Transcript Interpreting Pet Food Labels

Interpreting Pet Food Labels
pgs 309 - 316
Pet food labels are regulated at
two levels. The federal
regulations are enforced by the
FDA and the state regulations
are enforced by the AAFCO
PRODUCT NAME:
What is in a name?
Product names are dictated by
the percentages of named
ingredients. The AAFCO has
four primary percentage rules.
These rules pertain to the animal
based protein only.
THE 95% RULE:
This applies to products
consisting primarily of meat,
poultry or fish.
These foods have simple names
such as Beef for Dogs or Tuna
Cat Food. At least 95% of the
product must be the named
ingredient (by weight), not
counting the water added for
processing. Counting the added
water, the named ingredient must
still comprise 70% of the
product.
If the food name includes a
combination of protein ingredients
then the two together must
comprise 95% of the total weight.
The first ingredient named must
be the one of higher
predominance.
Eg. Chicken and beef dog food
must contain a higher % of
chicken
The 95% rule only applies to
ingredients of animal origin.
Grains can not be used as a
component of the 95% total. For
example, a Lamb and Rice dog
food would be misnamed unless
the product contained at least
95% lamb.
THE 25% RULE
If the named ingredients comprise
at least 25% of the product but
less than 95% then the pet food
name must include a qualifying
descriptive term such as “dinner,
platter, entrée, nuggets or
formula”
Therefore “Beef Dinner for Dogs”
only has to contain ¼ beef
The primary ingredient is not
always the named ingredient so
Chicken Formula Cat Food may
contain more fish than chicken.
THE 3% RULE
or the “with” rule
This rule was intended to apply
to ingredients that appeared
outside the product name.
Therefore label may include a
sideburst is at least 3% of that
ingredient is added.
AAFCO also allows the term
“with” indicating that 3% of that
ingredient has been added. This
can become confusing for the
consumer because Cat Food with
Tuna (3% tuna) is very different
from Tuna Cat Food (95% tuna).
THE FLAVOR RULE
With this rule a specific
percentage is not required BUT
the product must contain an
amount sufficient to be detected.
With respect to flavors, pet foods
often contain “digests” which are
material treated with heat,
enzymes and/or acids to for
concentrated flavors. Therefore
Chicken Flavored Cat Food may
not actually contain any chicken
at all
Any statements such as
“improved” or “new” are
only permitted for 6
months and then must be
removed.
Any comparisons or preference statements are permitted for one
year and must be substantiated by evidence. To remain on the
label after one year, the claim must be resubstantiated.
Eg. 3 out of 4 pet owners prefer Huff n’ Puff Dog Food
over the leading brand. I must be able to document this.
WHAT ELSE HAS TO
PRINTED ON THE BAG?
ALL cat and dog food labels must
contain eight pieces of
information
#1 Product Name
#2 Designation or Statement of
intent.
This identifies the food as dog or
cat food.
#3 The Net Quantity Statement.
This tells you how much product
is in the bag.
#4 The Manufacturers Name
and Address
Not all labels include a street
address, but by law it should be
listed in either a city directory or
telephone directory
#5 Ingredients List
All ingredients are required to be
listed in order by weight
including their water content.
This is an important point
because meat is very high in
moisture.
So in comparing foods:
Pet food A may list “meat” as its first
ingredient and pet food B may list corn
first and “meat meal” second.
Meat is approx 75% water but in meat
meal, water and fat have been removed, so
it is only 10% moisture. When comparing
the foods on a dry matter basis
(mathematically removing the water) Pet
food B has more animal source protein.
#6 Guaranteed Analysis
The label must state the
minimum percentages of crude
protein and crude fat and the
maximum percentages of crude
fiber and moisture.
The “crude” term itself refers to
the specific method of testing
the product, NOT to the quality
of the nutrient itself.
Crude protein measures the total
nitrogen content of a product and,
from that, estimates the amount of
protein within that product. Crude
protein measurements include
nitrogen from proteins as well as
from non-protein nitrogen sources
Guarantees are declared on an
“as fed” or “as is” basis this
represents the amounts present
as it is found in the can or bag.
This doesn’t have much bearing
when the guarantees of two
products of similar moisture
content are compared.
To convert a nutrient guarantee to
a dry matter basis divide the
nutrient guarantee by the dry
matter percentage.
Eg. Let’s compare the crude
protein content of dry vs canned
food
Crude protein = 8.0%
Moisture = 74% (dry matter = 26 %)
8 / 26 x 100 = 30.7
Crude protein = 37%
Moisture = 9.0 % (dry matter = 91%)
37 / 91 x 100 = 40.6
It is very important to check the
moisture percentage. The
maximum percentage for pet
food is 78% EXCEPT for
products labeled as stew, in
sauce, in gravy etc These
products may contain as much
as 87.5% moisture
#7 Nutritional Adequacy
Statement
The AAFCO mandates that
“complete and balanced” pet
food must be substantiated for
nutritional adequacy by one of
two means
The first method is for the pet food to contain ingredients
formulated to provide levels of nutrients that meet an
established profile. Presently, the AAFCO Dog or Cat
Food Nutrient Profiles are used. Products substantiated
by this method should include the words, "(Name of
product) is formulated to meet the nutritional levels
established by the AAFCO (Dog/Cat) Food Nutrient
Profiles." This means the product contains the proper
amount of protein, calcium, and other recognized
essential nutrients needed to meet the needs of the
healthy animal.
The alternative means of substantiating nutritional
adequacy is for the product to be tested following
the AAFCO Feeding Trial Protocols. This means
that the product, or "lead" member of a "family" of
products, has been fed to dogs or cats under
strict guidelines and found to provide proper
nutrition. These products should bear the
nutritional adequacy statement "Animal feeding
tests using AAFCO procedures substantiate that
(name of product) provides complete and
balanced nutrition."
Regardless of the method used, the nutritional adequacy
statement will also state for which life stage(s) the product is
suitable, such as "for maintenance," or "for growth." A product
intended "for all life stages" meets the more stringent nutritional
needs for growth and reproduction. A maintenance ration will meet
the needs of an adult, non-reproducing dog or cat of normal
activity, but may not be sufficient for a growing, reproducing, or
hard-working animal. On the other hand, an all life stages ration
can be fed for maintenance. Although the higher levels of nutrients
would not be harmful to the healthy adult animal, they are not
really necessary. Occasionally a product may be labeled for a
more specific use or life stage, such as "senior" or for a specific
size or breed. However, there is little information as to the true
dietary needs of these more specific uses, and no rules governing
these types of statements have been established. Thus, a "senior"
diet must meet the requirements for adult maintenance, but no
more.
The Association of American Feed Control Officials
(AAFCO) is a voluntary membership association of local,
state and federal agencies charged by law to regulate the
sale and distribution of animal feeds and animal drug
remedies.
* Ensure consumer protection
* Safeguarding the health of animals and humans
* Providing a level playing field of orderly commerce for
the animal feed industry.
#8 Feeding Instructions
Feeding directions instruct the consumer on how much
product should be offered to the animal. At minimum,
they should include verbiage such as "feed ___ cups
per ___ pounds of body weight daily." On some small
cans, this may be all the information that can fit. The
feeding directions should be taken as rough guidelines,
a place to start.
If a calorie statement is made on the label, it must
be expressed on a "kilocalories per kilogram"
basis. Kilocalories are the same as the "Calories"
consumers are used to seeing on food labels. A
"kilogram" is a unit of metric measurement equal
to 2.2 pounds.
1 kilogram = 2.2 lbs
Other Label Claims
Many pet foods are labeled as "premium," and some
now are "super premium" and even "ultra premium."
Other products are touted as "gourmet" items.
Products labeled as premium or gourmet are not
required to contain any different or higher quality
ingredients, nor are they held up to any higher
nutritional standards than are any other complete and
balanced products.
The term "natural" is often used on pet food labels,
although that term does not have an official definition
either. For the most part, "natural" can be construed as
equivalent to a lack of artificial flavors, artificial
colors, or artificial preservatives in the product. As
mentioned above, artificial flavors are rarely employed
anyway. Artificial colors are not really necessary,
except to please the pet owner's eye. If used, they must
be from approved sources
Natural" is not the same as "organic." The latter term
refers to the conditions under which the plants were
grown or animals were raised. Farmers who grow
organic produce and meat don't use conventional
methods to fertilize, control weeds or prevent
livestock disease. For example, rather than using
chemical weedkillers, organic farmers may conduct
more sophisticated crop rotations and spread mulch or
manure to keep weeds at bay. Any product labeled as
organic must be USDA certified.
Meat is defined as “the clean
flesh of slaughtered animals and
is limited to ..striated muscle
with or without the
accompanying and overlying fat
and the portions of skin, sinew,
nerve and blood vessels that
normally accompany the flesh.
Meat meal is rendered product
from mammal tissues exclusive
of any added blood, hair, hide
trimmings, horn, manure,
stomach and stomach contents.
Therefore during the rendering
process it could contain parts of
animals we may not think of as
meat.
Meat By Product:
The non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from
slaughtered mammals. It includes, but is not limited to, lungs,
spleen, kidneys, brain, livers, blood, bone, partially defatted low
temperature fatty tissue, and stomachs and intestines freed of
their contents. It does not include hair, horns, teeth and hoofs. It
shall be suitable for use in animal food. If it bears name
descriptive of its kind, it must correspond thereto.
Chicken By-Product Meal - consists of the ground,
rendered, clean parts of the carcass of slaughtered chicken,
such as necks, feet, undeveloped eggs and intestines,
exclusive of feathers, except in such amounts as might occur
unavoidable in good processing practice.
Byproduct is not necessarily a negative thing.
Once an animal has been carved into specific cuts (ribeye, t-bone,
fillet etc)
The remaining animal cuts are process together and called by
products. It is generally better to look for by products that come
from a single species.