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  1. Home
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  3. Frequently Asked Questions

Our quality and food safety systems are state-of-the-art and we continually invest in new technology to ensure this remains the case. All our food is made to the strictest quality requirements to ensure absolute safety.

We manufacture every pet food we sell, in plants that we own; our plants are ISO 9001:2008 certified for Quality Management and ISO 22000 certified for Food Safety.

Because cats and dogs deserve the best nutrition to remain in the best of health, ROYAL CANIN® is committed to:

  • Selecting the suppliers of raw materials in accordance with very strict specifications. This rigorous selection process doesn’t end with our first purchase.
  • Testing the quality of every ingredients before they are accepted for use in ROYAL CANIN® foods - we monitor every load delivered to our plants to verify the safety and quality of the ingredients we use to make pet food.
  • Only using meat from animals which are declared fit and healthy for human consumption
  • Quality control from the moment the raw materials enter the factory tight through to the packaging stage, thanks to systematic measures and analyses at all key stages. Rigorous testing is done on every batch of finished product in order to validate safety, nutrient composition, and quality, before our products are shipped to our customers
  • Providing complete traceability and identification of all ingredients
The palatability of Royal Canin formulas is guaranteed. We pride ourselves on the quality and palatability of our diets and offer a full money back guarantee on all of them, called palatability guarantee (read more in the "What is the palatability guarantee" FAQ). If you purchase a product and your pet refuses to eat it, please return the entire uneaten portion in the original packaging to the place it was purchased as detailed in the palatability guarantee terms. The retail outlet or veterinary clinic, or our customer service if purchased directly from us, will reimburse you the cost, issue a credit, or replace the product with a different Royal Canin product. This means that in the unlikely event that your pet does not like our food, you can get your money back.

It is important to remember that pets, particularly cats, may be occasionally sensitive to subtle variations in diets. For a smoother, more gradual transition from one bag to another, remember to buy your new bag a week in advance to enable mixing of the current bag and the new bag together. If your pet used to like our food and refuses to eat it unexpectedly despite a gradual change between bags, please contact one of our nutritional advisors by phone or email to advise you further. If your pet is unexpectedly refusing their normal Royal Canin diet, please contact our Nutritional Helpline via Contact Us
When introducing your pet onto ROYAL CANIN® or a new ROYAL CANIN® diet, as with any diet change, we recommend that you gradually introduce the new diet over 7 days to prevent any digestive upset.
DAYS 1-2     25% new diet with 75% of the previous diet
DAYS 3-4     50% new diet with 50% of the previous diet
DAYS 5-6     75% new diet with 25% of the previous diet DAY 7         

100% new diet You may need to extend these transition stages depending on how well your individual pet responds.​
Each of our Royal Canin diets have feeding guidance which has been specially calculated to ensure a complete and balanced diet. The feeding guides are located on the back of the bag, pouch or tin. If you visit the product page on our website, a more detailed guide can be found there.

For any further questions, please contact our Nutritional Helpline via Contact Us and they will be happy to tailor the guide specifically for your pet.

Ingredients for ROYAL CANIN® products are selected based on multiple different factors, including the suppliers’ compliance with our quality and food safety requirements, consistent availability and nutrients available. 

ROYAL CANIN® is making strides towards sustainability by attempting to obtain raw ingredients as close to each manufacturing facility as possible. Find out more about our sustainability efforts.

Grains are an excellent source of amino acids, vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fibre, and fatty acids that are essential for the health of dogs and cats. Not only do they support the health of our pets helping to provide complete and balanced nutrition, but they can also be very sustainable. Grains used in pet foods are an excellent source of energy, helping to provide complete and balance nutrition. The only poorly digestible portion of a grain is usually the hull, which is why Royal Canin removes the hull and grinds the grain very finely before it’s added to any of our formula to make sure it becomes digestible.

At ROYAL CANIN®, We never use artificial colourings in our foods to keep to a conformed colour. There will be a natural variation in the raw ingredients which will be reflected in the colour of the final product. This is comparable to different colour variations you see when you purchase meat, fruits and vegetables.

“Meat” claims in pet food can be confusing.  

It is common for suppliers of cat and dog food to market their products by claiming the amount of “meat” or “fresh meat”, particularly placing them as the first ingredient. According to current feed legislation, each ingredient / ingredient group in a pet food must be listed on the package based on weight before cooking in descending order. This means that “fresh meat” that naturally contains large amounts of water (approximately 75%) receives a high position on the ingredient list. This may give the impression that “meat” is the primary source of the nutritional content of the pet food. When reading an ingredient list, we should take into account that “fresh meat” contains 70-80% water. During the preparation of a “processed animal protein” as “dehydrated poultry protein” or “chicken meal”, most of this water is removed. For example, this means that 1 kilogram of fresh poultry will provide approximately 250 grams of nutrients, compared to 1 kilogram of dehydrated poultry protein which provides more than 900 grams of nutrients. A list of ingredients containing raw materials with very different water content becomes difficult to understand. Overall, you should consider moisture content whenever reading a pet food label making diet comparisons. We also recommend looking at the ‘guaranteed nutrient analysis (protein, fat, carbohydrate…) and at the nutrient digestibility when comparing diets.

Please contact our nutritional advisors team if you would like to discuss nutrition any further.

The majority of our diets are designed to be fed dry, however if you wish to, you can add a small amount of warm water to soften the kibble and this can also enhance the flavours and aromas of the diet. If you do add water, use warm, not boiling water, as boiling water could damage the nutrients within the food. Also make sure that none of the water is discarded as it will contain vitamins and minerals from the kibble coating; you need to make sure your pet consumes this with the rest of their meal to ensure a balanced diet.
Dehydrated poultry can be a great source of protein. There are many misconceptions about using fresh meat vs dehydrated meat, but dehydration just means drying. This removes the excess water from the fresh meat which increases the overall percentage of protein, making it a more nutritionally concentrated ingredient. There are many benefits to dehydrating meat such as poultry, not only does it preserve the nutritional quality of the original fresh meat it also makes transport and storage safer, easier and less environmentally impactful. When excellent quality fresh meats are used and properly processed, the resulting dehydrated meat meal will also be of excellent nutritional quality. All animal protein used by ROYAL CANIN® is declared suitable for human consumption. Did you know, fresh meat can contain up to 85% water and only 10-30% protein. Where as dehydrated meats can provide up to 90% protein.

Meat and animal derivatives is a labelling category that describes animal based ingredients used in pet foods (not including dairy which has it's own category). Animal derivatives are by-products of the human food industry from species typically used in the human food chain such as beef, chicken, pork and fish.

By-products can be simply defined as materials that we have an excess of in society such as offal, which is a highly nutritious ingredient enjoyed around the world, but that's less popular to eat in the UK.

In all ROYAL CANIN® products we only use high quality by-products - listed as animal derivatives in our ingredients list. Our high-quality by-products are not only safe and nutritious, they are also more sustainable as they do not compete with human food production.

Meat and animal derivatives is a labelling category that describes animal based ingredients used in pet foods (not including dairy which has it's own category). Animal derivatives are by-products of the human food industry from species typically used in the human food chain such as beef, chicken, pork and fish.

By-products can be simply defined as materials that we have an excess of in society such as offal, which is a highly nutritious ingredient enjoyed around the world, but that's less popular to eat in the UK.

In all ROYAL CANIN® products we only use high quality by-products - listed as animal derivatives in our ingredients list. Our high-quality by-products are not only safe and nutritious, they are also more sustainable as they do not compete with human food production.

With pet obesity a growing concern reducing our pets’ quality of life and life expectancy it is important to be as accurate as possible when it comes to feeding them.

Although measuring cups can be used as a guide, they offer significant daily variation between meals (on average 20% more or less food per serving*). Additionally 80% of owners overfeed when using a measuring cup* therefore we do not recommend using them.

Due to this level of inaccuracy, our recommendation is to weigh out the daily allowance of food using digital scales, this ensures your pet is receiving the correct amount of food each day. These amounts may change due to life stage, activity level or whether the animal has been neutered, therefore to maintain their ideal body condition throughout life we advise to weigh your pet regularly and adjust feeding amounts where necessary.

*AJ German et al. Imprecision when using measuring cups to weigh out extruded dry kibbled food. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition (2011); 3(11):368-373.
** kibblequeen.com/banthecup/
Occasional offers may be available on some of our products. To be kept up to date on any of these promotions, check with your local pet retailers or veterinarian, check on our online shop, subscribe to our newsletter, or follow us on social media. We do not provide samples, however we are so confident that your pet will love our food that we have a Palatability guarantee . That means that, in the unlikely event your pet refuses to eat their ROYAL CANIN® diet, we can offer 100% money-back on all products, with support from our retail partners. Terms and conditions apply and are available in the "What is the palatability guarantee?" FAQ.

For dry diets, palatability of the kibble remains at its best for one month after the bag is opened, however will be fine for up to two months so long as the bag is stored properly, in a cool, dry, airtight container. 

Once opened, wet food should be refrigerated and consumed within two days. If left out at room temperature, it should be discarded after two hours. 

The palatability of the kibble remains at its best for one month after the bag is opened, however, it will be fine for up to 6 weeks so long as the bag is stored properly. Dry diets should be stored within an air-tight container.
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​Once opened they should remain in the original bag, in the airtight container and resealed between feedings.
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​Most small bags have a re-sealable zipper, however, if the bag does not have this feature, it’s recommended to close the original bag as best as possible and keep the product in an airtight container. Once the diet has been left out at room temperature for your pet, the uneaten kibble should be discarded after 24 hours maximum.
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​Our wet diets once opened and given to the pet, should be discarded after a maximum of 2 hours.
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​Canned diets, once opened, need to be covered with a tin cover, and refrigerated in an air-tight container, pouches should be closed and placed into an airtight container, stored upright in the refrigerator. Once opened, wet diets should be used within ideally 48 hours, or 72 hours maximum.
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​When refeeding your pet from an opened tin/pouch, please check before use to ensure that there are no obvious changes to the appearance of the diet.
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​If your pet doesn’t like cold food, try warming it to room temperature before feeding. (Please note: if you use a microwave put the product in an appropriate microwave-safe container and always check the temperature before feeding, it should be heated for no more than 10 seconds).
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Please remember to wash your pet’s dish regularly, as remaining food particles can attract bacteria and insects.​
ROYAL CANIN® prides itself on the quality and palatability of our diets and offers a full money back guarantee on all our diets.

We are so confident that your pet will love ROYAL CANIN® that we offer a 100% money back guarantee on the palatability of our food. However, to manage these claims, the below points must be adhered to in order to receive this money back guarantee.

1.    Your pet is refusing to eat the food, and the food has been fed for the first time following a period of gradual introduction (we recommend a 5-7 days gradual transition between diets).

2.    Palatability Guarantee (100% money back) is only applicable to a single bag of ROYAL CANIN® cat or dog food or a single purchase of wet food.

3.    ROYAL CANIN® products bought in conjunction with a promotion will be refunded at the price purchased. Promotional giveaways must be returned in order for the full refund to be complete.

4.    Although we offer the Palatability Guarantee to all retailers and veterinary practices, it remains at their discretion to honour it, and we therefore advise to discuss this guarantee prior to purchasing a product.

5.    This offer is limited to a single refund of one bag per household and to persons living in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, excluding ROYAL CANIN® staff.
 
6.    For a refund to be made you will be required to supply your retailer with the remaining contents of the bag of food or a photo containing at least 75% of the food (by weight), and must still be in date, a valid proof of purchase (relating to the retailer through which you are claiming a refund), a written letter (at least five lines) explaining what happened when you introduced the food along with, your name, address and contact details.
 
7.    You may be required to fill out a request form supplying your signature and ticking an authorisation box to confirm you have read and understood how your information will be held, giving your consent to ROYAL CANIN® to hold your information for verification and auditing purposes.
 
8.    Please be aware ROYAL CANIN® will hold this form including the information you have supplied for verification and auditing purposes for a maximum of seven years.
 
9.    ROYAL CANIN® will take all reasonable precautions to keep the details of your refund application secure, but unless ROYAL CANIN® is negligent, we shall not be liable for unauthorised access to the information you provide about yourself for the purpose of fulfilling your refund application, unless you agree otherwise.

10.    ROYAL CANIN® reserves the right to end this activity at its discretion at any time without notice.

11.    For more information about our Privacy and Legal information please visit: www.mars.com/privacy-policy and www.mars.com/legal


12.    Subject to the above terms and conditions*, your retailer will then be able to refund the full price of the product. Your retailer will liaise with their ROYAL CANIN® Business Manager so that we can refund them.

ROYAL CANIN® want to improve pets' lives, placing cats and dogs' needs first to contribute to their optimal health. There is more: our nutritional approach based on nutrients enables us to consider the environmental and social impact of every single recipe we develop, whilst providing pets with nutrition of the highest quality, benefits, and safety. And our sustainability journey doesn't end there: we are working relentlessly towards improving our impact on pets, planet, and people, by making our activities more sustainable and socially responsible.

Packaging plays an important role in delivering our products to consumers. It protects finished products as they move on to customers and consumers. Packaging helps preserve the freshness of our products, conveys important legal and nutritional information, differentiates our brands on shelves, and provides consumers with recommended feeding guidelines. We are currently rethinking our approach to packaging because we believe there is no such thing as a sustainable product in unsustainable packaging.

We’re proud of our products, but deeply concerned about the impact of packaging waste on land and in the ocean. This is unacceptable and we are committed to addressing this, even if it means redesigning much of our packaging or our business models.

We have signed the Ellen MacArthur Foundation commitment. We aim to reduce our virgin plastic use by 25%, to integrate an average 30% recycled content in our plastic packaging1 and to have 100% reusable, recyclable, or compostable packaging.

1Target dependent on advancement of chemical recycling at pace and scale & alignment of food safety regulations. For more information on ROYAL CANIN® sustainability, please visit: Sustainability

To access a ROYAL CANIN® website in a different country, click on the words "United Kingdom" located at the bottom right of every page of our website. This will bring you to a world map where you can chose your country of interest.

Click on the country of your choice and you will be automatically directed to the associated ROYAL CANIN® website.

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