How to audit a pet supplement factory: files, video, then the sample
Quick answer
Get PDFs first: licence on GSXT, GMP identifier, SQF pet-food scope, sample COA, FDA registration if the US is in play. Names on invoice and certificates must match. Then video from the gate to the line. Then a two-day sample. Beno publishes the same papers on the quality page.
By Beno · Reviewed by Li Wang, General Manager
Matchwell published a 12-step checklist for pet-treat plants. The instinct is right: you are not buying a PDF logo, you are buying a site. Pet supplements add GMP evidence, a pet-food food-safety certificate, a COA that matches the form, and a claims review. This is the audit we wish buyers ran before they booked a flight.
I work at the plant I am describing. That is a bias. Use the same list on us and on anyone else.
Before you travel: files
- Business licence and Unified Social Credit Code. Ours: 91321283MA1MR5HB8P. Search gsxt.gov.cn. Production language in the scope, not only trade.
- Legal name on invoice = name on certificates. Shenzhen Enbeichong Co., Ltd., Shenzhen.
- GMP PDF with identifier and dates. Ours: Eurofins ACCB8AAA422_1. Directory: listings.ai.eurofins.com.
- SQF pet-food manufacturing PDF. Ours: SIN 105690. Public check: directory.sqfi.com. Scope must say pet food, not a bakery in another city.
- Sample COA for the format you will buy. How to read it: COA article.
- FDA facility registration PDF if the US is in play. Ours: 10222600768. Registration guidance: FDA food facility registration.
- Written sample lead time and MOQ unit (unit vs bottle).
- Incoterm on the quote, not in a chat.
If those eight fail, do not buy a lunch tour. The longer file-only version is vet a China OEM.
On video or on site
Ask to pan from the gate sign to the line that will run your SKU. Gowning, not only a conference room. Packing station for chews if you are buying chews.
Ask which day that line runs. A silent hall with a branded table is not a production audit.
Ask where retention samples live. Ask how an out-of-spec batch is held. If nobody can point, you are in sales, not QA.
The person on the video, the legal name on the PDF, and the name on the invoice have to be the same company. If they are not, stop.
After the sample
Two-day palatability. Pouch after a week. Batch code style vs the COA. Compare two plants on the same brief. A custom ODM prototype vs a stock chew is not a price contest.
NASC membership of the US brand, if required, is the brand's homework (nasc.cc). It does not replace the site visit.
When the files and the sample agree, send the brief on the form. An audit is a filter. It is not a purchase order.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
- Should I visit before I have certificates?
- No. Files first, sample second, tour third. A conference room does not replace a current SQF pet-food PDF.
- What if the GMP PDF is in another company's name?
- Stop. The invoice name, the certificate name and the line you are shown should be the same legal entity.
- Does NASC replace a factory audit?
- No. NASC is a US industry programme for companies selling animal supplements. It does not replace GSXT, GMP, SQF or a batch COA from the site that will run the SKU.
- What documents should I request before visiting a pet supplement factory?
- Start with the business licence and Unified Social Credit Code, then match the legal name on the invoice to the name on the certificates. Ask for the GMP PDF with identifier and dates, the SQF pet-food manufacturing PDF, a sample COA for the format you will buy, FDA facility registration if the US is in play, written sample lead time and MOQ in units, and the Incoterm on the quote.
- What should a factory video actually show?
- Ask to pan from the gate sign to the line that will run your SKU. Gowning, not only a conference room. Packing station for chews if you are buying chews. Ask which day that line runs. A silent hall with a branded table is not a production audit. Ask where retention samples live and how an out-of-spec batch is held.
- How should I compare two plants after the sample?
- Run a two-day palatability test. Check the pouch after a week. Match the batch code style to the COA. Compare two plants on the same brief. A custom ODM prototype versus a stock chew is not a price contest. An audit is a filter. It is not a purchase order.
Stock formulas this guide maps to
These SKUs are already in production. Open a spec page or send the names in your inquiry.
Soft chewsIn stockDogs & cats · Gut Health
Probiotic Gut Health Chews
Daily digestive support in an easy-to-position chew format.
- Reference price
- US$2.40 per unit, ex-packaging
- Starting MOQ
- 3,000 units
PowderDogs & cats · Daily Routine
Lactoferrin Goat Milk Powder
Premium mix-in nutrition concept for dogs and cats.
- Reference price
- US$2.91 per unit, ex-packaging
- Starting MOQ
- 3,000 units
Liquid dropsDogs & cats · Daily Routine
Pet Energy Support Liquid
Daily vitality oral liquid for active and recovering pets.
- Reference price
- US$2.77 per unit, ex-packaging
- Starting MOQ
- 3,000 units
Turn this into a product
Send a brief and our OEM/ODM team confirms the route, MOQ and sampling path.