Regulation of Pet Food in Europe
Introduction
Within the European Union (EU) there are three main legislative bodies - the EU Commission, EU Parliament and Council of the European Union. These bodies are responsible for developing and adopting all legislation concerning food and animal feed, including pet food. The EU Member States, on the other hand, are responsible for the implementation and control of correct application of the EU legislation. In EU legal texts a distinction is made between the term “food” which is reserved for food stuffs for humans and “feed” which is designated to animal feeding stuffs.
Pet Food Safety
Two laws set out the basic principles for food and feed safety:
- the ‘general food law’ (Regulation N° 178/2002)Cite error: Invalid
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Regulations N° 1069/2009Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many and 999/2001Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many are more specific and provide strict rules to ensure that all animal products used in animal feed and human food are safe. Regulation N° 1831/2003Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many regulates the additives used in animal feed. This means that all additives have to be evaluated on their safety before being used in animal feed. All approved additives are listed in the Register published by the EU Commission.
Labelling and Claims
Regulation N° 767/2009Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many provides rules for labelling, claims and other forms of marketing communication to make sure that the information provided to consumers is accurate and truthful. This regulation also provides for dietetic products products for particular nutritional purposes (PARNUT). Directive 2008/38/EC (LINK) lists all approved PARNUT indications and the specific conditions for the diets that are put on the market for each those indications.