Own brand of pet supplements: From idea to shelf. How to design a product that is safe and legal?

The pet food market in Europe is growing exponentially. Do you see this opportunity? You have an idea for a joint preparation for dogs or a “sedative” for cats. However, the moment you move from vision to execution, you collide with a wall of documentation, technology and requirements. You don't know who will produce it, how much it costs and why Sanepid has nothing to talk about here. This guide will walk you through the New Product Development (NPD) process in veterinary medicine.

If you are planning to enter the pet health segment, you need to understand one thing: this is not just a “smaller version” of supplements for humans. It is a separate legal and technological ecosystem. An error at the R&D (Research & Development) stage here does not only mean the return of the goods. It means the risk of losing the health of the animal and the immediate end of the reputation of your brand.

As FoodUp, we design and implement products that stand up for quality and legal compliance on a daily basis. Here's your road map.

Nomenclature Trap: Dietary Supplement vs. Compound Feed

Let's start with the foundations on which 60% of novice investors are trained. In the light of the law (both Polish and EU) There is no such thing as a “dog food supplement”.

It's a colloquial, marketing term. By using it in the official documentation or on the label in the wrong context, you are asking for trouble.

Investor Glossary (Required):

• Dietary supplement: Term reserved EXCLUSIVELY for humans (Food Safety and Nutrition Act). Supervision: GIS (Sanepid).
• Complementary compound feed: The official legal name of what you want to sell to animals. Supervision: GIW (General Veterinary Inspectorate) and WIJHARS (in the field of commercial quality).

Why is it crucial? because animal supplement design It is necessary to comply with the Food Law, not the Food Law. The differences are drastic — from permissible pollution limits, to labelling, to registration procedures. If you go to a manufacturer of “human” supplements that does not have a veterinary number (Alpha), your product will be illegal at the time it leaves the production line.

FoodUp Insight: Compound feeds are difficult to implement only for those who do not know where to start. For the prepared investor, it is a zero-one system: either you meet the standards or you do not exist in the market.

1. Concept vs. Reality: Why isn't every “human” ingredient for a dog?

At FoodUp we often hear: “Let's do the same thing for humans, only in a smaller dose”. This is the shortest path to disaster. The physiology of a dog or cat is diametrically different from that of a human. Substances safe for us, can be fatal for pets.

Case Study: Killing Xylitol

Xylitol is a great substitute for sugar in human products - it protects teeth, has a low glycemic index. However, in the dog, it causes a sharp ejection of insulin, leading to hypoglycemia and irreversible liver damage.

Section “Red Flags”: What to avoid in lineups?

During the R&D process in the pet food industry, we absolutely eliminate trendy but risky ingredients:

• Grape/Raisin Extracts: Nephrotoxic to dogs (damage the kidneys).
• Onions and garlic (in large doses): They damage red blood cells (Heinz anemia).
• Some forms of vitamin D: Dogs are much more sensitive to overdose than humans.
• Essential oils (for cats): Cats have trouble metabolizing many of the phenols contained in oils (lack of glucuronyl transferase enzyme).

We rely on guidelines FEDIAF (European Federation of Pet Food Industry) and NRC (National Research Council), not on lifestyle blogs.

2. Form Matters: Tablet, Syrup or Powder?

Contract manufacturing of animal supplements (Private Label) is the art of compromise between what is effective and what the animal will want to eat.

Technological and behavioral analysis

At FoodUp, we divide the decision-making process into three areas:

1. Bioavailability (Efficacy): Will the active substance be absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract short (cat) or medium (dog)?
2. Palatability: This is the biggest challenge in R&D.
   • Dogs: They will usually eat a tablet if it smells like meat (liver hydrolyzate).
   • Cats: They are extremely picky. The tablet often ends in the struggle of the owner with the animal. Therefore, in products for cats, they often win pastes, twist-off gels or liquids added to feed.
3. Production Feasibility (CDMO):
   • Syrups are more expensive to transport (glass/plastic, weight), but easy to dose.
   • Powders are cheap to manufacture, but the owners complain about the mess when serving.
   • Tablets require appropriate binding substances that can not be allergens.

Advice: Do not design the product in a vacuum. If you are targeting the premium market, you need to ensure a “user experience” — that is, the ease of administration of the preparation by the owner.

3. Feed law in a nutshell — what do you need to get started?

The implementation of a veterinary product requires iron documentation. There is no room for improvisation. Your legal basis is Regulation (EC) No 767/2009 Link to eur-lex.europa.eu on the placing on the market and use of feedingstuffs.

Key requirements of GIW (Feed Registration):

1. Veterinary Number (Alpha):
2. As an entity ordering the production (brand owner), you must be entered in the register of feed entities with the District Veterinarian. Even if you just store and sell.
   • Check the register of feed entities on the website of the Main Veterinary Inspectorate: Link to wetgiw.gov.pl.
3. Label (Marking): You must specify the so-called analytical components:
   • Crude Protein
   • Crude fiber
   • Crude fat
   • Crude ash
   • The absence of this data at the WIJHARS inspection ends with a fine and an order to withdraw the party.
4. Marketing Claims: You can write that the product “supports the joints”, but you can not write that it “treats dysplasia”. Treatment is reserved for veterinary medicinal products. The line is thin and it is expensive to cross it.

4. How do we work at FoodUp? Model “Recipes for friends”

At FoodUp, we start from the premise that business in the pet food industry must be ethical. The animal will not tell you that after your supplement they have a stomach ache.

That is why we have implemented the author's standard “Recipes for friends”:

FoodUp Expert Frame:

“We only create products that we would give to our own dogs and cats without hesitation. We analyze the market and see huge gaps in it - there is a lack of preparations with pure compositions, based on standardized extracts. At the same time, we know that the product itself is not enough. Such a business requires extensive sales training and very conscious marketing. We provide the technology and the law, but also the strategy to sell it.”

FoodUp Implementation Checklist (Step by Step):

1. Market Analysis & Concept: Verification of the idea. Does the market need another fur product? Or is it better to target niche issues (e.g. kidney support, behaviorist)?
2. Formulation (R&D): Development of the composition based on nutritional standards and toxicology. Selection of the form (tablet/liquid/powder).
3. CDMO selection: Finding a manufacturer with free processing capacity and appropriate certification (HACCP, GMP+). We manage this process so you don't overpay.
4. Legal Verification: Audit of labels, support of the application to the District Veterinarian.
5. Pilot Production: Qualitative and organoleptic tests.
6. Launch & Education: Preparation of substantive materials for traders and veterinarians.

Summary: Don't Guess, Plan

Entering the pet supplement market is an investment that can yield a high ROI, provided it is based on hard data and not intuition. Complementary compound feed is a regulated category, requiring pharmacy precision and legal knowledge.

Do not risk animal health or the reputation of your new brand. Consult your idea with technologists who understand this market from the inside out.

Your next step:

Do you have an idea for a product, but are afraid of the thicket of recipes? Do you need a partner to guide you through the contract manufacturing process?

👉 [Arrange a free initial consultation on strategy and law]

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FAQ — Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I produce pet supplements at home?

Absolutely not. The production of compound feed requires an approved plant that meets sanitary and veterinary requirements, an implemented HACCP system and the supervision of the District Veterinarian. The solution is contract manufacturing (CDMO) in a certified facility.

2. How much does it cost to launch your own brand of pet supplements?

The costs are variable and depend on the scale (MOQ — minimum order), the complexity of the recipe and the form of the product. It is necessary to take into account the costs of recipe development (R&D), purchase of raw materials, production, laboratory tests and packaging. FoodUp helps you estimate these costs at the initial consultation stage, creating a viable business plan.

3. Do I have to register each product with the office?

In the feed industry, the registration of the entity (company) with the District Veterinarian is key, which gives the veterinary number. The recipes themselves are not subject to a “registration” process like medicines, but must be available for inspection and must comply with the Catalogue of Feed Materials and the EU Register of Feed Additives.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Maciej Jaskólski, MSc in Agriculture.

Pharmacist with more than 12 years of experience, specializing in the intersection of law, R&D and business in the Life Science industry. Founder of FoodUp Consulting. As an expert in regulated product implementations, he helps investors navigate safely between the requirements of the Chief Veterinary Inspectorate and the realities of contract production.

In his projects for the pet food industry, he combines a rigorous pharmaceutical approach with a love for animals, mercilessly eliminating ingredients from recipes that are just a marketing ploy.

Its goal is simple: your product is supposed to work, be safe, and make money — in that order.

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