Meat treats
Do raw and jerky dog treats follow different rules?
Verified September 7, 2026. Figures quoted from the statute, rule, fee page or form.
Meat treats raise two questions the biscuit maker never meets. The first is whether raw meat is commercial feed at all, because most state definitions exclude unground raw meat that is not mixed with anything else. The second is federal: FDA treats pet food and treats contaminated with Salmonella as adulterated, with no allowance for a kill step at the buyer's end. The state answers are printed below in each state's words, and the federal policy is quoted from FDA.
The raw meat exclusion and why a treat does not fit it
The model definition takes raw meat out of commercial feed only while it is unground, unmixed and not adulterated, and several states add that it must not be intended as feed. A product sold as a dog treat is by its own label intended as feed, and grinding, mixing, seasoning or a nutrition claim ends the exclusion anyway. One verified state's rule prints the word ground where every peer prints unground, which the state page flags as an apparent typographic slip rather than a way out.
One verified state routes fresh and frozen raw meat pet food to a different agency altogether, its agriculture department's meat and poultry branch, while baked, dried and dehydrated treats stay with the health department that licenses processed pet food. The table prints each state's raw rule with its citation.
The federal Salmonella position
FDA's compliance policy guide covers pet treats and chews by name, and FDA considers pet food, including raw formulations and treats such as pig ears, adulterated when it carries Salmonella and does not go through a later kill step. FDA's own sampling of raw pet food found a meaningful share of samples positive for Salmonella and Listeria. A jerky or dehydrated treat that is not cooked to a validated kill step is exposed to the same policy, and the state adulteration sections quoted on the state pages point the same way.
The raw meat rule, state by state
| State | What the state says | Cite |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | NoneTexas has no raw pet food, raw diet or pathogen rule in Tex. Agric. Code ch. 141, 4 TAC ch. 61 or 4 TAC ch. 63; a raw treat is commercial feed and the general adulteration standard applies | Tex. Agric. Code §141.148(a)(8) (Distribution of Adulterated Feed) |
| Florida | NoneNo raw pet food or raw diet rule in Fla. Stat. ch. 580 or Fla. Admin. Code ch. 5E-3; 5E-3.021 instead adopts 21 CFR Part 507 (current good manufacturing practice and preventive controls for food for animals, revised as of April 1, 2024), which is not in the snapshot | Fla. Admin. Code 5E-3.021(1)(c) |
| Ohio | DependsRaw meat, raw poultry, raw animal organs, raw animal glands, raw vegetables, raw fruits and goat milk are exempt from the definition of commercial feed only when not mixed with other materials and only if they are not adulterated within ORC 923.48(A) to (F) | Ohio Admin. Code 901:5-7-02 (Exemptions), effective April 19, 2024 |
| Illinois | NoneNo raw pet food, raw meat, pathogen or Salmonella provision specific to pet food in 505 ILCS 30 or 8 Ill. Adm. Code Part 200; the federal good manufacturing practices at 21 CFR parts 225 and 226 apply instead through 505 ILCS 30/10(d), and IDOA points home makers at FDA Guidance for Industry number 122 on raw meat foods | IDOA, "Pet Food as a Business", FAQ "Where can I obtain additional information?", Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) entry; with 505 ILCS 30/10(d) and the same page's "Can I make pet food at home?" answer |
| Michigan | DependsUnmixed meat, poultry, fish and other portions of animal carcasses sold in their raw or natural state without further processing or packaging, except freezing or denaturing, sit outside commercial feed only if they are not adulterated and are not intended as commercial feed or a feed ingredient; a raw product marketed as dog food or dog treats is intended as commercial feed, so the exclusion does not reach it | MCL 287.523(g)(v)(A)-(B) (exclusion from "commercial feed") |
| Iowa | DependsRaw meat, hay, straw, stover, silage, cobs, husks and hulls are exempt from the definition of commercial feed only when unground and not mixed or intermixed with other materials, and only if not adulterated; grinding, mixing or a feed claim brings the product back in | Iowa Admin. Code 21.41.1(198), subrule 41.1(3) (Definitions and terms) |
| Missouri | Depends2 CSR 70-30.010(3) exempts raw meat, hay, straw, stover, silage, cobs, husks and hulls from the definition of commercial feed when ground and not mixed or intermixed with other materials; the word in the Missouri rule is ground, where Iowa, Indiana, Georgia and Ohio all print the opposite condition for the same model clause, and Mo. Rev. Stat. 266.160(2) neither lists raw meat nor imposes any grind condition, so the Missouri rule word is an apparent typographic divergence from the model and should not be read as putting unground raw meat inside commercial feed without checking the current rule text | 2 CSR 70-30.010(3) (Definitions and Terms, commodity exemptions), first physical line of the three-column reprint |
| Indiana | DependsRaw meat, hay, straw, stover, silages, cobs, husks and hulls are outside commercial feed when ungrounded and not mixed or intermixed with other materials not considered commercial feed (IC 15-19-7-2(b)); OISC adds that the exemption holds only while the product is not adulterated and the label and labeling make no nutritional claims, which is agency guidance rather than a condition on the face of 15-19-7-2(b) | IC 15-19-7-2(b) ("Commercial feed"), the exclusion list |
| California | YesA manufacturer solely engaged in making fresh or frozen raw meat or poultry pet food is outside the CDPH registration and must instead be licensed by the California Department of Food and Agriculture, Meat, Poultry and Egg Safety Branch; baked, dried, dehydrated, semidried and canned treats stay with CDPH | CDPH, Frequently Asked Questions for Pet Food Processor Registration, Q8 |
| Georgia | DependsRaw meat, loose salt, hay, straw, stover, silages, cobs and husks are exempt from the definition of commercial feed only when unground and not mixed or intermixed with other materials | Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 40-5-1-.01(3) |
What FDA says about Salmonella in treats
FDA's compliance policy defines pet food to include treats and chews.
Furthermore, for purposes of this document, pet food is used to mean food for pets and includes treats and chews for pets. The policies in this guidance apply to finished animal feed and pet food and the ingredients used to manufacture these products.
CPG 690.800 lists pet treats or chews (dog biscuits, rawhide, pig ears) among pet foods covered.
Pet treats or chews (e.g., dog biscuits, rawhide, pig ears) Vitamins, minerals, and other nutritional supplements intended for dogs, cats, and other pets Pet food ingredients such as animal products, plant protein products, grain products, vitamin and mineral products.
FDA considers pet food (including raw meat formulations and treats/chews such as pig ears) adulterated under FD&C Act 402(a)(1) when contaminated with any Salmonella serotype and no subsequent commercial kill step follows.
FDA considers a pet food to be adulterated under section 402(a)(1) of the FD&C Act (21 U.S.C. 342(a)(1)) when it is contaminated with Salmonella and will not subsequently undergo a commercial heat step or other commercial process that will kill the Salmonella. The following are some examples of pet food: Dog and cat food, aquarium fish food, raw meat and raw poultry formulations for pets
FDA's raw pet food page reports 15 of 196 raw pet food samples positive for Salmonella and 32 for Listeria monocytogenes, versus 0 of 190 jerky-type treats.
Of the 196 raw pet food samples analyzed, 15 were positive for Salmonella and 32 were positive for L. monocytogenes (see Table 1). [...] Raw pet food 196 15 32 Dry exotic pet food * 190 0 0 Jerky-type treats † 190 0 0
Verified states on this site
This guide prints only what the verified state records support. More states are added a block at a time as they clear verification.
Questions people actually type
Is a dehydrated jerky treat commercial feed?
Yes, in every verified state. Dehydrating, slicing and packaging are processing, and a product labeled and sold as a dog treat is intended as feed. The raw meat exclusion in the state definitions is for unground, unmixed raw meat that is not held out as feed, and a jerky treat is none of those things.
Does the raw exclusion mean I need no license for raw treats?
Not on the text we read. The exclusion covers raw meat in its natural state that is not intended as commercial feed. Selling it as a dog treat is intending it as feed. One state additionally moves fresh and frozen raw meat pet food to a separate meat inspection agency, so the instrument changes rather than disappears.
What does FDA say about Salmonella in treats?
FDA's compliance policy names pet treats and chews among covered pet foods and treats them as adulterated when they carry Salmonella, because pets and the people who handle the treats can be infected. The federal guide on this site quotes the policy and FDA's published sampling results, and the state adulteration sections are on each state page.
Keep reading
DogTreatLicense is an informational reference about state commercial feed laws as they apply to people who make and sell pet treats in the United States. It reprints instrument names, fees, thresholds, label items and citations from state statutes, rules, fee schedules and agency forms, together with the date each state was last verified. Nothing on this site is legal advice, and fees and rules change. Confirm with the state feed control office before you register or sell.
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