Pet food manufacturers must now account for avian influenza (H5N1) in their safety protocols. In January 2025, the FDA issued new requirements for cat and dog food producers to consider H5N1 contamination risks in their food safety plans, marking a significant shift in how the pet food industry approaches disease prevention.

Why Is the FDA Suddenly Concerned About Bird Flu in Pet Food?

The FDA's new directive came after testing revealed H5N1 contamination in certain lots of RAWR raw cat food chicken products. While no illnesses were reported in pets consuming the contaminated food, the discovery prompted regulators to take a broader approach to preventing viral contamination across the entire pet food supply. This represents one of the first times the FDA has required manufacturers to specifically address a viral pathogen in their food safety planning.

Avian influenza spreads through infected birds and can contaminate poultry products used in pet food manufacturing. Raw pet food products, in particular, pose a higher risk because they undergo minimal processing that might otherwise kill pathogens. The FDA's action reflects growing concern about how animal diseases can enter the human and pet food supply chains.

What Changes Are Pet Food Companies Making?

The FDA's requirement means that cat and dog food manufacturers must now evaluate their sourcing, processing, and storage practices to identify where H5N1 contamination could occur. This includes assessing the safety of poultry suppliers, implementing testing protocols, and establishing controls to prevent cross-contamination during manufacturing.

Manufacturers are expected to incorporate H5N1 risk assessment into their hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) plans—the standard food safety framework used across the industry. For companies producing raw pet food, this may mean increased testing of raw ingredients before they enter the production process.

Steps Pet Food Manufacturers Should Take to Reduce H5N1 Risk

• Supplier Verification: Establish protocols to verify that poultry suppliers maintain bird flu-free flocks and follow biosecurity measures to prevent contamination at the source.
• Ingredient Testing: Implement testing of raw poultry ingredients for H5N1 before they are incorporated into pet food products, particularly for raw and minimally processed formulas.
• Processing Controls: Review cooking temperatures and processing methods to ensure they are sufficient to inactivate H5N1 if contamination occurs, and document these controls in safety plans.
• Storage and Handling: Maintain proper cold chain management and separate storage for raw ingredients to prevent cross-contamination with finished products.
• Traceability Systems: Develop robust record-keeping systems to quickly identify and isolate contaminated batches if H5N1 is detected during testing or monitoring.

Should Pet Owners Be Concerned?

The FDA's action does not indicate a widespread outbreak of H5N1 in pet food. Instead, it represents a proactive regulatory response to a single detection. Pet owners should understand that the discovery of contamination in one product line prompted the agency to strengthen safeguards across the entire industry before more cases could occur.

For cats and dogs, the risk from H5N1-contaminated food appears to be low based on current evidence. However, pet owners who feed raw pet food products should monitor FDA recall announcements and consider purchasing from manufacturers with transparent food safety practices. The FDA maintains an updated list of pet food recalls and safety alerts on its website.

The new requirements also reflect broader concerns about how avian influenza spreads through animal agriculture. By requiring pet food manufacturers to address H5N1 in their safety plans, the FDA is treating pet food as part of the larger animal food supply chain—a recognition that disease prevention requires coordination across multiple industries.

What This Means for the Future of Pet Food Safety

This regulatory shift signals that the FDA may expand similar requirements to other animal feed products if additional contamination is detected. It also highlights the importance of transparency in pet food sourcing and manufacturing. Pet owners increasingly want to know where their pets' food comes from and how it is processed, and these new safety requirements provide a framework for manufacturers to demonstrate their commitment to preventing pathogenic contamination.

As avian influenza continues to circulate in wild bird populations and poultry farms, the pet food industry will likely face ongoing scrutiny. Manufacturers that invest in robust testing and traceability systems now will be better positioned to respond quickly if contamination is detected in the future, protecting both pets and the integrity of the food supply.