When exporting pet products, quality control is the key to ensuring that the products are compliant, safe and meet the requirements of the target market. Pet products involve animal health and safety, so extra caution is required. The following are specific quality control strategies and operation steps:
- Clarify product categories and risk points
There are many types of pet products, and different categories require targeted quality control:
| Pet toys | Material toxicity, small parts falling off (risk of suffocation), color fastness, wear resistance
| Pet food containers | Material safety (whether it contains harmful substances such as BPA), sealing, high temperature resistance |
| Pet cleaning products | Chemical composition compliance (such as pesticide residues), pH value, packaging leakage risk |
| Pet clothing/mats | Fabric flame retardancy, formaldehyde content, stitching firmness, filling safety (whether it is moldy or contains allergens) |
- Supply chain audit before procurement
- Screen reliable suppliers*
Verify qualifications: Confirm whether the factory is a brand OEM factory (such as pet brands ZOOPLUS, Petmate tail goods), check production licenses, quality certifications (such as ISO 9001).
– Historical records: Understand the supplier’s past cases of handling leftover goods, whether there are quality disputes or infringement records.
- Clarify the source of leftover goods
– Confirm whether the leftover goods are returned due to order cancellation, overproduction, or quality problems, to avoid purchasing “problem batches”.
– Request the inspection report of the original order (such as the brand inspection report) as a reference.
III. Classification and quality inspection standards
- Product classification
– Grade A: No defects, original packaging is intact, and meets export standards (priority is exported to high-end markets in Europe and the United States).
– Grade B: Minor defects (such as damaged packaging, color deviation), need to be clearly informed to customers, suitable for price-sensitive markets (such as Southeast Asia).
– Grade C: Functional defects (such as failed batteries for electronic products), need to be repaired or disassembled and sold as accessories.
- Key testing items
– Chemical safety:
– Detect heavy metals (lead, cadmium), phthalates (plastic toys), formaldehyde (textiles), etc., in accordance with EU REACH and US CPSIA standards.
– Physical safety:
– Tensile test of small parts (to prevent pets from accidentally ingesting them), sharp edge inspection (in compliance with ASTM F963).
– Functional testing:
– Waterproof level of electronic products (such as IPX4), timing accuracy of feeders, load-bearing capacity of pet bed pads, etc.
- Third-party testing
– Entrust SGS, Intertek and other institutions to conduct sampling tests and obtain test reports (especially for high-risk categories).
– For food contact products (such as food bowls and water fountains), FDA or EU 10/2011 certification is required.
- Packaging and labeling compliance
- Packaging requirements
– Ensure the compressive strength of the outer box (for long-distance transportation), and add shockproof materials to fragile products.
– Use moisture-proof packaging for goods in humid environments (such as detergents) to avoid mildew.
- Label information
– Mandatory content: ingredient description (such as plastic material type), applicable pet type (cat/dog), warning words (such as “avoid chewing by young pets”).
– Compliance mark: CE mark (EU), FCC certification (US electronics), recycling mark (such as PET triangle mark).
– Language requirements: official language of the target market (such as German labels are required for export to Germany).
- Brand handling
– If the tail goods contain the original brand logo, it is necessary to confirm whether it has legal authorization; if not, the brand logo must be completely cut or covered to avoid infringement.
- Logistics and warehousing management
- Transportation risk control
– Avoid mixing with chemicals (to prevent cross contamination).
– Electronic products must be labeled with anti-electromagnetic interference labels to comply with sea/air transportation safety regulations.
- Inventory environment monitoring
– Keep the warehouse dry and ventilated, and check the inventory regularly (especially textiles to prevent mildew and electronic products to prevent battery leakage).
– First in, first out (FIFO) to avoid long-term backlogs leading to material aging.
- Target market compliance
- Key market regulations
– EU:
– Pet toys must comply with EN 71-3 (toy safety standard) and REACH regulations.
– Electronic products need CE certification and RoHS 2.0 (restriction of hazardous substances).
– United States:
– Pet food containers must comply with FDA 21 CFR (food contact material standards).
– Pet clothing must pass CPSIA (lead content test).
– Japan:
– Pet products must comply with the Pet Food Safety Law (such as food bowl material requirements).
- Document preparation*
– Provide MSDS (chemical safety data sheet, applicable to cleaning products) and product liability insurance certificate.
– Halal certification is required for exports to the Middle East (if pet food containers are involved).
VII. After-sales feedback and improvement
- Establish a quality traceability system
– Number each batch of tail goods, record the supplier, quality inspection results, and delivery date to facilitate problem tracing.
- Customer feedback mechanism
– Regularly collect customer complaints (such as breakage rate, pet allergy cases), and improve the quality inspection process in a targeted manner.
- Recall Plan
– If batch quality problems are found (such as substandard materials), recall will be initiated immediately and customer losses will be compensated.
Summary
The quality control of pet products for foreign trade tail goods needs to run through the entire process of **supply chain audit → grading quality inspection → compliance packaging → logistics monitoring → after-sales tracking**. Core principles:
- Safety first: non-toxic materials and safe physical structure;
- Compliance first: comply with target market regulations;
- Transparent grading: clearly inform customers of defect levels and establish long-term trust.
Through systematic management, foreign trade tail goods can become cost-effective competitive products, but a balance must be found between cost and risk.