What documents should a fresh pet food brand have? A checklist for owners
We won't define what regulators require. Instead: a six-item checklist so you can verify any fresh pet food brand yourself — including us.
Search “fresh pet food” and Baidu asks the honest question on many people's behalf: what documents does this take?
How often that question appears tells you how short on trust this industry is. Some people have been burned; others are worried they're about to be. We're not going to defend or accuse anyone in the category, and we're not going to define what regulators require — which documents are “mandatory” is for the authorities to say. We'll do one more useful thing instead: give you a checklist, so you can verify for yourself.
First, what we can and can't give you
We're not lawyers, and regulations change. So this article doesn't answer “what does the law require.” It answers one question: as a pet owner, how do you tell whether a fresh-food brand is solid?
Checking isn't hard. Five minutes now beats fighting for a refund later.
The checklist: six items, ask them one by one
1. Business license. Does the registered scope include pet food / feed? You can check this one yourself: the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System — enter the company name, free.
2. Production credentials. Ask directly: where is the production facility, what credentials does it hold, who issued them, what's the license number? The point isn't what the document is called — it's whether they dare hand you the number. If they'll give it to you, you can look it up.
3. Who actually runs the kitchen. Where is the fresh-food kitchen, under which company entity, who's making the food inside? All fair to ask directly. A specific answer and the sentence “we have our own factory” are two different things.
4. Batch test reports. Ask about at least two kinds: microbiology (salmonella and the like) and nutritional indicators. The point isn't “do you have a report” — it's “does the report match the batch in my hands.”
5. Ingredient traceability. Who supplies the meat, and can you see the inspection certificates? The answer should name a specific farm or plant — not words like “imported” or “premium.”
6. Website and mini-app filings. Scroll to the bottom of the page — the filing number should be right there. Then enter the domain in the MIIT filing system and check it yourself. It only counts if it matches.
How to use this checklist
Just ask customer service. Watch three things: how fast they answer, how specific they answer, and whether they dare send you the numbers to check yourself.
An honest brand won't feel offended — this checklist was made for people who do things properly.
About ourselves
We're not going to list things in this article that we can't yet show you. We are working through each of the items above; as each one is completed, we'll publish it. Until then, keep this checklist — use it on us, and use it on everyone else.
This article is consumer guidance, not legal advice.