Feed mills that manufacture/process, pack, or hold animal food for consumption in the United
States are required to register, unless an exemption in 21 CFR 1.226 applies (e.g., the retail food
establishment or farm exemptions). To be considered a “retail food establishment,” the annual
monetary value of sales of food products directly to consumers must exceed the annual monetary
value of sales of food products to all other buyers. In most instances, off-farm feed mills selling
food to the public would not meet the retail food establishment definition because they typically
sell most of their animal food to farms, which are considered businesses, and not consumers.
