Department of Economic Development

 As pet food products have diversified in recent years, Taipei City Animal Protection Office (TCAPO) reminds that pet owners should pay attention to not only the dietary taboos for their “fur kids” but also the types of pet foods that have passed the random inspections by TCAPO. Such information is announced every year on the TCAPO official website. TCAPO urges pet owners to select products with complete packaging and clear sources so as to ensure food safety for fur kids together.

TCAPO stressed that when purchasing pet food, pet owners should pay attention to whether the packaging has complete and clear Chinese labels and applicable pet types. In 2022, TCAPO inspected more than 70 pet food manufacturers over quality, focusing on the detections of harmful components in 98 products (including 4 powdered milks, 11 snacks, 53 dry feeds and 30 canned/meal packs), amounting to a total of 352 inspection items. Good news was that substances exceeding the standard or endangering the health of pets were not found. However, 128 products were randomly inspected for their product labels, 31 of which were not in conformity with the regulations or not reported according to law, accounting for 24% of the total number of random inspections. And failure to report manufacturer or product information to the central competent authority in accordance with the regulations was the most common form of violation. After being coached by TCAPO, those manufacturers have completed improvement within a time limit.

Taipei City continues to check the quality of pet food for the public through on-site inspections and audits and strengthens the promotion of relevant regulations to pet food sellers so as to protect consumer rights. Pet owners are cautioned not to buy self-packaged pet food products and/or those from unknown sources, so as to avoid endangering the health of fur kids. Moreover, pet food is not a veterinary drug for animals, so that the product labeling or packaging should not claim to have animal disease prevention and treatment effects. Otherwise, it may be fined more than NT$200,000 for violating the Veterinary Drugs Control Act. Manufacturers can go to the "Pet Food Declaration Network of the Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan" to inquire about pet food declaration methods and laws and regulations. If you want to learn more about the results of random inspections of pet food sold in Taipei City, please visit the TCAPO official website for inquiries.