Learn About Pet Food Labels : Part 2

by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

(Page 2 of 3)

Manufacturer's Name and Address

The "manufactured by" statement identifies the party responsible for the quality and safety of the product and its location. A consumer who has a question or complaint about a product should not hesitate to contact the manufacturer. Many manufacturers also include an "800" telephone number on the label for consumer inquiries.

Ingredient List

As mentioned, ingredients are required to be listed in their proper order of predominance by weight. The weights of ingredients are determined as they are added in the formulation, with their inherent water content. This is important when evaluating relative quantity claims, especially when ingredients of different moisture contents are compared.

For example, one pet food may list "chicken" as its first ingredient, and "corn" as its second. The manufacturer doesn't hesitate to point out that its competitor lists "corn" first (chicken meal is second). However, chicken is very high in moisture (approximately 75 percent water). On the other hand, water and fat are removed from chicken meal, so it is only 10 percent moisture. Comparing both products on a dry matter basis, the second product has more chicken meal than the first product has chicken.

That is not to say that the second product has more chicken, or in fact, any chicken at all. Chicken meal is not chicken per se, since all the fat and water have been removed by rendering.

Ingredients must be listed by their "common or usual" name. Most ingredients on pet food labels have a corresponding common definition in the AAFCO official publication. For example, "meat" is defined as the "clean flesh of slaughtered mammals and is limited to œ the striate muscle œ with or without the accompanying and overlying fat and the portions of the skin, sinew, nerve and blood vessels which normally accompany the flesh." On the other hand, "meat meal" is "the rendered product from mammal tissues, exclusive of any added blood, hair, horn, hide trimmings, manure, stomach and rumen contents." Meat meal may not be very pleasing to think about eating, even though it's probably more nutritious, but the distinction must be made in the ingredient list.

Further down the ingredient list, the "common or usual" names become less common or usual to most consumers. The majority of ingredients with chemical-sounding names are, in fact, vitamins, minerals, or other nutrients. Other possible ingredients include artificial colors, stabilizers, and preservatives. All must be either "Generally Recognized as Safeœ (GRAS) or approved food additives for their intended uses. When there are health risks with an ingredient, FDA takes appropriate action.

Guaranteed Analysis

At minimum, a pet food label must state guarantees for minimum percentages of crude protein and crude fat, and maximum percentages of crude fiber and moisture. The "crude" term refers to the specific method of testing the product, not to the quality of the nutrient itself.

Some manufacturers include guarantees for other nutrients as well. Maximum ash is often guaranteed, especially on cat foods. Cat foods commonly bear guarantees for taurine and magnesium as well. For dog foods, minimum levels of calcium, phosphorus, sodium, and linoleic acid are found on some products. If the guarantees don't include information on a particular nutrient that you're interested in, ask the company or don't buy the product.

The levels of crude protein and most other nutrients are much lower for the canned product than for a comparable dry product due to differences in moisture contents. Canned foods typically contain 75 to 78 percent moisture, while dry foods contain only 10 to 12 percent water. A rough approximation of comparable nutrient levels of a canned and dry product can be made by multiplying the guarantees for the canned product by four.

When buying a canned food, look at the moisture guarantee. The maximum moisture content for a pet food is 78 percent, except for products labeled as a "stew," "in sauce," "in gravy," or similar terms. The extra water gives the product the qualities necessary for appropriate texture and fluidity, but you are paying for it.

Nutritional Adequacy Statement

Manufacturers must substantiate the nutritional adequacy of a "complete and balanced" pet food by one of two means. By the first method, the pet food must contain ingredients formulated to provide nutrient levels established by the AAFCO dog or cat nutrient profile. (The recommendations of the National Research Council [NRC] are no longer used as the basis for nutritional adequacy. If a pet food label claims "meets or exceeds NRC," it means the product is old or the manufacturer has yet to comply with the new model regulations.)

The alternative means of substantiating nutritional adequacy is for the product to be tested following the AAFCO Feeding Trial Protocols. These products should bear a nutritional adequacy statement that begins, "Animal feeding tests œ." However, not all products that bear the claim are the ones actually tested. Some may be members of a "family" formulated to be nutritionally similar or superior to the product tested. Because of some concerns regarding the application of the family concept by manufacturers, AAFCO is considering new model regulations.

The nutritional adequacy statement also tells for which life stage(s) the product is suitable. 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 higher levels of nutrients are not harmful to the healthy adult animal, they are not really necessary.

About the Author

www.fda.gov
FDA is A United States government body that oversees medical devices, including contact lenses, intraocular lenses, excimer lasers and eyedrops. In the US, these products must be approved by the FDA before they can be marketed.