Legal alert: updated EU rules on organic pet food labeling to become a reality this year

A new regulation will allow European pet food manufacturers and ingredient suppliers to label their products with the EU organic production logo if 95% of their agricultural ingredients are from this origin.

The new regulation removes the “excessively strict criteria” of 100% set by the European Commission in 2022. “This requirement was impossible for many pet food producers to satisfy due to a lack of availability of appropriate organic ingredients,” admits a spokesperson of the Council of the European Union.

According to EU officials, the new rules reflect “the concern that many owners feel for their pets’ health and nutrition.”

Next steps

GlobalPETS learned that the Council of the European Union is expected to formally adopt the new set of rules on 9 October 2023. This happened after the European Parliament gave the green light to the new regulation on 15 September 2023.

The text will then be published in The Official Journal of the European Union within 2 months of the adoption, and the regulation will enter into force 3 days later. This means that the new set of rules is expected to enter into force before the end of the year.

Pet food manufacturers will have a transitional period of half a year to adapt to the new labeling rules.

Market opportunities

The new regulation expects to make it easier for pet parents to identify organic ingredients in the pet food they buy and to potentially increase the presence of such products in the European market.

“Special labeling provisions should also be laid down to allow final consumers to identify the organic ingredients that are used in products which consist mainly of an ingredient that stems from hunting or fishing, provided that all other agricultural ingredients are organic,” reads the legislative text.

The European Pet Food Industry Federation (FEDIAF) believes the new rules are a “significant step” for the pet food sector. “FEDIAF’s support for these regulations reflects the industry’s commitment to meeting the growing demand for organic pet food.”

The new rules are part of the EU’s Farm to Fork strategy by the European Commission, which aims to ensure a sustainable food value chain in the region.