Pet Food Label Regulations

The label on a pet food product gives a great deal of information about the product inside the bag, box, can or carton. To interpret this data properly, it is necessary to know and understand the various parts of the label copy and the regulations involved. The purpose of this section is to explain current pet food regulations, and what the pet owner can determine from information provided on the label.

Some of the information given on the label is required and some is optional. All labels, regardless of the size, should provide the same amount of mandatory information.

Manufacturer's Information
Each label shall show the name and address of the manufacturer, packer or distributor of the pet food. If a manufacturer has several locations where pet foods are produced, the name and address of that manufacturer's principal place of business will be used.

Net Weight
The net weight statement must be shown on the principal display panel. The declaration of the net weight shall be made in conformity with the U.S. Fair Packaging and Labeling Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder.

The figures for net weight will be in the lower one-third of the display panel and the size of the numbers and letters will be determined by the package size.

Net weights will appear on other parts of the label as well as the principal display panel, particularly on larger package sizes. Net weight statement must include weight in metric conversion.

Nutritional Adequacy Statement
The label shall show whether or not the product provides complete and balanced nutrition, and if it is adequate for all life stages or just for a particular life stage, such as maintenance of the adult cat or dog.

Proof of the complete and balanced status for a pet food can be achieved in two ways:
1 Comparison of the nutrient content of the product, determined by calculation or laboratory analysis, to the AAFCO nutrient profiles for cats and dogs. When this method of substantiation is used, the package bears the following statement:

2 (Name of product) is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog (or Cat) Food Nutrient Profiles for ________. (Blank is to be completed by using the stage or stages of the pet's life, such as gestation, lactation, growth, maintenance or the words "All Life Stages.")

Conduct animal feeding tests using the AAFCO testing protocols. When this method of substantiation is used, the package bears the following statement: Animal feeding tests using AAFCO procedures substantiate that (Name of product) provides complete and balanced nutrition for _________. (Blank is to be completed by using the stage or stages of the pet's life, such as gestation, lactation, growth, maintenance or the words "All Life Stages.")

Actual feeding studies, method 2 above, are the most expensive and time consuming. They are, however, the only sure way to determine nutritional completeness of a pet food. Use of calculated or analyzed nutrient values may not necessarily provide such assurance.

If the product does not contain complete and balanced nutrition, the label should have the statement "not to be fed as a sole diet," "for intermittent feeding only" or words of similar meaning. Snacks/treats do not require nutritional adequacy statements.

Toll-Free Consumer Information Number
Although this is not a required element, some manufacturers include an 800 number on the label. This is an important element for consumers because it can be a source of information not available on the label and a way for pet owners to learn more about the product they are feeding.

Who Establishes And Governs Label Requirement Policies?
The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) develops the regulations for all types of pet foods. The regulations are published annually in the AAFCO Handbook.

AAFCO was formed in 1909. It is an association of feed control officials from each state and Canada who are involved not only in pet foods, but in the regulation of all types of animal, poultry and bird food. Each state can adopt the Official Pet Food Regulations as published in the handbook, or have its own set of pet food regulations. Many states, however, have elected to use the Official Pet Food Regulations or have set up regulations similar to it.

The Official Pet Food Regulations have also been endorsed by the American Feed Industry Association and the Pet Food Institute.

A pet food company selling a pet food product that does not meet a particular state's regulation can be subject to a warning, a fine, removal of the product from the sales shelf, or it can be prohibited from marketing the product in that particular state until the violation has been corrected.