China MARA Announcement No. 983: 189 Imported Feed and Feed Additive Products Approved in 2026

12 January 2026, China: the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People’s Republic of China issued Announcement No. 983 (dated January 6, 2026), approving the registration or renewal of 189 feed and feed additive products produced by 98 companies in China. 

Additionally, 3 products from 3 companies completed registration modifications and obtained renewed certificates. Notably, the announcement specifically points out that “QRILL® Brand Antarctic Krill Meal” and “PURPOSE® carnivore chicken freeze-dried raw food for cats mini patties” have been reissued with imported registration certificates due to changes in product quality standards.

General Overview: Registration Scale and Distribution of License Types

This batch of approvals covers the registration or renewal of 189 feed and feed additive products from 98 companies, with 3 products from 3 companies completing registration modifications and obtaining renewed certificates.

• New registrations: 87, accounting for approximately 46.03%
• Renewals: 102, accounting for approximately 53.97%

Comment: 

Renewals account for more than half of the total, indicating that mature and proven imported products still dominate the current market. This reflects the stability of the industrial chain and sustained market demand for existing high-quality products. 

Meanwhile, nearly half of the approvals are new registrations, showing that new products and technologies continue to enter the Chinese market to meet the growing diversified and personalized needs of the livestock, pet, and special animal sectors, injecting new vitality into China’s feed industry. 

This “coexistence of new and existing products, with stability as the priority” structure is an important symbol of the healthy and dynamic development of China’s feed market. The approval of registration modifications reflects enterprises’ adjustments to adapt to market changes or optimize product information, and also demonstrates the regulatory authorities’ real-time dynamic management of market entities’ information.

Product Category Distribution: Pet Compound Feed Accounts for the Highest Proportion, with Prominent Functional Trends

After classifying the 189 products in the announcement’s annexes, they are mainly concentrated in the following five categories:

Pet Compound Feed: 63 products, accounting for 33.33%

It mainly includes various dog food and cat food. Such products account for one-third of the registered products in this batch, highlighting the huge potential of China’s pet market for continuous growth and consumers’ strong preference for high-end imported pet food.

Mixed Feed Additives: 44 products, accounting for 23.28%

Products cover multivitamins, mineral elements, microbial enzymes, flavoring substances, acid regulators, plant extracts (such as yucca extract, cinnamaldehyde-thymol), amino acid complexes, and pet nutritional supplements/premixed feed. Many products have composite functions, reflecting the urgent demand for high-tech functional additives under the background of “reducing and replacing antibiotics” and improving quality and efficiency.

Single Feed: 33 products, accounting for 17.46%

It mainly includes bulk protein and energy raw materials such as dried distillers grains with solubles, cottonseed meal, rapeseed meal, krill meal, fish meal, chicken viscera meal, fish oil, potato protein powder, and soybean meal. Argentina, Peru, India, Russia and other countries are the main sources, reflecting China’s strategy of procuring high-quality protein and energy raw materials globally to meet basic feed needs.

Compound Feed: 38 products, accounting for 20.11%

It includes special compound feed for ornamental birds, fish, eels, piglets, lambs, calves, etc., as well as premixed feed for livestock, poultry, aquatic products, and special animals. Such products indicate the market demand for specialized breeding and refined feeding of young animals, driving the introduction of customized and professional feed.

Feed Additives: 11 products, accounting for 5.82%

It mainly includes single-component additives such as hydroxypropyl distarch phosphate, manganese/iron amino acid complexes, vitamin A acetate, tertiary butyl hydroquinone (TBHQ), butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), benzoic acid, β-mannanase, and copper/zinc glycinate complexes.

Comment: With a proportion of more than one-third, pet compound feed is the absolute mainstay among the registered products in this batch, confirming the huge potential of China’s pet market. The combined proportion of mixed feed additives and compound feed is nearly half, highlighting the continuous efforts of the domestic breeding industry in improving efficiency, animal health management, and green production. Overall, the product structure clearly depicts the “dual-driver” characteristics of consumption upgrading and industrial upgrading in China’s feed market.

Country/Region Distribution: Reflection of the Global Supply Chain

From the distribution of source countries/regions of registered products, the 189 products cover Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Oceania, presenting an overall pattern of “the Americas dominating the pet market and raw materials, and Europe leading in technology”:

Americas: 77 products, accounting for approximately 40.74%

It is mainly dominated by the United States (60 products) and Canada (17 products). The United States takes the lead in pet products (dog food, cat food), including brands such as Carnivore Meat Company, CANIDAE, and Southern Tier Pet Nutrition. Canada contributes to pet compound feed and horse concentrate supplements. The Americas are an important support for the high-end pet market and some bulk raw materials.

Europe: Approximately 59 products, accounting for approximately 31.22%

The main sources are France (16 products), Italy (18 products), the Netherlands (16 products), Germany (28 products), the United Kingdom (7 products), etc. European countries have prominent technological advantages in mixed feed additives (such as products from ANDRÉS PINTALUBA, S.A., Adisseo Nutricion Animal SLU., and DEX IBÉRICA, S.A.) and have made breakthroughs in some pet products (such as dog food and cat food from Josera Erbacher Service GmbH & Co. KG) and functional nutritional supplements. Relying on its advantages in scientific and technological R&D and refined production, Europe dominates the high-value-added market of microbial agents and functional additives.

Asia and Others: Approximately 53 products, accounting for approximately 28.04%

It covers Peru (9 products), India (9 products), South Korea (8 products), Thailand (8 products), New Zealand (13 products), Singapore (10 products), Ukraine (3 products), etc. Peru, India, and Ukraine mainly provide bulk raw materials such as fish meal, rapeseed meal, and yeast culture. New Zealand contributes to pet compound feed. South Korea, Thailand, and Singapore demonstrate regional adaptability and cost advantages in functional additives and ornamental animal feed.

Comment: This reflects the refined division of labor in the global supply chain: the Americas dominate the high-end pet market and supply some bulk raw materials; Europe focuses on high-tech products such as functional additives; Asia and other regions complement with cost-effective raw materials, regionally adaptive products, and some pet products. Through the registration system, China integrates these global resources into the market, providing diversified options for the livestock industry.

Key Trend Analysis: From Functional Innovation to Sustainable Transformation

From the data of registered products in this batch and the key emphases in the announcement text, the imported feed products approved in January 2026 highlight the following key trends:

Improvement of Quality Standards and Product Upgrading

The announcement specifically points out that “QRILL® Brand Antarctic Krill Meal” produced by The QRILL Company AS and “PURPOSE® carnivore chicken freeze-dried raw food for cats mini patties” produced by Carnivore Meat Company, LLC. (USA) have been reissued with imported registration certificates due to changes in product quality standards. This indicates that China’s quality requirements for imported feeds and feed additives are becoming increasingly strict, urging overseas enterprises to continuously optimize product formulas and production processes to meet higher market access thresholds. This dynamic regulatory mechanism helps ensure the safety and effectiveness of feed products.

Continuous Segmentation and High-Endization of the Pet Market

With a proportion of 33.33%, pet compound feed ranks first, and the proportion of new registrations is relatively high, indicating that the pet market is still in a stage of rapid growth and segmentation. Various products such as complete dog food, cat food, and specialized food for puppies, adults, seniors, and prescription diets continue to emerge, meeting pet owners’ demands for refined, functional, and personalized nutritional solutions.

Functional Additives Focus on Intestinal Health and Nutritional Efficiency

Among mixed feed additives (23.28%), there are a large number of products such as microbial agents (e.g., Bacillus subtilis, Lactobacillus plantarum), enzymes (e.g., β-mannanase), organic acids (e.g., tannic acid, calcium propionate), and plant extracts (e.g., cinnamaldehyde-thymol). These products aim to replace antibiotics, improve intestinal health, and enhance feed digestibility and utilization, in line with the global trend of “reducing and replacing antibiotics” and efficient breeding.

Diversification of Bulk Raw Material Imports to Ensure Supply Chain Stability

The stable import of single feed (17.46%), especially bulk protein and energy raw materials from South America, Russia and other regions, is of great strategic significance for ensuring the feed supply security of China’s livestock and aquatic breeding industries.

Comment: In terms of trends, the products registered in January 2026 have rapidly shifted from simply pursuing nutritional supplementation to high quality, functionalization, differentiation, and sustainability. This is not only an upgrade at the product level, but also a positive response and in-depth integration of China’s feed market with the transformation direction of the global livestock industry. Driven by the core values of safety, environmental protection, and efficiency, innovative technologies and products that meet the needs of segmented markets will gain greater development space; at the same time, strict quality standard management will promote the healthy development of the industry. 

Conclusion

Announcement No. 983 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs approves the registration of 189 imported feeds and feed additives, with new registrations accounting for 46.03% and renewals accounting for 53.97%. Pet compound feed ranks first with a proportion of 33.33%. 

The announcement specifically emphasizes that “QRILL® Brand Antarctic Krill Meal” and “PURPOSE® carnivore chicken freeze-dried raw food for cats mini patties” have been reissued with imported registration certificates due to changes in quality standards, marking China’s rigorous management of the quality of imported feed products. 

The source countries present a pattern of “the Americas dominating the pet market and raw materials, Europe leading in technology, and Asia adapting to regional needs”, corresponding to the advantages of high-end market and raw materials, technology, and regional adaptability respectively. 

Products show trends such as the rise of functional additives (especially microbial agents and enzymes) and the increase of natural ingredients, reflecting the industry’s transformation towards greenization and functionalization. 

This announcement points out the direction for the industry: enterprises need to focus on innovation and segmented markets, while the policy side can optimize supervision to help the industry achieve high-quality development.

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