Based on past experience and confirmation from MAFF AHD, no animal health certification is required for fully processed cooked pet food (finished, packaged, ready for retail sale, shelf-stable) produced through extrusion or hermetically sealed to be imported to Japan.
Fully processed cooked means that materials must be:
- Cooked and dry ("crunchy") (kibble type products produced through an extrusion process); or
- Semi-moist products produced through an extrusion process or
- Hermetically sealed products (packaged using a retort process).
If materials do not meet the above criteria, like pet food not fully heat-treated, with high moisture content, not in a retail/consumer package, it is always recommended that Canadian exporters ask their Japanese importers to consult with MAFF AQS prior to their first export to Japan.
1- The following pet food products require certification by CFIA
- meat jerky and freeze dried meat products (except of bovine/ovine/caprine origins as Canada has no access for processed beef products);
- external tissues such as hides, hooves and etc. (except caprine origin)
Note: "Pet food containing poultry/poultry products are subject to the same import restrictions as poultry and poultry products for human consumption due to avian influenza. It is always recommended that Canadian exporters ask their Japanese importers to consult with MAFF AQS to get simplified requirements before export."