Hemp is at hand, but is it permitted?

Can you use any hemp products or other innovative raw materials in EU pet food? Here is what you need to know.

Some restrictions

When the EU Feed Marketing regulation was reviewed over a decade ago, the BSE and dioxin crises were still in full swing. EU policymakers faced strong calls to create a positive list of feed materials so that only those materials on an official EU list would be permitted in animal feed. In the end, they decided against such a closed list, which would have stifled innovation, but there are some restrictions on what is allowed in a pet food recipe.

Consult the Catalogue

While all additives must undergo a lengthy, thorough safety assessment by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) before being authorised and listed in the EU Register of Feed Additives, raw materials (‘feed materials’ in EU legislative speak) may only be used if they are officially listed in the EU Catalogue of Feed Materials. If a raw material does not feature in this Catalogue, feed operators must submit it to the EU Register of Feed Materials – managed by the EU associations active in animal feed – before it can be used.

What about hemp?

Hemp is widely used in different forms in pet food. But be aware that not all hemp products are allowed. The EU Catalogue permits hemp seed, hemp oil, hemp expeller and hemp fibre, in part subject to strict specifications, such as a maximum content of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The EU Register covers some other forms of hemp permitted (hemp plant material, hemp meal, hemp seed husks, hemp shells).

The EU and the European associations regularly review both the Catalogue and the Register to ensure the correctness of both. Hemp products assessed and specifically not permitted in feed include cannabidiol, hemp distillate or solubles (considered unauthorised additives) or hemp flowers (legally not a feed material).

Where to start

Therefore, before using any new, innovative raw material in pet food production it is necessary to check first if the material is listed in either the Catalogue or the Register. If not, it may not be used – or it must be notified to the Register, before being used. To be lawfully EU listed, raw materials must have the primary purpose of meeting the animals’ nutritional needs and they may not be considered unauthorised feed additives.

For the latest versions of the Catalogue and the Register go to: