Vietnam has a large aquaculture and seafood-processing industry, and with it a steady supply of fish, shrimp and squid raw materials that suit pet food and treats with strong palatability. Private-label pet food made there — dry food, wet food in pouches, freeze-dried toppings, jerky-style treats — is a realistic project. As with human food, finding a factory willing to make it is the easy part. The work is in the specification, the raw-material choices that decide which import rules apply, and the paperwork on both sides.
This article covers what to decide before the first batch: product type and process, raw materials and their consequences, the Vietnamese factory’s licence, and — for products going to Japan — the rules of the Pet Food Safety Act and the questions to put to the animal quarantine authority early.
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Product type decides the factory
Dry kibble, retort wet food, freeze-dried products and treats are made on different equipment, so choose the product type first and look only at factories that run that process.
| Product type | Process | What decides quality | What to check with the factory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dry food | Extrusion, drying, coating | Moisture, fat coating, rancidity control | Extruder in-house; coating and packing |
| Wet food | Filling into pouches, cans or trays, then retort sterilisation | Thermal process, seal integrity | Retort records and incubation tests |
| Freeze-dried | Freezing and vacuum drying | Residual moisture, packaging barrier | Freeze-drying capacity; oxygen absorbers |
| Treats and jerky | Drying or baking | Water activity, mould control | Drying records; water activity per batch |
Wet pet food follows the same sterilisation logic as human retort food; the thermal process, critical factors and incubation checks are described in retort pouch food made in Vietnam. Freeze-dried and dried treats depend on moisture and water activity, which should be measured and recorded per batch.
Raw materials decide the rules
Whether the recipe contains fish, poultry, other livestock meat or only plant ingredients decides which import controls apply at the destination, so settle the raw materials with the rules in view.
- Fish and seafood. Vietnam’s strength. Specify species, freshness criteria, and histamine control for scombroid fish.
- Livestock meat and poultry. Products containing livestock-derived materials can fall under animal quarantine at the destination, with conditions on the country, the heat treatment and the facility. For Japan, confirm with the Animal Quarantine Service, before the recipe is frozen, whether your product, from your factory, can be imported and on what conditions.
- Additives and preservatives. Some are limited by pet food rules at the destination; check them against the limits that apply there.
- Traceability. Record the source and lot of each raw material, so a problem can be traced and contained.
Changing one protein in a recipe can move a product from one regime to another, which is why the rules belong at the recipe stage, not at shipment.
💬 We find, vet and manage the Vietnamese pet food manufacturer that fits your product, and carry your specification into Vietnamese — see our OEM and private-label service.
The Vietnamese factory’s licence
In Vietnam pet food is generally handled within the animal feed framework of the Law on Animal Husbandry, under which commercial feed producers need a certificate of eligibility for feed production — check which certificate covers the factory’s pet food line.
The Law on Animal Husbandry (Law No. 32/2018/QH14) regulates commercial animal feed, including the conditions for feed production establishments and, in Article 39, the issue of the certificate of eligibility for feed production; Decree 13/2020/ND-CP guides it. Ask the factory for the certificate that covers the line you will use, confirm it with the issuing authority, and ask what quality-control procedure it runs under the law’s obligations for producers. Where the factory also holds a food safety certification such as HACCP or ISO 22000, check its scope covers pet food. Checked against published summaries on 17 October 2026; confirm with the factory and the authority before you rely on it.
How to verify the company itself is covered in how to verify a Vietnamese supplier without visiting.
Japan: the Pet Food Safety Act
For dog and cat food sold in Japan, the importer must notify its business, the product must meet the component and manufacturing standards, five label items must appear in Japanese, and records must be kept.
| Requirement | What it means | Who carries it |
|---|---|---|
| Business notification | Importers notify the Regional Agricultural Administration Office covering their main office | Japanese importer |
| Component standards | Limits for additives, pesticides, mycotoxins, heavy metals and organochlorine compounds, among others | Product, verified by tests |
| Manufacturing standards | Requirements on how the food is made | Factory process |
| Labelling in Japanese | Name, ingredients, best-before date, name and address of the responsible business, country of origin | Brand owner and importer |
| Records | Name and quantity of pet food imported or sold, kept in books | Importer |
The Act on Ensuring the Safety of Pet Food covers dog and cat food. Checked against Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and Ministry of the Environment pages on 17 October 2026. Use the component standards as the basis of your per-batch test list, and agree with the factory which accredited laboratory tests which items.
Claims and labelling
Describe pet food by what it is, not by what it cures; health claims are where pet food labels most often go wrong.
A “complete” or “main meal” claim implies a nutritionally balanced formulation; base it on the nutritional standard your market recognises and keep the evidence. Avoid wording that suggests the product treats or prevents disease. Agree the ingredient list in the order and form your market requires, and keep it updated when the recipe changes, under the change controls in preventing quality problems with a Vietnamese supplier.
Samples, palatability and shelf life
Approve pet food on three things at once — the physical sample, how animals actually accept it, and how it holds up in its pack over time — because a recipe can pass one and fail the others.
Palatability is the test human food does not have. A sample that looks and smells right to a person can still be refused by the animals it is made for. Ask how the factory or its partners run acceptance trials, or arrange your own with a panel of dogs or cats, and compare against a reference product you already know sells. Record the result against the sample’s reference number, so a later recipe change can be judged against the same baseline.
Shelf life needs the same discipline as for human food. Fat-rich dry food can turn rancid before its date if the coating, the antioxidant system or the packaging barrier is wrong; treats with too much moisture can grow mould. Base the best-before date on storage tests in the final pack, including conditions that reflect weeks in a container in tropical heat, and specify oxygen absorbers or nitrogen flushing where the product needs them. The general approach is described in private-label food made in Vietnam.
Finally, decide what is retained. Keep approved samples from the first batch on both sides, with their test results, for at least as long as the product’s shelf life. If a customer complaint arrives months later, the retained sample is what lets you check whether the batch or the storage is at fault.
The checklist before the first batch
Before the first batch, these should be agreed in writing.
| Item | What to have |
|---|---|
| Product and process | Product type and the line it runs on |
| Recipe | Formulation, raw-material specifications and sources |
| Licence | Feed production certificate or equivalent covering the line |
| Destination check | Animal quarantine position for livestock-derived ingredients; pet food rules |
| Tests per batch | Moisture or water activity, microbiology, the component standards that apply |
| Packaging and label | Film, oxygen control, label text in the destination language |
| Samples | Approved pre-production sample, retained on both sides |
For a first order sized to test the market, see negotiating a lower minimum order, and for how sample approvals are recorded, sample approval stages.
💬 For each project we find, vet and manage the manufacturer that fits, and follow the first batch through shipment. Tell us about your pet food.
Frequently asked questions
1. Why make pet food in Vietnam?
Mainly for access to fish and seafood raw materials from its aquaculture and processing industry, and factories experienced in export work. Whether it suits your product depends on the recipe and the rules at your destination.
2. Does it matter if my recipe contains chicken or beef?
Yes. Livestock-derived ingredients can bring the product under animal quarantine at the destination. For Japan, ask the Animal Quarantine Service before you freeze the recipe.
3. What must the Japanese label show?
For dog and cat food, the name, ingredients, best-before date, name and address of the responsible business, and country of origin, in Japanese.
4. Who notifies the Japanese authorities?
The importer notifies its business to the Regional Agricultural Administration Office covering its main office, and keeps records of what it imports and sells.
5. Can treats be a smaller first order than complete food?
Often, because treat production is simpler and packaging can be shared across flavours. Check the factory’s minimums and the packaging printer’s minimums together.
Sources: Act on Ensuring the Safety of Pet Food (Japan), Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and Ministry of the Environment guidance; Law on Animal Husbandry No. 32/2018/QH14, Article 39; Decree 13/2020/ND-CP. Checked on 17 October 2026 — confirm the current text before you rely on it.