{"topic_id":"UK_PETFOOD_LABELLING_CONTENT","category":"uk","context":"---\ntopic_id: \"UK_PETFOOD_LABELLING_CONTENT\"\ncategory: \"uk\"\ntitle: \"UK pet food labelling — specific content requirements\"\nlang: en\nsource_document: \"UK animal feed / pet food legislation (retained EU + UK regulations)\"\nsource: \"UK feed/pet-food regulations (retained EU Reg 767/2009 & 183/2005; Animal Feed (England) Regs 2010)\"\nsource_file: \"pdf-raw/uk-2026 (legislation.gov.uk article texts)\"\ndate_parsed: \"2026-07-27\"\ntokens_estimated: 2258\ncitation:\n  authority: \"UK Government / legislation.gov.uk (National Archives)\"\n  title: \"UK pet food labelling — specific content requirements\"\n  url: \"https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2009/767/article/17\"\n  retrieved: \"2026-07-27\"\n  ref: \"Reg (EC) 767/2009 Arts 17–22\"\n  doc_type: \"official text extract\"\n  needs_review: false\n---\nUK pet food labelling — specific content requirements — verbatim extracts from UK feed/pet-food legislation (retained EU Regulation (EC) No 767/2009 on the placing on the market and use of feed, and Regulation (EC) No 183/2005 on feed hygiene, as published on legislation.gov.uk; these apply to Great Britain post-Brexit as retained EU law and govern pet food as 'feedingstuffs'). C1 substring-verified against `pdf-raw/uk-2026/*.txt`.\n\nArticle 17\nSpecific mandatory labelling requirements for compound feed\n\n1.\nIn addition to the requirements provided for in Article 15, the labelling of compound feed shall also include the following:\n\n(a)\nthe species or categories of animals for which the compound feed is intended;\n\n(b)\nthe instructions for proper use indicating the purpose for which the feed is intended; such instructions shall, where applicable, be in accordance with point 4 of Annex II;\n\n(c)\nin cases where the producer is not the person responsible for the labelling, the following shall be provided:\n\n(c)\nthe name or business name and address of the producer, or\n\nthe approval number of the producer as referred to in Article 15(c) or an identifying number in accordance with Articles 9, 23 or 24 of Regulation (EC) No 183/2005; if such number is not available, an identifying number allocated at the request of the producers or the importing feed business operator, which shall be in accordance with the format laid down in Chapter II of Annex V to Regulation (EC) No 183/2005;\n\n(d)\nthe indication of the minimum storage life in accordance with the following requirements:\n\n(d)\n‘use before …’ followed by the date indicating a certain day in the case of feed highly perishable due to degradation processes,\n\n‘best before …’ followed by the date indicating a certain month in the case of other feed.\n\nIf the date of manufacture is indicated on the label, the date indicating minimum storage life may be provided as well as ‘… (time period in days or months) after the date of manufacture’;\n\n(e)\na list of the feed materials of which the feed is composed, bearing the heading ‘composition’ and indicating the name of each feed material in accordance with Article 16(1)(a), and listing those feed materials in descending order by weight calculated on the moisture content in the compound feed; that list may include the percentage by weight; and\n\n(f)\nthe compulsory declarations provided for in Chapter II of Annex VI or VII, as applicable.\n\n2.\nAs regards the list provided for in paragraph 1(e), the following requirements shall apply:\n\n(a)\nthe name and percentage by weight of a feed material shall be indicated if its presence is emphasised on the labelling in words, pictures or graphics;\n\n(b)\nif the percentages by weight of the feed materials contained in compound feed for food-producing animals are not indicated on the labelling, the person responsible for the labelling shall, without prejudice to Directive 2004/48/EC, make available to the purchaser, on request, information on the quantitative composition data within a range of +/– 15 % of the value according to the feed formulation; and\n\n(c)\nin the case of compound feed intended for non-food producing animals except fur animals, the indication of the specific name of the feed material may be replaced by the name of the category to which the feed materials belong.\n\n3.\nIn the event of any urgency relating to human or animal health or to the environment, and without prejudice to Directive 2004/48/EC, the competent authority may provide the purchaser with information that is available to it under Article 5(2), provided that, after having balanced the respective legitimate interests of the manufacturers and the purchasers, it concludes that the provision of such information is justified. If appropriate, the competent authority shall provide such information subject to the signing of a confidentiality clause by the purchaser.\n\nF14.\n. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\n\nTextual Amendments\n\nF1\nArt. 17(4) omitted (31.12.2020) by virtue of The Animal Feed (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/654), regs. 1, 104; 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)\n\nPrevious: Provision\nNext: Provision\n\nArticle 18\nAdditional mandatory labelling requirements for feed intended for particular nutritional purposes\n\nIn addition to the general mandatory requirements laid down in Articles 15, 16 and 17, as applicable, the labelling of feed intended for particular nutritional purposes shall also include:\n\n(a)\t\n\nthe qualifying expression ‘dietetic’, in the case, exclusively, of feed intended for particular nutritional purposes, next to the designation of the feed as laid down in Article 15(a);\n\n(b)\t\n\nthe particulars prescribed for the respective intended use in columns 1 to 6 of the list of intended uses referred to in Article 9; and\n\n(c)\t\n\nan indication that the opinion of a nutrition expert or veterinarian should be sought before using the feed or before extending its period of use.\n\nPrevious: Provision\nNext: Provision\n\nArticle 19\nAdditional mandatory labelling requirements for pet food\n\nOn the label of pet food a free telephone number or other appropriate means of communication shall be indicated in order to allow the purchaser to obtain information in addition to the mandatory particulars on:\n\n(a)\t\n\nthe feed additives contained in the pet food; and\n\n(b)\t\n\nthe feed materials contained therein that are designated by category as referred to in Article 17(2)(c).\n\nPrevious: Provision\nNext: Provision\n\n[F1Article 20\nAdditional mandatory labelling requirements for non-compliant feed\n\n1.\nIn addition to the requirements laid down in Articles 15, 16, 17 and 18, feed which does not comply with the requirements set out in Annex 8, such as contaminated materials, must bear the labelling particulars laid down in that Annex.\n\n2.\nThe appropriate authority may prescribe amendments to Annex 8 in order to bring it into line with the development of standards.]\n\nTextual Amendments\n\nF1\nArt. 20 substituted (31.12.2020) by The Animal Feed (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/654), regs. 1, 105; 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)\n\nPrevious: Provision\nNext: Provision\n\nArticle 21\nDerogations\n\n1.\nThe particulars referred to in Article 15(c), (d), (e), and (g) and Article 16(1)(b) shall not be required where, before each transaction, the purchaser has stated in writing that he does not require this information. A transaction may consist of several consignments.\n\n2.\nOn packaged feed the particulars referred to in Article 15(c), (d) and (e) and Article 16(2)(c) or Article 17(1)(c), (d), and (e) may be given on the packaging outside the place of the label as referred to in Article 14(1). In such cases it shall be pointed out where these particulars appear.\n\n3.\nWithout prejudice to Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 183/2005, the particulars referred to in Article 15(c), (d), (e) and (g) and Article 16(1)(b) of this Regulation shall not be mandatory for feed materials that do not contain feed additives, with the exception of preservatives or silage additives, and which are produced and delivered by a feed business operator in accordance with Article 5(1) of Regulation (EC) No 183/2005 to a feed user involved in primary production for use within his own holding.\n\n4.\nThe compulsory declarations referred to in Article 17(1)(f) shall not be required for mixes of whole plant grains, seeds and fruit.\n\n5.\nIn the case of compound feed constituted from no more than three feed materials the particulars referred to in Article 17(1)(a) and (b) shall not be required where the feed materials used are clearly indicated in the description.\n\n6.\nFor quantities not exceeding 20 kg of feed materials or compound feed intended for the final user and sold in bulk, the particulars referred to in Articles 15, 16 and 17 may be brought to the purchaser’s attention by means of an appropriate notice at the point of sale. In such cases, the particulars referred to in Article 15(a) and Article 16(1) or Article 17(1)(a) and (b), as appropriate, shall be provided for the purchaser at the latest on or with the invoice.\n\n7.\nFor quantities of pet food sold in packages with several containers, the particulars referred to in Article 15(b), (c), (f) and (g) and Article 17(1)(b), (c), (e) and (f) may be given only on the outer packaging instead of on each container, provided that the combined total weight of the package does not exceed 10 kg.\n\n[F18.\nThe appropriate authority may derogate from the provisions of this Regulation in respect of of feed intended for animals kept for scientific or experimental purposes on condition that such purpose is clearly indicated on the label.]\n\nTextual Amendments\n\nF1\nArt. 21(8) substituted (31.12.2020) by The Animal Feed (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/654), regs. 1, 106; 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)\n\nPrevious: Provision\nNext: Provision\n\nArticle 22\nVoluntary labelling\n\n1.\nIn addition to the mandatory labelling requirements, the labelling of feed materials and compound feed may also include voluntary labelling particulars, provided that the general principles laid down in this Regulation are complied with.\n\nF12.\n. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\n\nTextual Amendments\n\nF1\nArt. 22(2) omitted (31.12.2020) by virtue of The Animal Feed (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/654), regs. 1, 107; 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)\n\nPrevious: Provision\nNext: Provision\n","sources":["UK feed/pet-food regulations — UK pet food labelling — specific content requirements (retrieved 2026-07-27)"],"source":{"authority":"UK feed/pet-food regulations","title":"UK pet food labelling — specific content requirements","url":"https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2009/767/article/17","retrieved":"2026-07-27","ref":"Reg 767/2009","doc_type":"official PDF","source_document":"UK animal feed / pet food legislation (retained EU + UK regulations)","verification_file":"pdf-raw/uk-2026 (legislation.gov.uk article texts)"},"source_document":"UK animal feed / pet food legislation (retained EU + UK regulations)","source_file":"pdf-raw/uk-2026 (legislation.gov.uk article texts)","tokens_estimated":2258,"generated_at":null,"tip":"Use /api/v1/topics to discover more topics. /api/v1/nutrient for precise single-point queries. /api/v1/cross_compare for 2-3 standard comparisons."}