For brands

You invested in being better.
Now prove it.

The FPFA identifies and differentiates fresh pet food brands investing in higher product quality, food safety, and consumer transparency.

The landscape

One North American standard — and the Canadian gap it closes

The FPFA's mission is to align fresh pet food practices across North America so a claim means the same thing on both sides of the border. Today it doesn't: while the US has strengthened its regulation of pet food from production through labeling under AAFCO, AAFCO has no jurisdiction in Canada — and there has been no Canadian advancement to match. To the surprise of many who think of Canada as a rules-abiding country, it has become the "Wild West" of pet food, where "human grade" can be claimed improperly and deceptively with no oversight.

We close that gap with a simple set of criteria assessing a brand's adherence to quality, food safety, and transparent marketing. Together, the criteria produce a score — and brands that meet the FPFA standards earn FPFA Approved status. Above that sits the far more stringent FPFA Certified Human Grade.

Two marks. One goal: proof over marketing.

Our standards

Tier One

FPFA Approved

Pass/fail against our published 100-point documentation scorecard — with your score and pillar breakdown published on your member profile.

  • Scored against a clear set of published criteria
  • Verified quality and food-safety commitments
  • Honest labeling and marketing review
  • The trustworthy baseline for the category
  • Verified attributes available on top — recognition for going further
FPFA Certified Human Grade seal Tier Two · Highest

FPFA Certified Human Grade

Meets all stringent requirements of the AAFCO Human Grade Standards — harmonizing "Human Grade" across Canada and the US. Includes FPFA Approved.

  • Full AAFCO Human Grade equivalency for Canada
  • Mapped to the Safe Food for Canadians Act & Regulations, the Food Safety and Quality Act, and O.Reg 31/05
  • 21 CFR Part 117-equivalent processes, documented
  • Two Canadian brands certified to date, more in active discussions
The FPFA Approved scorecard

One mark. A published score. No place to hide.

FPFA Approved is pass/fail against a 100-point documentation scorecard — 70 points to pass. Every member's score and pillar breakdown is published on their FPFA profile, so brands that go further are visibly further ahead.

Regulatory standing & licensing

The production licence you hold: a human-food production licence scores highest, feed-only lower. FDA registration where relevant.

20

Food safety systems

Human-food vs. feed HACCP and who certified it, most recent inspection report, recall plan, and cold-chain SOPs.

25

Ingredient sourcing & verification

Supplier letters of guarantee, invoices showing human-food suppliers, and Certificates of Analysis on high-risk ingredients.

20

Nutrition integrity

How "complete & balanced" is substantiated — formulation, lab-verified analysis, or feeding trial — plus transparent calorie methodology.

15

Label & marketing integrity

Claims match documentation; HACCP claims specify human vs. feed; no unearned "human grade" anywhere.

10

Transparency & traceability

Lot coding, supplier trace-back capability, and a records retention policy.

10

Pass mark: 70 / 100. Scores are assigned from your submitted documentation, verified against public registries and issuing bodies — see how verification works below.

Gating items — required at any score

  • No "human grade" claims anywhere in labeling or marketing unless FPFA Certified Human Grade
  • A valid production licence appropriate to your products
  • A signed officer-level attestation accompanying every submission

A brand can't buy back a deceptive claim with points elsewhere.

Beyond the mark

Recognition for going further than you have to

Most members will be FPFA Approved rather than Certified Human Grade — and within Approved, investments differ enormously. Verified attributes recognize specific, document-backed investments a brand makes voluntarily. They're descriptive, not a ranking: each says exactly what was verified.

🛡️

Human-Food HACCP Verified

The facility runs a human-food-level HACCP program certified by an accredited body — beyond what feed rules require.

Accredited certificate on file
🔬

Nutrition Verified

Guaranteed analysis and complete-and-balanced substantiation confirmed by third-party lab testing, refreshed annually.

Annual lab reports
❄️

Cold Chain Verified

Documented temperature-controlled custody from production through home delivery — the fresh-specific investment.

Cold-chain SOPs + logs
🔗

Traceability Verified

Lot-level trace-back from finished product to suppliers, demonstrated in a live trace exercise and kept current.

Trace exercise records

Attributes appear on your FPFA member profile. On-pack use follows FPFA claim rules — for example, verified human-food sourcing is never presented as an on-pack "human grade ingredients" claim, which AAFCO treats as misleading on a non-qualifying product.

Where differentiation lives

One mark on the pack.
The full story in the directory.

Packaging stays clean: FPFA Approved or FPFA Certified Human Grade. The FPFA member directory carries the rest — score, pillar breakdown, and verified attributes — giving pet owners a real comparison tool, and members a public verified profile their competitors don't have.

Harbourview Fresh Pet Co.

Gently-cooked · Ontario, Canada · Member since 2026
FPFA Approved
87/ 100 · registry-verified
Regulatory & licensing
16/20
Food safety systems
23/25
Ingredient sourcing
18/20
Nutrition integrity
12/15
Label & marketing
9/10
Traceability
9/10
✓ Human-Food HACCP ✓ Nutrition Verified ✓ Cold Chain Verified Traceability Verified
Licences & certificates verified with public registries and issuing bodies · Officer attestation on file · Next renewal: 2027

Illustrative example — not a real member.

The verified brands list

Who's verified today

Every brand below is listed by what has actually been verified — nothing more, nothing less. This list grows as founding members complete review.

FPFA Certified Human Grade

Apex tier

Full AAFCO Human Grade equivalency under Canadian federal and provincial human food law — every ingredient, the facility, the process, and the finished product. The bar covers every input, down to nutritional supplements and vitamin premixes, which is where otherwise-qualifying brands most often fall short.

Tom&Sawyer

Gently-cooked · Toronto, ON
✓ Certified Human Grade

Tom&Sawyer VetChef

Veterinary-formulated, gently-cooked · Toronto, ON
✓ Certified Human Grade

Additional brands in active
certification discussions

FPFA Approved

Verified baseline

Passed the 100-point documentation scorecard: verified licensing, food safety systems, sourcing, nutrition substantiation, and honest labeling.

Founding members in review
— announcing soon

Founding members in review
— announcing soon

Founding members in review
— announcing soon

Recognized: AAFCO Human Grade

U.S.-substantiated

Brands sold in Canada whose products have substantiated Human Grade under AAFCO with U.S. state feed control officials. They hold no FPFA certification — but their human grade claim is real, verified in the jurisdiction where the term is enforced. We list them because our mission is honest claims, not just our own mark. Recognition applies to the specific product line named, not necessarily a brand's full portfolio.

Coming Soon — Gently Cooked

Gently-cooked line · Canadian brand, made in the U.S.
✓ AAFCO Human Grade (U.S.)

Additional recognized brands
under review

Additional recognized brands
under review

A brand missing from this list could be completing their FPFA verification, does not meet FPFA criteria (or AAFCO criteria in the US), or would rather not particpate. This is also a data point for consumers in considering the merits of different brands. If a brand claims to be listed here and isn't, or you believe a listing is inaccurate, let us know.

How verification works without inspections

Registry-verified. Legally attested. Peer-accountable.

The FPFA doesn't inspect facilities — we verify that the right third parties already have. Every scored item is a document issued by a regulator or an accredited body, and most can be checked at the source: a Safe Food for Canadians licence in the CFIA's public registry, an FDA facility registration, an accredited HACCP certificate confirmed with the certifier that issued it. Our job is confirming issuer, scope, and currency — and holding members legally accountable to what they've attested.

1

Submit — redacted

Your documentation package against the scorecard checklist, with commercial details redacted: supplier names, volumes, and formulations stay blacked out. We verify who issued a document, its scope, and its currency — never your competitive information.

2

Verify at the source

Licences, registrations, and certificates are checked against public registries and confirmed with the bodies that issued them.

3

Attest

An officer signs a legal attestation that the submitted documents are true, current, and complete. This is where accountability lives.

4

Publish

Mark granted; your scored profile is published to the member directory.

5

Stand behind it

Annual renewal with refreshed documents, random re-verification, and an open challenge process — any member or pet owner can challenge a claim, triggering re-verification. False attestation means revocation and public delisting.

On our governance roadmap: as the alliance grows, member fees fund an independent third-party reviewer as a standing feature of the program. Members' fees don't just buy a mark — they build the program's independence.

The apex tier

Certified Human Grade: what we verify

The FPFA Certified Human Grade program applies the full AAFCO Human Grade Standards through their Canadian federal equivalents — see the full provision-by-provision equivalency mapping. Certification requires documentation across six areas.

Section 1

Ingredient documentation

  • Supplier Letters of Guarantee confirming each ingredient is fit for human consumption
  • Certificates of Analysis (COAs) or lab reports as applicable
  • Purchase records showing sourcing from human food suppliers — not feed-grade
  • Ingredient spec sheets confirming human food compliance
Section 2

Facility documentation

  • Facility license as a human food facility (Safe Food for Canadians Licence for production, or provincial licence)
  • For US sales: FDA registration as human food and feed facility
  • Most recent inspection report (OMAFRA, CFIA, or FDA)
  • Facility HACCP or Food Safety Plan, including areas dedicated to human food production
Section 3

Manufacturing & handling

  • Written SOPs maintaining human grade status through receiving, storage, processing, packaging, and transport
  • Batch records showing compliance with 21 CFR Part 117 / Canadian SFCR
  • Proof the final product is ready-to-eat before designation as pet food
Section 4

Distribution & transportation

  • Shipping records showing transport in conditions suitable for human food — clean and temperature-controlled
  • Warehouse storage records confirming human food handling standards
Section 5

Labeling compliance

  • Clear intended use (e.g., Human Grade Dog Food)
  • "Human grade" not used in the ingredient list
  • The term and intended use presented with equal prominence
  • Marketing materials showing correct use of "human grade"
  • Label approval documents for state registration where required
Section 6

Traceability & record keeping

  • Lot coding and traceability records for each batch
  • Ability to trace each finished product back to its human-edible ingredients and suppliers
  • Records retention policy — generally two years minimum

More than 20 brands joined our inaugural industry meeting at Connect, the Canadian pet industry trade show — and membership is opening as our certification programs roll out.

Start a certification conversation →

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