WOAH recognizes dry, extruded pet food as safe for trade

The Global Alliance of Pet Food Associations (GAPFA) has welcomed a significant update to the World Organization for Animal Health’s (WOAH) Terrestrial Animal Health Code. The update, announced at WOAH’s 91st General Assembly, recognizes dry, extruded pet food and heat-treated pet food in hermetically sealed containers as safe commodities for trade, even in countries affected by diseases like African Swine Fever (ASF), Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and Rift Valley Fever (RVF).

“This recognition of extruded, dry, and retorted wet pet food as a safe commodity with respect to African Swine Fever, Foot and Mouth Disease, and Rift Valley Fever is a major milestone in assuring that this pet food can continue to be safely traded regardless of the disease outbreak status of a producing country,” said Loretta Hunter, GAPFA president.

The recognition comes after a thorough scientific evaluation, which confirmed that the processing methods for these types of pet food eliminate biosecurity risks tied to ASF, RVF and FMD. Previously, WOAH recognized heat-treated meat products with an F0 value of 3 or higher as safe commodities. Now, both dry and wet pet food meeting these standards are deemed safe for international trade, regardless of the disease status in the producing country.

The WOAH Terrestrial Animal Health Code provides guidelines to help countries ensure animal health, welfare and safe trade practices. These updates build on GAPFA’s longstanding collaboration with WOAH, formalized in a 2017 memorandum of understanding.

ASF, RVF, and FMD now join High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza (HPAI) as diseases that do not pose a risk for trade when pet food meets WOAH’s specified standards. This ensures that even during disease outbreaks, countries can continue to trade pet food safely, supporting global access to high-quality pet nutrition.