The pet food sector in India is rapidly changing due to new ingredient innovations and product development, changes in pet ownership patterns, and greater consumer awareness of their pets' nutritional value and health benefits. At FRL, we collaborated with many pet food manufacturers and startups as a part of research and product development of the pet food portfolio by introducing evidence-based, functional, and affordable ingredients. Through years of collaboration with SMEs and learnt knowledge, we discovered unique challenges in ingredient souring, production efficiency, and regulatory compliance. We addressed these issues by:
Ingredient sourcing and small-scale manufacturing practices in India’s pet food sector
Introduction
The pet food sector in India is rapidly changing due to new ingredient innovations and product development, changes in pet ownership patterns, and greater consumer awareness of their pets’ nutritional value and health benefits. At FRL, we collaborated with many pet food manufacturers and startups as a part of research and product development of the pet food portfolio by introducing evidence-based, functional, and affordable ingredients. Through years of collaboration with SMEs and learnt knowledge, we discovered unique challenges in ingredient souring, production efficiency, and regulatory compliance. We addressed these issues by:
- Selecting reputable, trustworthy and traceable ingredient suppliers
- Creating formulation that adhered to international nutrition standards
- Maximizing small-scale manufacturing and options for scale-up manufacturing
- Embedding food safety and quality systems.
We will delve in-depth into the ways we manage ingredient sourcing and production processes to help SMEs remain competitive to both domestic and international players in the pet food sector in India [1].
Key Challenges in Pet Food Product Development
1. Ingredient Sourcing and Procurement Constraints:
One of the core and most important elements of pet food R&D is identifying and obtaining the appropriate raw materials that will comply with nutritional adequacy, and safety and sustainability standards while meeting the product development objectives. We have identified a common sourcing issue for SMEs, which were:
- Local ingredient variability: Nutritional composition and microbial quality of locally sourced cereals, pulses, meat, and fish meals can be highly variable from region to region, crop cycle to crop cycle, climate and post-harvest handling which leads to multiple rounds of testing and reformulation to achieve the same quality within batches and verify Certification of Analysis (COA) consistency [2].
- Imported ingredient barriers: Specialized ingredients such as hydrolyzed proteins, omega-3 oils, L-carnitine, Taurine, glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate, and palatants are usually sourced from China, the US, Europe, Thailand, and Australia and has its own challenges such as minimum quantity orders (MOQs), customs, logistics, CoA discrepancies, and documentation. Even ordering small quantities (1-5 kg) for development trials is nearly impossible as most suppliers do not accommodate small MOQs of less than 25-50 kg [2] [3].
- Regulatory and quality disparities: India presently does not have a rigorous regulatory system and standard definitions for most pet food ingredients or CoA verification criteria. This has resulted in inconsistent labeling, variations in safety testing, and hard to align with international (e.g., AAFCO, FEDIAF) and domestic (e.g., FSSAI) frameworks [4] [5].
- COA compliance gaps: Ingredients sourced contain food grade CoAs appropriate for human consumption and do not specify a clear feed-grade classification (AAFCO/FSSAI), disclose carriers, or the ingredient’s origin. Further, the absence of microbial toxin test, assay data, or regulatory compliant statement creates risk around sourcing, traceability, and formulation for pet food manufacturers.
At FRL, we have created an ingredient database that includes details of high-quality ingredients from validated suppliers and alternative ingredients for high-cost imports. We have also developed in-house raw material quality testing protocols that helped us ensure every raw material meets nutritional and safety benchmarks before use during trials and production.
2. Time Delays & Project Execution
The timely execution of a project is as important as innovation. Nonetheless, the complexity of ingredients sourcing was often detrimental to formulation timelines and go-to-market readiness. This includes:
- Inefficiencies in sourcing: Procurement delays due to supplier MOQs, lead time, ingredient availability or suitability from a different supplier, import clearance, and delays in shipping all extended the formulation trials by several weeks, often associated with incomplete or mismatched CoAs.
- Regulatory considerations: Required several rounds of validations and reviews with internal departments to comply with restrictions on novelty or newer, imported ingredients against applicable regulations (FSSAI, BIS, AAFCO) and CoA conformity check for the pet food ingredients.
- Product iterations and trials: There are multiple iterations and trials required to produce yield as requested without compromising shelf stability, nutrition adequacy, and palatability [6].
At FRL, we have integrated an ERP-based project management system in which all projects had designated milestones, timeline, task levels, confidentiality and compliance controls in place as part of project management.
3. Manpower & Skill Gaps in the Pet Food Industry
Developing pet food products presented specific workforce challenges because of niche expertise demand. This includes:
- Presence of limited number of experienced professionals in animal nutrition, formulation, industry standards, regulations, and CoA validation unique to feed ingredients.
- Most experts are familiar with human food sectors and have little or no understanding of specificity to pet-nutrition specific formulation and processing technologies.
- Expertise with strong analytical and technical skills while adapting to extrusion, palatability trials, and ingredient balance tailed to pet needs.
At FRL, we train our staff with hands-on experience for formulation of pet food and quality systems, deliver continuous upskill training, and build a multi-skilled, flexible team to operate various products.
4. Small-Scale Manufacturing & Process Limitations
We found many small and medium-sized enterprises in India were operating semi-mechanized, batch-based facilities with little to no automation, relying on mostly manual control of grinding, mixing, extrusion, and drying functions. They had all of the following challenges:
- Equipment efficiency: Local extruders and dryers lacked temperature and pressure calibration precision, which resulted in inconsistent product texture, moisture, and nutrient retention.
- Limited pilot scale infrastructure: Limited pilot plants or contract manufacturing facility for testing of the formulations.
- Manpower gaps: Staff are trained to handle basic feed handling, but not pet-specific standards and equipment in processing for coating, kibble sizing, and shelf-life optimization [1].
FRL partnered with MSME-supported technology hubs and academic institutions to help our clients gain accessibility to small-scale extrusion and drying facilities. In addition, we trained our operational team in GMP, HACCP, and CoA verification principles to obtain consistency in batch-to-batch manufacture. This reduced trial wastage, equipment downtime, and formulation variably in a least disruptive manner.
FRL’s Future Vision: Empowering Pet Food Manufacturers with Technology & Research
To solve the problems of ingredient access, compliance, and knowledge transfer, FRL is working to build a digital B2B ecosystem for the pet food industry.
Coming in 2026: The FRL Marketplace for Raw Materials & Regulatory Intelligence
We are developing an AI-based subscription platform that will:
- Connect pet food manufacturers with verified raw material suppliers
- Provide updates in real-time regarding ingredient safety, FSSAI requirements, AAFCO compliance, and CoA documentation.
- Provide formulation templates and dosing information for species-specific products
- Support computer-based traceability and promote better transparency in the supply chain through CoA-linked ingredient
ERP Based Project Management for Pet Food R&D
To better streamline our operations, FRL has developed an ERP system that will:
- Protect client confidentiality and IP
- Execute project work based on milestones
- Develop digital CoA verification and batch level documentation for regulatory readiness
- Allocate resources and turnaround time through built-in timers and workflows
These efforts not only improve FRL’s operating efficiency but also save our partners time and money on project development, compliance, and market readiness.
Conclusion and Future Outlook
At Food Research Lab, we assist in developing regulatory compliant pet food products, identifying dependable suppliers and aid in establishing quality control practices. We develop and invest in a robust research-based ecosystem where emerging manufacturers will succeed. The viability of pet food product development relies on developments in science, sourcing and scalability, and FRL is firmly committed to:
- Delivering state-of-the-art, evidence-based formulations
- Supporting responsible, transparent, and ethical sourcing practices by properly documented CoA
- Empowering SMEs through technology, training, and cooperation
References:
- Government of India, Ministry of Food Processing Industries. (n.d.). Sector profile: Pet food. https://mofpi.gov.in/sites/default/files/KnowledgeCentre/Sector%20Profile/Pet_food_Sector_profile.pdf
- Sipra, H. (2019, July 1). Indian pet food market growth spurred by local investments. Petfood Industry. https://www.petfoodindustry.com/pet-food-market/article/15465825/indian-pet-food-market-growth-spurred-by-local-investments
- (n.d.). Import records show China remains leading pet-food ingredient exporter. https://truthaboutpetfood.com/import-records-show-china-remains-leading-pet-food-ingredient-exporter/
- Food Research Lab. (2025, August 6). IS 11968:2019 – FSSAI guidelines & compliance. https://foodresearchlab.com/insights/regulation-updates/is-11968-2019-fssai-guidelines-compliance/
- Managing IP. (2025, March 4). The Indian pet food industry’s legal bite: Trends, regulations and IP hurdles. https://www.managingip.com/article/2ehu9bvpujcnqkeodj2f4/sponsored-content/the-indian-pet-food-industrys-legal-bite-trends-regulations-and-ip-hurdles
- Dua, A., & Sahu, S. (2024). Factor identification for the procurement of raw material in food processing industry. IMIB Journal of Innovation and Management, 2(2), 286–298. https://doi.org/10.1177/ijim.241234969
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