The USDA National Organic Program has published new organic regulations for Pet Food. This change to the USDA organic regulations will promote a fairer market for all pet food producers and encourage growth in these sectors by ensuring that USDA-certified organic products are produced to the same consistent standard.
The rule adds consistent standards for organic pet food handling. It clarifies the requirements for these products to ensure the standards are consistently applied and enforced. In general, the rule will:
- Standardize existing practices in organic pet food handling by applying the regulations for organic processed products to pet food
- Allow the synthetic amino acid taurine to be used in organic pet food
Establishing clear and uniform standards will give pet food producers the confidence and certainty to know they are operating in a fair and competitive market.
The final rule goes into effect on February 21, 2025.
AMS is allowing an additional 2 years for organic operations to comply with the requirements of the final rule. All organic pet food operations must comply with the rule by February 22nd, 2027. However, organic operations may choose to comply with the final rule prior to the compliance date. You can review the full final rule here.
