When out shopping for the perfect food for your pet, you may find yourself going cross-eyed at the terms and ingredients on the labels. Not to mention the variations in pet food, such as a food that is wet, dry, semi-moist or age specific.
Want more information on Dog Food Machine? Feel free to contact us.
Really, the truth is in the wording and deciphering the good foods from the not so good can be tricky. But try not to worry! Weve got you covered in this article as were going over the tips and tricks to reading and understanding pet food labels.
First off, most dog food companies have a standard format of listed items as well as the way they label things.
Typically all labels will include the following:
All dog foods should be tested and guaranteed of their nutritional adequacy by both the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and AAFCO (Association of Animal Feed Control Officials).
Having the backing of these government agencies is crucial when looking for a food to give your dog, however, its important to understand that most of the FDA and AAFCOs rules are based on specific wording. These wording loopholes make it easy for companies to produce a food that looks good on label but isnt necessarily a great diet for your pet.
Its proven that attractive packaging and better marketing techniques will play a large role in the popularity of a certain diet. Oftentimes, owners only really look for a specific ingredient, or terminology, on the bag of food. This way of shopping has led many companies to only highlight the more demanding ingredient or add a fanciful, yet unimportant word to entice owners to buy.
Essentially, pet food labels are all about the way the company words things and the percentages of the ingredients are dictated by AAFCOs 4 main rules about product names.
Now, lets get into exactly what all of this means!
This rule implies that 95% of the named ingredient such as chicken for dogs or salmon for cats must include at least 95% of that ingredient in the products total weight. When adding the water that is used in the diet, the named ingredient must be no less than 70% of the foods total weight.
If the product has two different proteins on the bag, the first ingredient named must be the one that respectively weighs the most. The remaining 5% of the diet should include the vitamins, minerals, nutrients and other minor ingredients that are provided in the food.
If youve noticed some of the food labels at the pet store saying chicken dinner for dogs or tuna entree for cats, these diets are using the 25% rule.
This rule implies that the named protein makes up at least 25% of the product listed, but is less than 95%. When these diets fall under that category, they must label their food with a specific qualifying word, typically being words like: dinner, entree, nuggets, platter or formula.
The weight of added fluid is also important in these foods as the named ingredient only has to be a minimum of 10% of the total weight when the water is counted, instead of 25%.
Another problem about wording is that when a diet says, chicken dinner for dogs it doesnt mean that chicken is the primary protein. Because the named ingredient only has to be 25% of the total diet, it will not necessarily be the most prominent ingredient in the food.
Also known as the 3% rule, any diet that includes the term with such as Cat entree with tuna only has to have a minimum of 3% of that named ingredient. This means that it is quite easy for owners to misread or confuse other foods such as chicken food for cats which would include 95% chicken and cat entree with chicken which only has a minor 3% instead.
With the flavor rule, dog food companies are not required to have a specific percentage of an ingredient, only that it must be sufficiently detected. These rules also apply to the way that the word flavor is written on the label. It must be the same size, style and color as the named and labeled protein.
Essentially, only the digest of the protein, which are natural materials that are treated with heat, enzymes or acids in order to create a concentrated and natural flavor, must be included and no actual whole protein is in the diet.
The net quantity is telling the consumer how much product is inside the container. This can include the liquid measurement, the weight or the count of the diet. All foods must include the quantity of their product according to the FDA.
It is crucial for owners to be checking that detail as wording such as lite can just mean that the kibble is puffed up with air and the canned foods can look deceivingly similar even when they are dramatically different in weight.
The FDA requires that pet food labels display the minimum amount of nutrients as well as the maximum amount of moisture and crude fiber that the diet contains. They must also display the amount of crude protein, crude fat, crude fiber and water.
Are you interested in learning more about dog treat manufacturing? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!
The diets must also support specific guarantees such as low-fat, grain-free or if they include vitamins or mineral supplements.
The ingredient list is the most important thing for owners to be reading when looking for a pet food. AAFCO has some strict rules regarding the ingredients:
An important note to mention is that animal by-products are not necessarily bad, but many owners are under the impression that it is something to avoid with pet food. On the contrary, by-products include parts of the body such as liver, heart, bones and other tissue and organs that are rich in healthy nutrients that our pets enjoy eating.
Owners should avoid feeding grain free diets or any diets containing a large amount of legumes (chickpeas, lentils, etc.) as these diets are increasingly associated with developing certain types of heart failure at young ages.
The nutritional adequacy statement helps to identify the stage of life that the diet is meant for, which could be gestation/lactation, growth, maintenance and all life stages, according to AAFCO. Many consumers dont realize that when a diet touts the claim of balanced and complete it really only means that the company has met specific FDA and AAFCO standards and that the diet is approved for all life stages of an adult dog or cat.
The feeding directions are a general guideline and your pets breed, temperament, environment and spay/neuter status will affect how much your pet will need to eat.
Typically, the directions are labeled under the recommended measured amount of food per cup, based on your pets current or ideal weight.
If you are unsure of how much to feed, feel free to reach out to your vet for their advice.
The number of calories in a product is roughly related to the amount of fat that is present in the diet. However, the amount of components that dont have calories such as fiber or water can sometimes throw these numbers off.
Calorie statements must be shown as kilocalories (KCals) per kilogram. Kilocalories are the same as calories.
Another quick bit of pet food label terminology to look out for is when brands have statements such as premium or even natural. When companies claim that their diet is premium in any way, they are the same as any regular food and are not held to any kind of higher standard of formula or design. Essentially they throw some more fancy words around that have no meaning, hoping that consumers will buy them.
The term natural just implies that no artificial flavors or preservatives were used in their diets. But really, it is extremely rare for companies to use artificial flavors in the first place. These diets must also be free of dyes.
When pet food companies use the word organic that is only referring to the way that the vegetables or proteins in the diet were grown or raised. There is currently no government regulation on the labeling of organic ingredients in pet foods.
The label on a bag of pet food contains important and vital information about what youre feeding your dog or cat. But, you just have to know how to read it! By keeping yourself well-informed and free of the negative marketing influence that comes with food manufacturers, you will be a savvy and more educated pet owner and label interpreter for the future.
Before you go If you enjoyed this post, you probably love pets as much as we do! Did you know that you can sponsor a pet in need each month with a Nose to Tail Team donation and receive a limited-edition tote bag? Join our Nose to Tail Team and help a pet family get the care they need each month for just $0.54 a day.
For more information, please visit Puff Snacks Extruder.