We frequently get questions from people that have a great product idea and want to start manufacturing. Unfortunately we cannot help you decide whether your product is going to be the “next big thing”, and APPA membership is not available until you have begun to sell your product, but we can give you some help in determining whether your product will be subject to regulatory requirements.
Many of our members are small start-up companies that got started with one good idea. There are many considerations before going into the pet product industry- some of which are general business considerations, and some of which are unique to the pet product industry. While we suggest that you obtain legal advice from an attorney before entering the business, without providing legal advice, here is some general regulatory information and other resources to point you in the right direction.
Regulatory Requirements for Pet Products
- Pet Food - http://americanpetproducts.org/law/lawlibrary_article.asp?topic=62
- Pesticide Products - http://americanpetproducts.org/law/lawlibrary_article.asp?topic=62
- Other Products
- Although less regulated than food or pesticide products there are other regulatory considerations for each product. In general, you will have to comply with labeling requirements. For information on general labeling considerations, such as placement of required information on labels like weight or volume see the NIST Handbook of Uniform Packaging and Labeling Regulations which have been adopted by many States.
- Claims--Claims made for pet products, like other products must be able to be substantiated as truthful. Advertising claims are regulated by the Federal Trade Commission. In the case of remedies, depending on the claim and the particulars of the product, the remedy formulation may be considered a drug which will need approval from the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine before being marketed.
- Specific other products
Toys-there is no specific regulatory requirements for pet toys other than general safety requirements for consumer products which would be overseen by the Consumer Products Safety Commission.
Clothing-Be aware that you may be required to comply with fabric labeling requirements which is overseen by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
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