Using Pet Food Labels and Product Guides

• Pet food labels are regulated by the FDA, USDA, and AAFCO.
• The principal display panel, or front panel, of pet food is meant to communicate the nature of product and draw consumer attention.
• The principal display panel must have the name of the product, intended species, and the net quantity.
• The product name of a pet food is strictly regulated.
• The 25 percent rule says that if a food is labeled something like a lamb and rice dinner, then 25 percent of the food must be lamb and rice, and the lamb is either equal to or greater than the amount of rice in the food.
• Rules with the product name are the 25 percent rule and the with rule.
• Product names often use words with no definition, like premium and organic.
• Product names do use words with definitions, like light, low calorie, and lean.
• The back panel of pet food includes nutritional adequacy, ingredient declaration, nutritional levels or guaranteed analysis, company's contact information, and feeding directions and guidelines
• Nutritional adequacy tells which species and life stages the food is for.
• Ingredient declaration must have the ingredients listed in descending order before cooking. May include ingredient splitting
• Nutrient levels or guaranteed analysis tell the minimum percentage of crude protein, minimum percentage of crude fat, maximum percentage of crude fat, maximum percentage of crude fiber, and maximum percentage of moisture.
• Feeding directions and guidelines are measured in weight per unit of product for weight of animal.
• Caloric content can be put on the back panel of pet food, but it is not a requirement.
• Product brochures and guides are a repository of information. They contain key nutritional information. For Rx food, it has indications and counter indications.
• To calculate a food's content on dry matter basis 100 - moisture = x/100. For example, for a food with 25 percent protein as fed and 10 percent moisture. 25 percent / [(100-10)/100] = 25/.9 or 27.78 percent protein dry matter.
• Most dry food is 10 percent, so it has .9 dry matter basis.
• Most canned food is 75 percent, so it has .25 dry matter basis.
• Packaging and product guides provide required and at times useful nutritional information about foods.
• Nutrition amounts, ingredient lists, feeding guidelines, and product guide recommendations can all be useful in selecting the best food patients.