By Fabian Barcelo, Founder & Veterinary ScientistVet-reviewed
A few weeks ago I sat down and watched a Four Corners investigation into food fraud, the same one a lot of Australians watched. Independent lab testing had found products on supermarket shelves whose labels did not match what was actually inside them. Within a fortnight the ACCC had opened an inquiry. I found it uncomfortable viewing, but not for the reason you might expect. I kept thinking about the aisle the program did not go down. The one with the dog treats and the cat supplements in it. I have spent my career in that aisle, and I know something most pet owners do not: it is not covered by the same rules.
Key takeaways
- The country-of-origin label the law requires on your food is not required on your pet's food.
- "Made in Australia" tells you where a product was put together, not where its ingredients came from. Those are two different things.
- Ask a brand who made it, where, and what is actually in a serve. We make ours in Homebush in Sydney and we will show you the batch records if you ask.
01Why I wanted to make this clear today
I am not writing to have a go at anyone. I have no evidence that any particular pet brand is doing the wrong thing, and I am not going to imply it.
What I can tell you is what the rules do and do not cover, because I work inside them every day, and because most pet owners I speak to assume the protections are stronger than they are. That assumption is completely reasonable. It is just not right.
The food program was the nudge. It made me realise that if people are surprised by what is happening with their own groceries, they are going to be more surprised by the pet aisle. Better they hear it plainly, from someone who makes this stuff, than not at all.
02The rule you assume protects your pet's food does not
You know the label. The kangaroo, the bar chart, the line telling you what percentage of the ingredients are Australian. It is on almost everything you buy for yourself, and it is there because the law says it has to be.
That requirement comes from the Country of Origin Food Labelling Information Standard 2016. It applies to food for people. It does not apply to pet food, pet treats or pet supplements.
A tin of tomatoes and a tub of pet supplements can sit a few metres apart in the same shop under two completely different sets of rules.
To be fair about it, the pet aisle is not lawless. It is still illegal to lie on a label under Australian Consumer Law, and that protection covers everything you buy. What is missing is the standard label. There is no required bar chart on your dog's joint treat telling you how much of it came from here. If you get that information at all, it is because the brand chose to give it to you.
Two other things worth knowing, quickly. The Australian Standard for making pet food, AS 5812-2023, is voluntary rather than mandatory. And most pet supplements do not need to be registered with the APVMA, provided they do not claim to treat disease. That is a sensible approach for everyday nutrition and I am not arguing against it. It does mean that nobody checks the label before it reaches the shelf.
What the forensic testing found
And none of it was pet food
Roughly one in four processed tomato products tested for the Four Corners investigation either failed country-of-origin verification or were flagged for further checking. That testing covered human food only. No pet products were examined. The reason it matters to you is not the finding, it is the gap it points at: pet products sit outside the labelling standard all of that testing was measured against.
03"Made in Australia" does not mean what most people think
This is the bit that trips almost everyone up, and it is worth thirty seconds of your time.
Made in Australia
- The product underwent its last substantial transformation here.
- It is a claim about the factory, not about the farm.
- Ingredients can lawfully come from anywhere in the world.
Packed in Australia
- The weaker of the two claims.
- Ingredients came from two or more countries.
- They were combined here without being substantially changed.
Neither one tells you where the actual active ingredients came from.
I will be straight about our own products, because there is no point making this argument if I am not. Some of the best ingredients in pet nutrition are not Australian and never can be. Green-lipped mussel, one of the most researched joint ingredients there is, comes from New Zealand. That is where the mussel lives. Plenty of vitamin and mineral premixes are imported too, because they simply are not made here at scale.
So the honest version is not "everything is Australian". The honest version is: we make it here, we know where every ingredient comes from, and we will tell you which ones are imported and why. If you ever see a product containing green-lipped mussel described as entirely Australian sourced, you now know enough to raise an eyebrow.
One more thing on this. The name on the front of the pack is not always the business that made what is inside it. Lots of brands design a product and have someone else manufacture it, which is normal and not a problem in itself. It only becomes one when a brand cannot answer a specific question about its own formula, because the answer was never theirs to give.
04Why any of this matters for your dog or cat
Here is the part I actually care about, because so far this has all been paperwork.
Say you have a twelve year old kelpie who is slowing down on the stairs. You buy a joint supplement. Three months later, nothing much has changed. What do you do next?
If you cannot see how much of each active is in a serve, you genuinely cannot answer that question. You do not know whether the product was the wrong choice, or the right choice at a dose too small to do anything. Those two problems have opposite solutions, and you are guessing between them. Meanwhile your dog is three months older.
That is what the gap costs you in practice. Not a scandal. Just this:
- You cannot compare properly. Two tubs, similar price, similar claims. Without the actives listed per serve by weight, you are comparing packaging.
- You cannot repeat what worked. If something helps and you switch brands later, you have no idea what you are trying to match.
- You cannot follow up a problem. If your pet reacts badly to something, a traceable product can be tracked back to a specific batch. An untraceable one cannot be tracked anywhere.
- You cannot be sure you are paying for the ingredient or the marketing. An impressive ingredient list means very little if the amounts are too small to matter, which is also why it pays to know which ingredients are worth avoiding.
None of this requires anyone to be acting in bad faith. A product can be perfectly legal, perfectly well intentioned, and still leave you with no way to work out whether it is doing anything for your animal.
05Five questions worth asking, including of us
Ask any brand these. Ours included. The answers, or the absence of them, will tell you plenty. If you want a broader checklist, our buyer's guide to choosing a pet supplement goes further, and what "vet recommended" actually means covers the claims side.
1. Where is it actually made?
Not the country on the front. The facility.
2. Who owns it, and who wrote the formula?
A brand that controls its own manufacturing can explain its own decisions.
3. How much of each active is in one serve?
By weight, per serve. Not a "proprietary blend".
4. Where do the key ingredients come from?
A brand that knows its supply chain can go through it one ingredient at a time, including the imported ones.
5. Can I see the batch records?
This is the one that matters most, because it turns a claim into a record.
A label is something a brand says. A batch record is something a brand can prove.
06How we answer them
Our pet supplements and treats are made in Australia, in a facility I own and run myself as a veterinary scientist. It is at Unit 3, 1/15 Wentworth Road North, Homebush, in Sydney's inner west. I am giving you the street address because a claim you can drive to is worth more than one you cannot. It is not a site we hire space in, and our formulas are not picked off someone else's menu. That is the reason I can answer questions about what is in our products, because I wrote them.
Every active is listed per serve by weight, so you can hold us up against anything else on the shelf. Our ingredients are human-grade, meaning they are held to the same safety and quality standards as food made for people, and the same applies to our Australian-made treats. Where something is imported because it cannot be sourced here, we will say so.
And if you ever want to see the batch records for the tub in your cupboard, ask us. We can produce them. That is not a turn of phrase, it is a standing offer, and very few businesses in this category are in a position to make it.
So please, take those five questions and use them on us. Ring us on 1300 798 838 between Monday and Friday, or send it through the contact page and it will reach our team. I would much rather answer a hard question than have you take my word for any of this.
Last thing, and I mean it. Supplements support good health, they do not treat illness. If your dog or cat has a diagnosed condition, is on medication, or has changed in a way you cannot explain, talk to your vet first. Good nutrition works alongside veterinary care. It is not a substitute for it.
Frequently asked questions
Does Australia's country-of-origin labelling law cover pet food?
No. The Country of Origin Food Labelling Information Standard 2016 applies to food for human consumption sold at retail in Australia. Pet food, treats and pet supplements are not covered by it. Misleading origin claims are still illegal under Australian Consumer Law, but the standard bar-chart label is not required on pet products.
Does "Made in Australia" mean the ingredients are Australian?
No. "Made in" refers to where the product was last substantially transformed, which is a claim about manufacturing rather than sourcing. A product can be lawfully made in Australia from imported ingredients. "Packed in Australia" is a weaker claim, used when ingredients from more than one country are combined here without being substantially changed.
Is pet food manufacturing regulated in Australia?
Partly. AS 5812-2023, the Australian Standard for the manufacturing and marketing of pet food, is voluntary rather than mandatory. Most nutritional supplements do not require APVMA registration unless they make claims about treating or preventing disease.
Were pet products tested in the Four Corners food fraud investigation?
No. The forensic testing covered human food categories including processed tomatoes, seafood, eggs and spices. No pet products were tested. The relevance for pet owners is about the rules rather than the findings, because pet products sit outside the labelling standard the testing was measured against.
How can I find out where a pet supplement was really made?
Ask the brand five things: the manufacturing facility, who owns it, the amount of each active per serve by weight, where the key ingredients are sourced, and whether batch records are available on request. Brands that control their own manufacturing can usually answer all five without hesitation.
Where are Innovet's pet supplements made?
At Unit 3, 1/15 Wentworth Road North, Homebush, in Sydney's inner west, in a facility owned and operated by Innovet founder and veterinary scientist Fabian Barcelo. Formulations are developed in house, every active is listed per serve by weight, and batch records are available to customers on request by calling 1300 798 838 or using the contact form at innovet.com.au.
Nutrition you can trace back to the batch
Made in our own Homebush facility, human-grade ingredients, and every active listed per serve by weight.
Shop Health Boost+ →Human-grade · Australian-made · Batch records on request
