Pet Products Logistics for US Importers

Pet food and treats fall under FDA jurisdiction the same way human food does. The foreign manufacturer needs an active FDA Food Facility Registration renewed every two years. Each shipment requires Prior Notice filed at least 8 hours before ocean arrival or 4 hours before truck arrival. The US importer needs an FSVP record on file showing the supplier is producing food consistent with US safety standards. We verify registration status, file Prior Notice on every shipment, and maintain FSVP documentation as part of the account, so a lapsed registration does not surface mid-entry.

USDA APHIS Veterinary Services oversees the import of any pet product containing animal-origin ingredients, including chews, jerky, rawhide alternatives, and supplements with animal-derived components. Depending on the source country's disease status, the product may need a Veterinary Services import permit, an export certificate from origin, and a country-specific health attestation. We screen ingredient lists during supplier onboarding and confirm APHIS requirements before booking, so a paperwork gap does not turn into a port hold on arrival.

AAFCO is the Association of American Feed Control Officials. It publishes model labeling regulations that almost every US state has adopted, so AAFCO compliance is enforced at the state level rather than directly by FDA. Labels need to show product name, species the food is for, net quantity, guaranteed analysis of nutrients, ingredient list in order of weight, feeding directions, and the manufacturer name and address. State enforcement focuses on retail rather than entry, but noncompliant labels can shut down retail distribution after the goods are already in the country. We confirm AAFCO label compliance during supplier onboarding so the label is fixed before it ships, not after.

Section 301 adds 7.5 to 25 percent on top of standard MFN duty for most Chinese pet products under List 1 through List 4A, including accessories, plastic toys, beds, carriers, and many treat categories. Exclusions are limited and the active ones expire and get renewed on USTR schedules nobody is tracking on your behalf. We track active and expired exclusions against your HTS codes and flag any product where a renewal or sunset would change your landed cost in the next quarter.

No. Platton focuses on shelf-stable pet food, treats, and supplies that move at ambient temperature. Cold chain, reefer, and frozen pet food programs are out of scope. If your program mixes shelf-stable and cold chain SKUs, we can handle the ambient portion while you run cold chain through a specialist provider. For accounts that are entirely cold chain, we are not the right fit.

China to US West Coast averages 16 to 22 transit days from Shanghai or Ningbo into LA or Long Beach, plus 7 to 10 days for origin booking. Thailand to US West Coast averages 18 to 24 transit days from Laem Chabang. Vietnam to US West Coast averages 18 to 22 days from Ho Chi Minh or Hai Phong. Peak season demand can extend ocean transit by 5 to 10 days because of vessel rolling and port congestion.

For pet brands selling on Amazon, the routing layer is the FBA labeling and appointment system. We build FBA-compliant labels and pallet plans at origin, deliver direct to the assigned Amazon FC on a scheduled appointment, and surface chargeback risk before pallet drop. FBA prep can be done at origin to compress the inbound timeline if your program is volume-stable enough to justify it.

Yes. Duty drawback recovers up to 99 percent of paid duties on pet products re-exported within three years of import. For accounts with Canadian distribution, cross-border sales to Mexico, or seasonal overstock that ships overseas, drawback can recapture meaningful duty positions that otherwise stay with CBP. We run quarterly drawback eligibility reviews so the money does not sit in CBP forever.