Defining pet food, animal feed, and nutritional supplements
Find out about how we define oral nutritional compounds. These include pet foods, and animal feeds, and nutritional supplements.
What are oral nutritional compounds?
Oral nutritional compounds (ONCs) are a type of agricultural compound. They're defined in the Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines (ACVM) regulations as:
- animal feed
- nutritional supplements for animals.
Animal feed
Under the ACVM Act "animal feed" covers everything fed to animals, including:
- pet food
- milled grain-based feed
- "feed commodities" such as silage and hay.
The Animal Products Act (APA) 1999 defines pet food as "animal product intended for consumption by cats or dogs".
Animal feeds that contain animal products are subject to both Acts (APA and ACVM) as well as the ACVM Regulations.
Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines Act 1997 – NZ Legislation
Nutritional supplements
Nutritional supplements are mixtures that are either added to animal feed or fed directly to animals. These provide extra nutrients such as vitamins and minerals.
Feed additives
ONCs may contain feed additives. These are non-nutrient ingredients, like preservatives and flavourings. These are added to feed to improve its quality, taste, or nutritive value. If a feed additive has directions to be fed directly to animals for a nutritional benefit, it becomes an ONC.
Find out whether your product is an ONC
If you're not sure whether your product is an ONC, a class determination can tell you the status of your product under the ACVM Act.
Class determinations under the ACVM Act
Find out more
ACVM Notice: Agricultural Compounds Exempt from Registration [PDF, 374 KB]
ACVM Notice: Imported Feed Commodities [PDF, 264 KB]
Who to contact
If you have questions about pet food, animal feed, and nutritional supplements, email info@mpi.govt.nz