Sourcing Pet Food from the USA vs. the UK: A Buyer's Comparison
Sourcing pet food from the USA and sourcing from the UK both mean working outside the EU's harmonized FEDIAF framework, but the two regimes diverge from each other just as much as they diverge from the EU's. This guide compares FDA and AAFCO's US model against the UK's post-Brexit IPAFFS and labeling regime, plus the currency, shipping, and lead-time realities a buyer needs to weigh when choosing — or combining — the two.
Two separate regulatory systems, neither aligned to FEDIAF
The US and the UK each run their own independent pet food regulatory systems, and neither is bound to the EU's FEDIAF framework — the US never has been, and the UK stopped being directly bound to it at Brexit, though its rules still closely track FEDIAF in practice for now. A formulation built for one market's standards needs its own review before being sold in the other; there's no shortcut of treating US or UK compliance as interchangeable with FEDIAF or with each other.
The UK model: IPAFFS and a diverging labeling regime
The UK operates its own IPAFFS pre-arrival notification system for pet food entering Great Britain, applying equally to EU and non-EU origin shipments, plus UK-specific health certificate templates and UK statutory labeling requirements. The UK initially retained EU/FEDIAF-aligned nutrient standards at the point of Brexit, but the two frameworks can diverge over time as each updates independently — buyers should confirm current UK-specific requirements rather than assuming permanent equivalence with FEDIAF. See our UK market guide for the full detail.
Currency exposure: USD vs. GBP
US sourcing means pricing and invoicing in USD; UK sourcing means working in GBP — a third major currency alongside the EUR exposure a buyer might also carry in a parallel EU program. GBP and USD don't move in lockstep, and a buyer running US, UK, and EU sourcing simultaneously should track all three currencies independently in landed-cost models rather than assuming one exchange-rate assumption covers every route.
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Shipping distance and lead time
A transatlantic shipment from the US involves longer ocean transit than a UK-bound shipment sourced from closer European or UK-based production, but the UK side carries its own distinct lead-time factors — IPAFFS notification timing and potential Border Control Post inspection — that don't apply the same way to a US-only distribution program. Buyers should build schedule buffer for a first shipment on either route rather than assuming either country's process moves as fast as an established, proven supply chain typically does once documentation is worked out.
Import duty and tax treatment: US sales tax vs. UK VAT
The US has no federal VAT; pet food is taxed via state-by-state sales tax averaging roughly 7.5% nationally, with five states levying none. The UK applies a flat national 20% standard VAT rate to pet food, with a narrow exception for food formulated and sold exclusively for working dogs. US import duty on animal feed can run up to roughly 7.5% of shipment value depending on classification, while UK-bound goods face their own separate UK tariff schedule post-Brexit — buyers should confirm current duty treatment specific to their tariff classification and origin country rather than assuming EU-era UK duty rates still apply.
MOQ and production culture: US scale vs. UK flexibility
US contract manufacturing is often built around larger production runs reflecting the scale of the domestic US market, which can mean higher minimum order quantities for a first program compared to some UK manufacturers, particularly smaller UK-based producers accustomed to flexible runs for private label and export buyers post-Brexit. Buyers should ask a prospective manufacturer in either country directly about typical MOQ and standard lead time rather than assuming a pattern by country reputation alone.
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Typical buyer scenarios for US sourcing
US sourcing tends to fit a buyer building a North American wholesale or private label program, comfortable pricing in USD and navigating the state-by-state AAFCO-adopted compliance landscape, or a buyer who specifically wants access to the scale and production capacity of large US contract manufacturers for a high-volume program.
Typical buyer scenarios for UK sourcing
UK sourcing tends to fit a buyer whose distribution footprint is genuinely UK-focused, needing IPAFFS-compliant, UK-labeled product without the added complexity of also managing US FDA/AAFCO requirements — and buyers who value UK manufacturers' geographic proximity and shipping-time advantage relative to transatlantic US sourcing for a UK-only program.
How Candora Petcare supports buyers comparing US and UK sourcing
Candora Petcare coordinates FDA/FSVP-aligned documentation for US-bound programs and IPAFFS/UK-format documentation for UK-bound programs, helping buyers compare real compliance, currency, and lead-time detail between the two rather than working from assumptions — see our dog food and cat food guides for the USA and our UK market guide for category-specific next steps on each side.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Not anymore in a binding sense — the UK initially retained EU-aligned standards at Brexit, and UK rules still closely track FEDIAF in practice, but the frameworks can diverge over time since each updates independently. Confirm current UK-specific requirements rather than assuming permanent equivalence.
No — the FDA has real federal regulatory authority; AAFCO has none. AAFCO publishes model regulations that individual US states then adopt into their own feed law, so practical enforcement sits at the state level.
The US has no federal VAT — pet food is taxed via state-by-state sales tax averaging around 7.5%, with five states levying none. The UK applies a flat 20% standard VAT rate, with a narrow working-dog-food exception.
No — IPAFFS is specific to UK-bound imports. A US-only sourcing program doesn't need IPAFFS notification, but it does need FDA facility registration, FSVP compliance, and Prior Notice for the US side instead.
Real exposure on both sides — USD for US sourcing, GBP for UK sourcing — and neither moves in lockstep with the other or with a buyer's home currency or any parallel EUR exposure from an EU program.
It depends on the buyer's own market — a UK-focused buyer typically sees a shorter shipping distance from a UK or nearby European supplier than from a transatlantic US shipment, but UK-bound shipments carry their own IPAFFS-related lead-time factors regardless of origin.
Yes, but treat them as genuinely separate compliance and logistics workstreams — FDA/AAFCO/state requirements for the US side and IPAFFS/UK labeling requirements for the UK side don't overlap or substitute for each other.
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