Pet Food Traceability: Brand Owner Guide

# Pet Food Traceability Guide

China's Ministry of Agriculture is pushing for complete traceability in pet food. Brand owners need to start building this now.

What needs to be tracked

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Raw material → Incoming QC → Production → Final QC → Warehouse → Retail

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Each step needs: timestamp, responsible person, batch number, test report.

What brands should do

1. Confirm batch management with co-packer

Every batch needs a unique ID: production date, line number, shift, formula version.

2. Raw material traceability

Meat supplier, batch number, inspection certificate, production date.

3. Production records

Ingredient weighing, process parameters (temperature, time), in-process checks, final test.

4. Logistics

Outbound date, carrier, destination, distributor.

Technology

• QR code on packaging is sufficient for most brands
• Blockchain is optional and expensive
• SaaS tools cost $400-$1,400 per year

What to look for in a co-packer

1. Do they have an ERP system?

2. Can they provide complete batch reports?

3. Will they integrate with your QR code system?

4. Do they know where their ingredients come from?

Why do it now

1. Regulation is coming

2. Traceable brands command premium prices

3. Precise recall if something goes wrong

4. Export buyers require it

Common pitfalls

1. Tracking only the end product, not upstream

2. Working with factories that have no electronic records

3. Making the trace page too complex

4. Printing a QR code that leads to an empty page

If you want to set up traceability but are unsure where to begin, Mixiaoqi pet food OEM/ODM provides complete batch records and test reports for every production run and can integrate with your QR code system.

FAQ

Do I need to build my own system?

SaaS tools work fine.

Will the co-packer provide batch records?

Legitimate factories keep records, but small ones may not be digital.

Should every package have a QR code?

Yes, the cost is minimal and trust gain is significant.