At a Glance: Safely distributing unused human food for use 

as animal food 

For more information please see the detailed fact sheet on the following pages. 

DO 

 Distribute food that is Safe but will not be distributed for human food use because 

of supply-chain or food quality issues. 

 If distributing packaged food, make sure it is Labeled with a statement of identity 

and a list of all ingredients.

 Consider Submitting a diversion or reconditioning request if food is adulterated

and needs to be re-processed to be safe for animals to consume.

 Remove packaging that makes the food unsafe for animals to consume. 

 Hold the food in a way that keeps it safe before it is distributed for use as animal

food. 

 Follow all state and local government regulations for animal food. 

DON’T

X Distribute food that is Toxic to animals. Remember that foods that are safe for 

some species may not be safe for others. If in doubt, find out or don’t distribute to 

animal food. 

X Distribute food that is Adulterated or Contaminated with food safety hazards such 

as chemicals, physical hazards, or pathogenic bacteria.

X Distribute meat products for swine food without following the heating requirements 

in the Swine Health Protection Act.

X Distribute foods with mammalian protein for ruminant (e.g., cattle, sheep, goats) 

food. 

Questions: Contact CVM at askCVM@fda.hhs.gov
Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) Fact Sheet

Safely distributing unused human food for animal food use

WHO/WHAT: If you are a restaurant, restaurant supplier, food warehouse, or grocery store that has 

unused human food that is not adulterated, don’t let it go to waste. You can send that food to animal food 

use. Restaurant and grocery store waste is commonly used as animal food and is a valuable way to

prevent it from going into the landfill. 

HOW: You may send it directly to a farmer, or other animal caretaker. You may also send it to another 

person who either supplies ingredients to animal food manufacturers or who manufactures animal food 

for pets, livestock, or other animals. 

DO: Include food that is safe for human consumption but will not be distributed to humans because of 

supply-chain or food quality issues. Examples include human food that is stale or past a quality date. 

DON’T: Include food with ingredients that are unsafe for the animal that will ultimately be consuming 

it. For example, the artificial sweetener xylitol is safe for humans but can be toxic to dogs. However, it 

may be safe for another species, such as swine. Another example is chocolate, which can be toxic to dogs. 

If you are in doubt, find out by contacting askCVM@fda.hhs.gov, or don’t distribute it. 

If you want to recondition or divert a human food that is adulterated or contaminated for use as animal 

food, we recommend that you follow the instructions to submit a diversion or reconditioning request in 

FDA’s Compliance Policy Guide Sec. 675.200: Diversion of Adulterated Food to Acceptable Animal

Feed Use. 

MEAT PRODUCTS: There are special considerations for food containing meat, depending on the 

species of animals that will be eating the food. Specifically, there are several animal diseases that can be 

spread by uncooked, or improperly cooked, meat products. Food that contains meat ingredients might still 

be used, or sent to be further processed, for example by a renderer, but they must be used carefully.

• Swine - the Swine Health Protection Act (SHPA) as administered by the United States 

Department of Agriculture applies to food containing meat products that will be fed to swine. For 

more information on requirements for feeding food waste to swine in your state, please call 1-

866-536-7593. 

• Ruminants such as cattle, sheep, and goats – you must follow FDA’s requirements that prohibit 

the use of most mammalian protein in food for ruminant animals (21 CFR 589.2000). 

PACKAGING: Packaged food may need to be removed by you or the person(s) the food is being 

distributed to because packaging materials may be a physical food safety hazard for the animal 

consuming the food. 

LABELING: Packaged food must bear a statement of identity and a list of ingredients. Animal food 

DOES NOT have to meet the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) 

requirements. 

HOLDING: Hold the food in a way that keeps it safe before it is distributed to animals. For example, 

don’t put it in a bin that people may mistakenly throw trash or chemicals into. 
NON-FEDERAL FOOD SAFETY REQUIREMENTS: Your state government may also regulate 

animal food. The Association of American Feed Control Officials has a link to state animal food 

requirements at https://www.aafco.org/Regulatory. 

QUESTIONS: Contact CVM at askCVM@fda.hhs.gov 

FURTHER INFORMATION: This is a brief summary of how to send human food to animal food 

use. More guidance can be found on our website at: https://www.fda.gov/animalveterinary/products/animal-food-feeds.