Complementary animal feeds are serious products. We treat them as such

EC Regulation 183/2005: the legal framework of reference

EC Regulation 183/2005 establishes requirements for feed hygiene in the European Union. It applies to all operators in the sector – producers of raw materials, formulators, packers, distributors – and introduces the obligation to register or approve establishments operating in the supply chain, depending on the type of activity carried out and the associated level of risk.

For activities involving the packaging of complementary feed intended for pets, the path provided by the regulations is the registration notified in accordance with Article 9, paragraph 2 of the Regulations, through the Veterinary Service of the AUSL with territorial jurisdiction. In Italy, the procedure is through the Sportello Unico per le Attività Produttive (SUAP) of the municipality where the establishment is located.

How does notified registration work

Notified registration differs from a certificate issued retrospectively: the operator submits the notification declaring compliance with the requirements of the regulations, and the activity can be started at the same time as submission. The notification is legally perfect from the moment of its submission.

This does not mean absence of control – it means structured control. The competent authorities (AUSL – Veterinary Service and Municipality) verify the declared requirements as part of their surveillance activities. In case of non-compliance, the municipality takes measures to prohibit the continuation of the activity. The system is built on the responsibility of the operator, verified by the public authority.

For the San Prospero plant, the notification was submitted in November 2024 by Valmatic srl – the parent company of the group to which Encanto belongs and owner of the plant at Via Dante Alighieri 1/A. The Operating Certifications and Authorizations refer to this plant, location coinciding with that of Encanto.

The dedicated department: a structural choice

The packaging of complementary feeds takes place in a physically separate and dedicated department, separate from the lines that process dietary supplements and human foods. This is not an organizational choice: it is a requirement that EC Regulation 183/2005 places on protecting the food safety of both supply chains.

Physical separation prevents cross-contamination between products intended for human consumption and feed intended for animals – a principle that applies in both directions. Those who contract a co-packer to package a complementary feed have a right to know that the production facility is organized to ensure this separation. The San Prospero plant is structured to meet this requirement.

The packaging of complementary pet foods falls within the scope of the food safety management system certified to ISO 22000:2018 and FSSC 22000 — international standards that apply not only to dietary supplements for humans but also cover the entire food and pet food supply chain. The same process, control, and traceability safeguards that govern nutraceutical production therefore also apply to feed packaging: it is not a separate scope; it is the same quality system.

The scope of activity

The registration enables the packaging of complementary feed for pets at the San Prospero plant. The activity falls under the category of feed business operators who do not produce or process raw materials, but package them into formats ready for distribution and sale.

This perimeter includes Encanto’s ability to work in the segment of functional complementary feeds – products that, similar to human food supplements, aim to support specific physiological functions of pets through selected active ingredients. This is a growing market, with product development dynamics increasingly close to those of human nutraceuticals.

Do you have a line of supplements or functional pet products to package? We do this in a dedicated department, physically separate from the human-focused products department. Are you looking for an original yet functional packaging format? Tell us about your project.