SHORT ANSWER
After moving from the US, you can buy dog and cat food in the UK at large supermarkets and hypermarkets, national pet store chains, small independent pet food shops, your vet practice, and online retailers that deliver to your door, including fresh food subscription services. What you generally can't do is bring your pet's usual US food with you. Great Britain bans personal imports of meat and dairy products from non-EU countries, and that includes most pet food, with only a narrow exception for small amounts needed for medical reasons. Plan to buy food after you land, check whether your pet's brand is sold in the UK before you move, and switch gradually if it isn't.
In most cases, no. GOV.UK's pet food rules for bringing food into Great Britain are short and clear: from countries outside the EU, "you cannot bring in pet food, unless your pet needs it for health-related reasons." That covers all pet food from the US, not just products made with meat or dairy.
The health-related exception allows up to 2kg per person, from any country. The food must not need refrigerating before use and must be in branded, unopened packaging, unless it's currently in use. GOV.UK also says your pet must be travelling with you, and you should carry evidence that the food is needed for health reasons, such as a letter from your vet. If you need more than 2kg, you can contact the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) at imports@apha.gov.uk with details of why you can't buy that specific food in Great Britain and a vet's letter confirming your pet needs it.
Breaking the rules has real consequences. According to GOV.UK's guidance on what happens if you break the rules, Border Force will take away and destroy banned food you declare at customs, and if you don't declare it, you could be fined up to £5,000 in England or prosecuted. If you're unsure about anything in your bag, use the red channel and ask a Border Force officer.
The practical approach is simple:
If you're shipping household goods, ask your moving company about food in the shipment as well, and plan to buy pet food fresh once you arrive.
In the US, many owners now rely on mail-order pet food, and fresh food has grown in popularity as people move away from dry kibble alone. When I asked Emma Day, Branch Manager at our UK sister company PetAir UK, what that looks like for families arriving in Britain, she said the choice is just as wide:
"It's vast here. Everything you could imagine is going to be available to you. We've got some pretty big pet hypermarket-type stores, so they're going to give you a great selection. We've got some really cute little bespoke pet food shops that you're probably going to really enjoy exploring. And then you can do mail order here, so everything's available on delivery. There's a range, and there'll be something to suit everybody."
Large supermarkets such as Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, and Morrisons carry dog and cat food alongside groceries, and their biggest out-of-town stores have the widest pet aisles. This is the easiest place to pick up a first bag on the day you arrive.
Dedicated pet retailers, including national chains such as Pets at Home, stock a broader range of dry, wet, and specialist diets than supermarkets, plus treats, bowls, and bedding. Many also offer click-and-collect.
Towns and city neighborhoods across the UK have small independent shops selling raw, fresh, grain-free, and locally made foods and treats. Staff often know their products well and can suggest alternatives to your pet's US food. If you're settling in London, our guide to finding toys and treats your pet will love in London is a good place to start exploring.
Most UK vet practices sell veterinary diets and some everyday foods, and they can order a specific product for you.
Online pet retailers and large marketplaces deliver across the UK, and several fresh and tailored food brands sell direct by subscription. If your pet ate a delivered fresh diet in the US, a UK subscription is often the closest match to their routine.
Some will be and some won't. Several large manufacturers sell in both countries, but a product line can carry a different name in the UK, and recipes can differ between markets because each country has its own feed rules and suppliers. Hill's, for example, sells its everyday range as Science Diet in the US and as Science Plan in the UK. Other US brands, especially smaller and regional ones, may not be sold in Britain at all.
That's why the name on the bag is the wrong thing to match. Before you move, do this:
A UK version of the "same" food can still be a change for your pet's digestion, so treat it like a new food and introduce it gradually, as covered below.
UK pet food labels follow different rules from US labels, so the wording you're used to won't be there. In Great Britain, labelling is governed by retained Regulation (EC) No 767/2009 on the marketing and use of feed. In the US, the FDA regulates pet food, and many states base their labelling rules on AAFCO's model regulations.
|
What you're checking |
US label |
UK label |
|---|---|---|
|
Is it a full diet? |
Nutritional adequacy statement, showing the type of pet and life stage it suits |
"Complete feed" |
|
Is it a treat or topper? |
Snacks, treats, and supplements are exempt from the nutritional adequacy statement |
"Complementary feed" |
|
Nutrient panel |
"Guaranteed analysis" of specific nutrients |
"Analytical constituents": crude protein, crude fibres, crude fat, and crude ash for dog and cat food |
|
Ingredients |
Ingredient statement, in descending order by weight |
"Composition," in descending order by weight |
|
Feeding amounts |
Feeding directions |
Instructions for proper use |
The most important word for a new arrival is "complete." A food labelled complementary isn't designed to be fed on its own, which is easy to miss when you're buying an unfamiliar brand. UK pet food labels must also give a free phone number or other way to contact the manufacturer for more information about additives and ingredients, which is useful if you want to ask how a UK recipe compares with the US version.
Yes. Veterinary diets for kidney, urinary, digestive, weight, and skin conditions are sold in the UK, usually through vet practices and some online retailers. Legally, they're classed as feed intended for particular nutritional purposes. Retained Regulation (EU) 2020/354 lists the conditions these diets can target, and Article 18 of Regulation 767/2009 requires their labels to carry the word "dietetic" and advise that a vet or nutrition expert's opinion be sought before use.
If your dog or cat depends on one of these diets, the order of steps matters:
This is the one case where planning ahead makes a real difference to your pet's health, so don't leave it until you've landed.
An international move already means a new home, new smells, and a long journey, so a sudden food change on top of that can upset your pet's stomach. The safest plan is to change one thing at a time and go slowly.
I also asked Emma whether even the fussiest dog or cat would find something they'll eat in the UK. Her answer: "I can pretty much guarantee it."
Food is one of many details in a move to Britain, alongside the microchip, rabies vaccination, health certificate, and arrival paperwork. If you'd like help planning your pet's move to the UK, request a free quote and our team will walk you through the full timeline.