HR597-119

What This Bill Does

The Pet Food Uniform Regulatory Reform Act of 2025 (PURR Act) replaces the current patchwork of state and federal regulations governing pet food with a single, unified federal framework. It amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to give the FDA exclusive authority over pet food labeling, advertising, and ingredient approvals for dogs and cats. The bill aims to streamline the regulatory process for pet food manufacturers while maintaining food safety oversight.

Who Benefits and How

Pet food manufacturers and the companion animal industry are the primary beneficiaries. They gain a single set of federal rules instead of navigating 50 different state requirements, reducing compliance costs and creating a more predictable regulatory environment. The FDA must now respond to new ingredient submissions within 90 days, speeding up product innovation timelines. Manufacturers can also make certain marketing claims (like "natural," "human grade," hairball control, and dental health claims) without seeking FDA preapproval, as long as claims are truthful and substantiated.

Ingredient suppliers benefit because hundreds of ingredients already approved by AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) are automatically deemed "Generally Recognized as Safe" (GRAS), eliminating the need for separate FDA approval processes.

U.S. farmers, ranchers, and agricultural processors benefit indirectly, as the pet food industry purchases nearly $7 billion in agricultural products annually, and streamlined regulations may support industry growth.

Who Bears the Burden and How

State governments and state regulatory agencies lose their authority to set their own pet food labeling and advertising standards. States can no longer establish, maintain, or enforce any requirements related to pet food labels, labeling, or advertising, though they retain food safety inspection powers.

Consumer advocacy groups may view this as a loss of local regulatory protection, as states can no longer impose stricter labeling requirements than federal standards.

The FDA and specifically the Center for Veterinary Medicine take on new responsibilities, including mandatory 90-day ingredient reviews, annual reporting to Congress, consumer education, and research on pet food policy. This creates additional workload for the agency.

Key Provisions

• Federal Preemption: Prohibits states from establishing or enforcing any requirements related to pet food labels, labeling, or advertising (though states retain food safety oversight powers)
• GRAS Ingredient Recognition: Automatically deems ingredients listed in the AAFCO Official Publication as "Generally Recognized as Safe" for pet food use
• 90-Day Review Timeline: Requires FDA to review and respond to new pet food ingredient submissions within 90 days
• Marketing Claims Without Preapproval: Allows truthful claims about hairball control, dental health, urinary tract health, "human grade," and "natural" without prior FDA approval
• FDA Regulatory Timeline: Requires proposed regulations within 1 year and final regulations within 2 years, based on AAFCO model regulations
• Center for Veterinary Medicine Oversight: Delegates pet food regulatory authority to FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine with annual Congressional reporting requirements