Quick reference guide – Single ingredient feed manufacturers

The Feeds Regulations, 2024 impact a variety of stakeholders, including:

  • single ingredient feed manufacturers and suppliers
  • mixed feed manufacturers and suppliers (for example, commercial feed mills, specialty feed manufacturers, etc.)
  • rendering facilities manufacturing livestock feed ingredients
  • feed retail outlets
  • livestock producers (on-farm feed mills)
  • feed importers
  • feed exporters

Single ingredient feed manufacturers are businesses that manufacture single ingredient feeds (SIFs) for sale and distribution in the Canadian marketplace or for export. SIFs may be manufactured in Canada or may be imported. They can be fed directly to livestock or further used to manufacture mixed feeds. SIF manufacturers who import or export feed should also refer to the quick reference guide - feed importers or the quick reference guide - feed exporters, respectively.

There is a wide range of SIFs that are approved for use in livestock feeds in Canada. Some examples include:

  • grains and grain by-products
  • animal protein products
  • vitamins
  • minerals
  • recycled food products (for example, bakery waste dehydrated, snack food waste dehydrated, potato process residue dehydrated)
  • by-products of ethanol manufacturing (for example, distillers' grains), and
  • non-nutritive ingredients such as flavour ingredients, viable microbial strains, anticaking agents and pellet aids

All approved SIFs are listed and described in the Canadian Feed Ingredients Table (CFIT), which is 1 of the documents incorporated by reference.

SIF manufacturers who also manufacture mixed feeds should refer to the quick reference guide – commercial feed mills.

This quick reference guide applies to you if you manufacture, store, label, package or sell SIFs

Regulatory requirements that apply to you

Hazard analysis and preventive control plans

You must prepare, keep, maintain and implement a written preventive control plan (PCP) which includes:

  • the identification and analysis of hazards associated with your livestock feed establishment, equipment used, incoming materials, livestock feeds, manufacturing, or other processes
    This would include receiving, handling or storage, and measures to prevent cross contamination
  • the control measures used to prevent, eliminate or reduce the hazards identified
  • preventive controls you implement to meet other regulatory requirements such as general and safety standards, labelling, recalls, complaints, import and export provisions, record-keeping and traceability

This is a new regulatory requirement that will come into effect on June 17, 2025. Please refer to the preventive control plans – general overview and hazard analysis – general overview for additional information.

Licences

You require a licence if the SIFs you manufacture, store, label or package are sent or conveyed across provincial borders or are to be exported. If your SIFs are being sold within the same province, a licence is not required. If you are importing a SIF, please refer to the quick reference guide - feed importers.

This is a regulatory new requirement that will come into effect on December 17, 2025. Please refer to the licensing – general overview for additional information.

Record-keeping requirements

You are required to keep records of the SIFs you manufacture and sell. This includes any mixing formulas, and document containing the name of the feed, lot number, date of manufacture, and quantity manufactured.

These updated requirements came into effect on July 3, 2024. Any SIF manufactured on or after July 3, 2024 must follow the updated record-keeping requirements and retain the records for 2 years.

Traceability

You are required to keep records of the incoming materials you use and where they came from, as well as who you ship or sold the SIFs to. The records must include the name of the feed, the lot number, the date, and contact information.

This is a new regulatory requirement that will come into effect on June 17, 2025. Please refer to the quick reference guide – traceability for additional information.

Product registration

All approved SIFs are listed and described in the CFIT. The CFIT is divided into part 1 and part 2. A part 1 SIF does not require registration if it meets the description in the CFIT. If the SIF you manufacture is listed in part 2 of the CFIT, you are required to register it as a new source.

If your SIF is listed in the CFIT, but does not meet the description, you must have it approved before it may be manufactured and sold in Canada. This includes any change in the purpose, conditions of use (usage rate, and intended livestock species or class of livestock), composition, manufacturing process, etc. outlined in the description for that particular SIF. If a SIF has a claim on the label that is not set out in the Tables of Permissible Claims for Feed Labels or does not meet the conditions outlined in those tables, this SIF would require registration.

If your SIF is not listed in the CFIT, you must have the SIF approved before it may be manufactured and sold in Canada.

Please refer to RG-1 Regulatory Guidance for additional information.

Product labelling

You are required to label your SIF that you offer for sale. Additional labelling requirements may be outlined in the CFIT for a particular SIF.

The labelling requirements are updated in the Feeds Regulations, 2024, and came into effect on July 3, 2024. However, there is a 12-month transition period (until June 17, 2025) in which you can label a feed with the old labelling requirements under the Feeds Regulations, 1983 or you can label a feed with the new labelling requirements under the Feeds Regulations, 2024.

Refer to Labelling of livestock feeds for detailed information of the labelling requirements under the Feeds Regulations, 2024.

Benefits

The Feeds Regulations, 2024 are outcome-based and risk-based regulations with the focus on feed safety and compliance through modernized regulatory requirements (for example, hazard analysis, preventive control plans, traceability, and labelling requirements) and permissions (for example, livestock feed approval and registration and licences). The benefits of the Feeds Regulations, 2024 include:

  • safeguarding livestock feed and the food production continuum
  • attaining the most effective and efficient balance between fair and competitive trade in the market; and
  • minimizing regulatory burden
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