Schmidt, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Support American Pet Food Manufacturers
WASHINGTON, DC: Today, Congressman Derek Schmidt announced that he has introduced the bipartisan Pet Food Uniform Regulatory Reform (PURR) Act of 2025 alongside Congressmen Steve Womack (AR-03) and Josh Harder (CA-09). This legislation sets uniform standards for dog and cat pet food and pet food labels, allowing pet food makers to invest in products that deliver the best nutritional benefits to animals instead of being burdened with inconsistent and inefficient standards.
The pet food industry is a significant contributor to eastern Kansas’ economy, with manufacturers in the Kansas City Animal Health Corridor representing 61% of the total pet food sold in the United States. Congressman Schmidt’s district is home to multiple pet food manufacturing and processing plants.
“Outdated, overbearing, and unnecessarily complicated regulations have stifled production and ingenuity across all American industries, including pet food,” said Congressman Schmidt. “The archaic regulations currently in place have meant pet food producers in Kansas and across the country spend more time worrying about meeting mismatched guidelines and less time innovating new products; fortunately, the PURR Act provides a solution. By instituting uniform, streamlined pet food standards, we’ll be empowering businesses to succeed while ensuring that American pet owners have access to quality and nutritious food for their pets. I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation with my colleagues and look forward to helping move it through Congress and voting for it on the House floor.”
“With nearly 66% of U.S. households owning a pet, it’s important that the owners receive the best quality food to keep their pet healthy,” said Congressman Womack. “Unfortunately, pet food manufacturers are forced to deal with a nearly 100-year-old, costly and confusing dual regulatory system, making it difficult for them to invest in new and improved products. My legislation would cut red tape and streamline the system by granting sole authority to the FDA to regulate the labeling and marketing of pet food. By removing the current state-by-state regulatory patchwork and modernizing the system, pet food makers can provide nutritious food for our beloved pets.”
“As someone who’s fostered multiple dogs with my wife Pam, I know how important it is to trust the food we’re putting in their bowls,” said Congressman Harder. “This bill ensures that no matter where you’re buying pet food, it meets the same high standard for nutrition and quality. It’s good for our pets and good for businesses trying to navigate outdated red tape.”
The PURR Act is supported by the Pet Food Institute, Pet Food Association of Canada, Pet Industry Distributors Association, Pet Advocacy Network, American Pet Products Association, World Pet Association, and Human Animal Bond Research Institute.
BACKGROUND
The pet food industry is a rapidly growing sector of the U.S. economy, with pet food exports increasing by double digits over the last few years. U.S. pet food producers make more than 9.8 million tons of food per year, but the regulatory system governing the sale and marketing of pet food has not been updated for approximately 100 years and does not reflect the needs of today’s pet owners.
The PURR Act would eliminate the current confusing regulatory framework by setting up a federal preemption provision to establish the FDA as the primary authority in the regulation of pet food ingredients and labeling.
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