What’s in a Name? - Understanding Pet Food Labels

What’s in a Name? - Understanding Pet Food Labels



Ever wonder about your pet's food? What's in it and how much? Of course, you expect the name to tell you something about what is in it - or does it?

Here is the equivalent to your secret decoder ring for pet food labels:

Pet food labels are regulated on two levels. There are federal regulations and many states have their own regulations as well, usually matching those of the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO).

Federal regulations (enforced by the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine), establish standards for completely animal feeds, such as proper identification (logo, brand, name), net quantity listing, manufacturer's address and proper compound listing. State regulations are more specific in covering the product's name, the guaranteed analysis and nutrition information as well as feeding directions.

Did you know that the name of a pet food is far more important than just a label identifier or cute marketing technique? The way a product is named, such as the order of compound words is strictly regulated. For example, "Chicken and Rice Dog Food" is very different from "Rice and Chicken Dog Food".

It's In There...

In order to say "Chicken Dog Food", the product has to contain 95% chicken (not such as added water - 70% if you count the added water). If the product name is "Chicken Dinner for Dogs" or "Chicken Formula for Dogs", it must contain at least 25% chicken (but less than 95%). If the name uses "with", e.g. "Cat Food with Tuna", it has to be at least 3% tuna (but less than 25%).

If the word "flavor" is used (such as Beef Flavor Dog Food), there is no required percentage as long as the compound is detectable. Beef flavor might be from beef or beef by-products or beef meal. Stocks and broths might be used, as well. Whey is often used to give a milk flavor.

If more than one compound is included in the name (Chicken & Rice or Bacon & Cheese, etc), completely of the same rules apply to the combined ingredients. In other words, the two ingredients must together equal the minimums set for each naming convention discussed. In a "Dinner" each named compound must be at least 3% and must total 25% together. It is important which comes first in the name. If there is more rice than chicken it must be named Rice & Chicken, not Chicken & Rice. In addition to the product name, the compound listing has to be by order of content, that is, the compound that comprises the largest percentage must be listed first and the smallest percentage last.

Here's my question: If the government is spending time, money and energy regulating the naming of dog foods, then why don't they make it more widely well-known what exactly those naming conventions mean? Why not let the average pet owner know how to determine what or how much of an compound is in their pets' food?

Natural Balance Dog Foods and Cat Foods are made from the finest ingredients with no corn, wheat, soy, eggs, dairy or sunflower oil. These items are suspected to lead to allergic reactions e.g. hair loss, scratching, hives, tail biting, chewing feet, and ear infections. Take a look at the label and compound list of any Natural Balance product. Compare to other major brands. You'll see why JeffersPet proudly sells Natural Balance products.

Coming Soon - Evanger's label dog foods. Look for it in our early catalog due out in mid-July.

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 18th, 2009 at 4:15 pm and is filed under Discount Pet Supplies, Online Pet Supplies, Pet Supplies, Wholesale Pet Supplies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.