Russian marketplaces do not accept pet food without labeling

As of August 1, 2025, the largest Russian marketplaces (Ozon, Wildberries, Yandex.Market, and others) have tightened their product acceptance rules: they no longer accept dog and cat food at their warehouses without prior aggregation of labeling codes. From October 1, 2026, marketplaces will bear equal responsibility with sellers for the sale of unlabeled products, including pet products.

What is aggregation?

Aggregation is a system that combines individual packages with unique DataMatrix codes into groups with a single labeling code. Since March 2025, wet dog and cat food labeling has been mandatory. Dry dog and cat food labeling has been required since October 2024.

Without aggregation, marketplace warehouses are forced to scan each pouch or can manually, which is practically unfeasible for bulk shipments. This is especially critical for wet dog and cat food, which is typically supplied in 24–28 packages boxes.

Black squares of the new trading reality

From September 1, 2025, amendments come into effect that exempt bulk pet food from mandatory labeling if its withdrawal from circulation is recorded within three days after opening the packaging. However, this does not resolve the issue for the mass segment of packaged rations.

Pet food labeling is intended to combat illegal products, but its implementation has become a significant challenge for business. The new requirements took effect on August 1, 2025, and the industry will undergo an adaptation period, accompanied by the risk of temporary sales disruptions and penalties.