Canada's Food Inspection Agency is updating heat-treated pet food import requirements to provide greater flexibility and reflect modern global supply chains, allowing ingredients from CFIA-approved countries beyond just the U.S. and Canada while establishing updated processing standards for various animal-origin ingredients.
- The CFIA is updating footnotes in its facility questionnaire to reflect current industry practices and allow heat-treated pet food ingredients from CFIA-approved countries, not just the U.S. and Canada
- Canada imports nearly 90% of its dog and cat food from the U.S. by value, with $1.166 billion imported in 2025 alone
- New processing standards include specific temperature and time requirements: 70°C for 30 minutes, 79°C for 30 seconds, or 90°C internal temperature for certain meat products
- Fish and reptilian meat, and insect meals now have no geographic or processing requirements, allowing sourcing from any country
- Comments on proposed changes must be submitted to the CFIA by October 15 via email at [email protected]
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is consulting on proposed changes to import requirements for heat-treated pet food products from the U.S., according to a Global Agricultural Information Network report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service.
The CFIA said that because pet food supply chains are complex, and ingredients may be treated and sourced in a variety of countries before the final product is made, the proposed changes would provide greater flexibility to industry.
The CFIA currently requires a facility questionnaire signed by the USDA. According to the report, the questionnaire was developed when supply chains were concentrated in Canada and the U.S. The CFIA is looking to update the questionnaire's language to reflect current industry practices and is proposing changes to two of its footnotes.
Updated footnotes
The first footnote defines "processed" products as those in which the animal-origin ingredients or finished product have been thermally processed sufficiently to destroy pathogens of concern, with the heat processing occurring in the U.S. or Canada. The proposed update would add countries evaluated and approved by the CFIA for the import of animal products and byproducts.
The second footnote requires animal-origin ingredients or finished pet food to be heat processed at the facility or at another facility in the U.S. or Canada, according to set parameters. The proposal would also extend this to CFIA-approved countries and would revise the parameters as follows:
- Eggs and non-rendered poultry ingredients: treated to mitigate highly pathogenic avian influenza and Newcastle disease according to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) Terrestrial Code, replacing current time and temperature requirements.
- Rendered poultry ingredients and processed animal proteins: treated to mitigate highly pathogenic avian influenza and Newcastle disease according to the Terrestrial Code and, if imported, originating from a country approved by the CFIA for import of rendered non-ruminant materials, per Annex 10 of the Animal Products and By-Products Import Policy.
- Bovine, ovine, caprine, cervid or porcine meat: 70 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes, 79 C for 30 seconds or 90 C internal temperature. Cervid meat would be added to the current requirement.
- Bovine, ovine, caprine or cervid rendered ingredients and processed animal proteins: legally imported into the U.S. from Australia or New Zealand.
- Porcine rendered ingredients and processed animal proteins: treated to mitigate African swine fever, classical swine fever, foot-and-mouth disease and swine vesicular disease and, if imported, originating from a country approved by the CFIA for import of rendered non-ruminant materials, per Annex 10.
- Dairy: pasteurized in the U.S., Canada or a CFIA-approved country.
- Meat of equines, rabbits or other species: no time or temperature requirement, but must be heat treated.
- Fish meal, liquids and digests, or other aquatic rendered ingredients and processed animal proteins: heat treated in the United States, Canada or a country with negligible bovine spongiform encephalopathy risk status according to WOAH.
- Fish and reptilian meat, and insect meals: no requirements; may originate from any country.
Trade snapshot
U.S. pet food exports under Harmonized System code 230910 have totaled more than $2.4 billion annually in recent years, according to the report. Canada is the largest export market for U.S. dog and cat food, receiving roughly 50% of exports by value, with a five-year average of $1.15 billion per year.
Nearly 90% of Canada's dog and cat food imports by value come from the U.S. Canada imported $1.166 billion in dog and cat food from the U.S. in 2025, out of $1.343 billion in total imports, according to Trade Data Monitor data cited in the report. From January through July 2026, imports from the U.S. totaled $682 million, up 1.7% from $670 million in the same period of 2025.
Comments on the proposed changes may be submitted to the CFIA by Oct. 15 via email at [email protected].
