South Korean premium pet food breaks into North America after 7-year push

South Korea has opened the door to the North American pet food market after concluding quarantine negotiations with Canada, roughly seven years after talks began in 2019.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced Monday that it had finalized quarantine negotiations with Canada to allow exports of domestically produced pet food containing meat ingredients.

Under the agreement, heat-treated, freeze-dried treats made with whole ingredients — including chicken breast, beef liver, salmon and pollock — will be eligible for export to Canada for the first time.

The ministry had requested import approval from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in 2019 and since then worked through quarantine procedures including import risk assessments and video inspections of manufacturing facilities. In June, one domestic export facility received approval, and the two countries subsequently reached final agreement on quarantine and sanitary conditions as well as the format of export quarantine certificates.

The approved facility is Ocean, a domestic pet food manufacturer that already exports products to Taiwan, Chile and Ecuador. The certification clears the way for the company to expand into the North American market.

The two countries also finalized heat-treatment standards by ingredient type and microbial testing requirements. Poultry must be heated to a core temperature of 70 degrees Celsius for at least 3.6 seconds, while beef must be held at 70 degrees Celsius for at least 30 minutes. Microbial testing will follow international standards.

The ministry said it expects other domestic pet food companies to pursue Canadian exports under the same quarantine standards following the agreement. Companies in the sector are in talks with local distributors in Canada, aiming to complete their first shipments before the end of the year.

"The fact that our pet food has cleared the stringent quarantine barriers of the North American market demonstrates the quality and hygiene standards of Korean companies," said Park Sang-ho, the ministry's director general for international agricultural cooperation. "We will actively support Korean companies in expanding into global markets."