standards in the world.
Australian dogs and cats consume over 40 million meals a week and most of these are produced by reputable pet food manufacturers who are members of the Pet Food Industry Association of Australia (PFIAA) – making over 90% of the processed pet foods sold in Australia.
The confidence that Australian pet owners have in prepared pet foods is well placed as the quality and safety of prepared pet foods made and marketed by PFIAA members is world-class, which is borne out by the success that these manufacturers have achieved in exporting pet foods throughout Asia and beyond. This is largely due to the considered selection of raw material and ingredients, manufacturing capabilities and quality systems of member companies.
Pet health is of critical importance and our members understand the importance of your pet’s health and the trust that you place in them as pet food manufacturers to produce high quality, nutritious, tasty and safe pet foods. That is why the pet food industry has been working with key government and private sector organisations to develop a new, enhanced standard for pet food manufacturing and marketing in Australia, developing the Australian Standard (AS 5812): Manufacturing and marketing of pet food.
The PFIAA are committed to continuous improvement and robust standards for quality and pet health. The Australian pet food industry is working proactively and cooperatively with members of the Standards Committee FT-033 to further develop AS5812-2017. Members include state and federal governments, the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) and JASANZ.
This Australian Standard (AS 5812) extends across the entire process of pet food manufacture, marketing and labeling of pet foods in Australia. This helps to assure production and sale of safe and nutritious pet foods to Australian pet owners, including:
- Providing fresh & safe ingredients
- Formulating foods for your pet’s needs
- Food safety -focused manufacturing systems
- Controlled and well documented processing
- Providing consistent and informative packaging
- Nutrition information labeling requirements
- Independently audited for compliance
The Standard applies to both Australian made and imported pet food products. To comply with AS5812, companies are required to undergo rigorous assessments, conducted by qualified third party auditors who inspect premises and assess conformance with the Standard.
The Standard is an agreed, consistent and transparent approach to the industry’s operations that provides additional reassurance and confidence in Australia’s large and internationally competitive pet food industry.
The PFIAA has been working directly with the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) to manage PetFAST – Pet Food Adverse Event System of Tracking . The PetFAST Reporting System tracks any suspected pet illness that might be associated with pet food or pet meat sold in Australia. This world-first initiative is another example of the commitment of the Australian pet food industry to product quality and pet safety (see www.ava.com).
Pet food companies, like other businesses, are also required to observe the comprehensive Australian consumer legislation requirements, weights and measures compliance, Australian Biosecurity Legislation and any state or territory legislation applicable to specific pet food manufacturing operations. Additionally, pet foods that include therapeutic claims for preventing or alleviating veterinary medical conditions are required to be registered by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) www.apvma.gov.au.
The Australian pet food industry is a vibrant and successful part of Australian food manufacturing, providing world-class foods for pets globally. The industry continues to be responsive to the changing needs of our pets and their owners, and recognises the trust that pet owners seek when choosing foods for their much-loved pets.
Copies of AS5812 for the manufacturing and marketing of pet food are available for purchase from SAI Global: www.saiglobal.com.
This information is provided by the PFIAA as general information only. For advice and information concerning feeding your individual pet, we recommend that you seek the advice of your veterinarian.