For 10 years, Pet Releaf has navigated the complex world of pet CBD products while establishing itself as the largest national CBD pet brand. As regulatory challenges intensify and market confusion persists, Paul Gennings, J.D., VP of Legal, Quality, and Regulatory Affairs at Pet Releaf, explains how the company’s unwavering commitment to quality and advocacy continues to shape the industry’s future.

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Q: What sets Pet Releaf apart in the crowded CBD pet market?

Paul Gennings: We were the first to introduce CBD for pets back in 2014, and we’ve always understood that for this category to have sustained success, operating with the highest standards would be absolutely necessary. We are now the largest national CBD pet brand in the country. What really differentiates us is our commitment to being advocates for the entire category as members of the U.S.Hemp Roundtable, the largest and most influential hemp industry advocacy organization in the U.S. As the only member that exclusively makes pet products, we ensure pets are truly represented at all levels of government when hemp industry legislation is being considered. When it comes to shaping the future of this category, we’re the ones making sure pets are never left out of the conversation.

Q: How does Pet Releaf ensure product quality and safety for retailers and pet parents?

PG: All of our hemp is grown on USDA organic hemp farms here in Colorado, which is crucial because hemp is a phytoremediator that can absorb contaminants in soil or water. We use CO2 extraction, the cleanest and safest way to make CBD. It uses only pressurized air to gently pull the beneficial compounds from hemp, leaving behind a pure extract with no chemical solvents like ethanol, just the natural cannabinoids and terpenes pets can benefit from. Our full-spectrum hemp products combined with other plant-based ingredients ensure the pets get all of the beneficial compounds from the hemp plant necessary for efficacy and we never use CBD isolate. Lastly, we test every batch of our products at a third-party lab and maintain our NASC Quality Seal certification, which represents the highest standard in pet supplement manufacturing and labeling compliance.

Q: What should independent retailers look for when selecting CBD pet products for their stores?

PG: Look for products that carry the NASC Quality Seal — that’s really the only way to ensure regulatory compliance in pet CBD right now. The lack of regulation in this category has created a “wild west” situation where product labels can look completely different between brands. When you look at pet food, you see consistent panel formatting because it’s regulated. In CBD, that categorical consistency doesn’t exist yet unless the brand follows NASC standards. Retailers should seek out brands that prioritize USDA organic sourcing, clean extraction methods, third-party testing posted publicly and compliant labeling that does not market the product as a food or treat or make unfounded medical claims to avoid consumer confusion and maintain regulatory compliance.

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Q: How is Pet Releaf protecting the future of CBD pet products through regulatory advocacy?

PG: As recently as last month, we were in D.C. meeting with congressional staffers and Sen. Rand Paul who successfully advocated for the removal of harmful language from an agricultural funding bill that would have limited the sale of safe and effective full-spectrum CBD. We take tremendous pride in advocating for smart regulation and will be back in D.C. in September acting as the sole voice for pets and advocating for a comprehensive hemp regulation bill drafted by Sen. Wyden. We’ve invested our dollars in lobbying efforts — for example, in South Dakota, we worked with a South Dakota hemp farming advocacy group and provided the data and evidence used in a state hearing to get CBD approved as an animal remedy and back in 2018 we were deeply involved in the efforts to legalize hemp nationwide. We want smart regulation that rewards innovation, considers the needs of pets and helps support the thriving American success story that is the hemp industry.

Q: What regulatory challenges does the CBD pet category currently face and how does this impact retailers?

PG: The biggest challenge is the lack of categorical consistency and national regulatory standards. The 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp, but it did not provide a robust regulatory framework. Therefore, individual states took upon themselves to pass regulations, creating 50 different sets of rules that vary wildly and change often. This has made it difficult and expensive for CBD brands of all sizes to keep up with changing rules and difficult for small independent retailers who do not have the time or resources to interpret legislation or administrative rules. For retail chains that might have locations across several states it only creates further confusion when laws vary from location to location. It is important to remember that our category and independent retailers are not nearly as well-funded as large national chains or the pet food or toy categories. We are still a bunch of family and independently owned brands that have grown organically and don’t have the benefit of well-funded financial backers to easily absorb the costs of ever-changing regulation. This is why we will continue to advocate for national regulation that has pets in mind.

Q: Why is the NASC Quality Seal important for CBD pet products and what does it mean for retailers?

PG: The NASC provides the only regulatory framework available for pet CBD right now. Following NASC standards as a brand is voluntary but currently is the only way to ensure compliance as no brand that follows NASC standards has ever been cited by the FDA. The NASC has worked tirelessly over 25 years with the FDA and AAFCO to develop its standards to give animal health supplements like CBD a legal path to market. We are proudly an audited NASC member and can carry the valuable seal on our products, and that seal represents categorical consistency that retailers and consumers can trust. It’s a great step toward offering the standardization this industry needs. For retailers, carrying NASC-certified brands means you’re offering customers products that meet the highest available standards while protecting your business from regulatory uncertainty.

For more information on the CBD products available from Pet Releaf, contact the company directly.
P (844) 646-1646 | W petreleaf.com | E [email protected]