Functional pet food refers to pet nutrition products formulated with specific ingredients to provide targeted nutritional support, such as digestive health, joint mobility, skin and coat condition, oral care, and weight management. These products are regulated as animal feed rather than medicine in both China and the United Kingdom.

How Functional Pet Food Is Regulated in China and the United Kingdom

Functional pet food is no longer a niche category. Products positioned for digestion, joint mobility, skin and coat condition, oral care, and weight management are now part of mainstream pet nutrition. That commercial opportunity is growing fast: Grand View Research valued the global pet food market at USD 128.7 billion in 2025, while the UK pet food market was estimated at USD 3.01 billion in 2024. But faster growth also means tighter scrutiny. In both China and the United Kingdom, brands cannot simply add trendy ingredients and make broad wellness claims. Functional pet food is regulated through feed law, which means formula design, label language, and market access all need to be handled with discipline.

1. Why Functional Pet Food Is Regulated as Feed Rather Than Medicine

In China, pet food is legally managed as pet feed under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs framework. The 2018 pet feed rules make it clear that these products are industrially processed feed for direct consumption by pets, not human-style food and not medicine. The UK takes a similar route. Pet food is governed through animal feed law, with oversight involving the Food Standards Agency and local authorities. In practical terms, this means a functional kibble or soft chew is judged first by feed rules: safety, labeling, ingredient legality, and claim substantiation. Once marketing language starts sounding like diagnosis, prevention of disease, or treatment, compliance risk rises sharply.

2. How China and the UK Classify Different Types of Pet Food Products

Classification matters because it determines which rules apply. China divides pet feed into three main groups: complete pet feed, pet additive premix feed, and other pet feed. A functional main diet for daily feeding usually falls under complete pet feed. A concentrated nutrition product that delivers vitamins, minerals, amino acids, or enzymes is more likely to be positioned as pet additive premix feed. Snacks and reward-style products generally fall into the third category.

In the UK, businesses usually work within the broader feed categories used in feed law, such as feed materials, compound feed, complete feed, and complementary feed. A product sold as a full daily diet is treated differently from a topper, treat, or supplemental powder. For exporters and private label brands, getting the category right at the beginning is not a small paperwork issue; it affects formula rules, mandatory label items, and the wording allowed on pack.

3. What Ingredients Are Allowed in Functional Pet Food Formulas

China applies a catalogue-based approach. Manufacturers must use feed materials and feed additives that are permitted under the relevant catalogues and follow any applicable restrictions in safe-use standards. In plain language, if an ingredient is not recognized in the feed system, it should not be treated as automatically usable just because it is popular in supplements overseas. This is especially important for probiotics, botanical ingredients, specialty oils, minerals, and bioactive compounds.

The UK also works from a controlled feed framework. Unsafe feed cannot be placed on the market, and authorized additives must meet the conditions attached to their authorization. Businesses also need to consider rules on undesirable substances. For brands, the practical lesson is the same in both markets: ingredient selection is a regulatory decision, not only a marketing one. A fashionable ingredient with weak legal footing can delay launch, trigger relabeling, or force reformulation after production.

4. What Brands Can and Cannot Say in Health and Function Claims

This is where many functional products get into trouble. China explicitly prohibits claims that say a pet feed can prevent or treat disease. At the same time, Chinese label rules do allow certain function claims when they are properly supported. For example, a claim linked to a non-disease issue, such as helping reduce hairball formation or tartar build-up, may be possible if the evidence is there. The rule is simple: claims require proof, which can include published materials, formula evidence, test data, or trial reports.

The UK applies a similarly evidence-based logic. Under Article 13 of Regulation 767/2009, feed claims must be objective, verifiable by the competent authorities, and understandable to the user. That makes wording such as “supports digestive balance” or “helps maintain joint mobility” much safer than “treats arthritis” or “prevents kidney disease.” In other words, support claims can work; medical claims are where brands expose themselves.

5. Labeling Rules: Ingredient Names, Order, and Declared Levels

China is highly specific on label structure. Ingredient names must align with official naming rules, ingredients are listed in descending order by weight, and any claimed ingredient must also be declared in the composition. In some cases, the amount has to be shown. China also sets numeric standards for ingredient-led claims: an “X recipe” claim generally requires at least 26% of that feed material by total weight, “with X recipe” generally requires 14%, and “contains X” generally requires 4%.

The UK also expects labels to function as compliance documents, not just sales copy. Depending on the product type, labels may need the feed category, analytical constituents, additives, feeding instructions, batch identification, and responsible operator details. If category names are used for materials, they must follow the permitted system. For brands selling in both markets, direct translation is rarely enough. A label that works in China may still need a full compliance rewrite for the UK.

6. Licensing, Registration, and Compliance Requirements for Manufacturers

In China, manufacturers of complete pet feed and pet additive premix feed must obtain a feed production licence from the provincial authority, and imported products in those categories require registration. The regulatory file is not limited to the formula; it also reaches factory conditions, inspection capability, product testing, and record keeping. China requires procurement and sales records to be retained for at least two years, which reflects the wider emphasis on traceability.

In the UK, businesses that make, sell, or use animal feed must register with their local Trading Standards office, and some activities require approval rather than simple registration. That applies to pet food businesses as well. For OEM factories and brand owners, this means compliance starts before the first order is shipped. The legal status of the business, the local registration route, and the documentation behind the product all matter.

7. Regulatory Trends: Stronger Evidence and Stricter Enforcement

The direction of travel is clear in both markets: more evidence, tighter documentation, and less tolerance for vague promises. As the market gets larger, regulators and buyers are asking harder questions about ingredient identity, safety, traceability, and claim support. For a modern functional pet food brand, compliance is no longer a final-stage label review. It has to be built into sourcing, formula design, testing, and marketing from day one.

The brands most likely to win in China and the United Kingdom are not the ones making the loudest claims. They are the ones that can show a clean formula, a lawful ingredient list, accurate labeling, and a claim file that stands up to scrutiny. In functional pet nutrition, what you can add and what you can say are governed by two different questions, and serious brands need solid answers for both.

Source note: Regulatory points in this article are summarized from China’s MARA Announcement No. 20 and related pet feed rules, the UK’s feed-law framework including the Animal Feed (Composition, Marketing and Use) (England) Regulations 2015, GOV.UK registration guidance, Food Standards Agency pet food guidance, and market data published by Grand View Research.

China vs UK: Regulatory Framework Comparison

Both China and the UK regulate functional pet food through feed law rather than medicine law. In both markets, ingredient compliance, accurate labeling, and evidence-based claims are the foundation of market access. Brands looking to enter either market should work with manufacturing partners who understand local regulatory requirements.