Reading a Pet Food Label

Reading a Pet Food Label

Required Information:

*Several rules concerning the percent of ingredient present exist and these determine how the product name can be stated.    For example, each of these statements has a different meaning and is subject to a different naming rule: "Chicken Dog Food," "Chicken Recipe Dog Food," "Dog Food with Chicken," and "Chicken Flavor Dog Food."   In the label above for Chicken & Rice Formula the 25% rule applies.  At least 25% of the food must be made up of the indicated ingredients (chicken, rice) with the ingredient listed first (chicken) having the greatest amount among the ingredients in the product name listed with a descriptor such as “dinner,” “formula,” “entrée”, or “recipe” (Fascetti, AJ and Delaney, SJ 2012).

**The minimum percent of crude protein and crude fat, and the maximum percent of crude fiber and moisture are always required in the guaranteed analysis.  Depending on manufacturer label claims other nutrients may be listed.  It is important to note that the guaranteed analysis is generally listed on an as fed basis; however, to make adequate comparisons to other pet foods you must convert to a dry matter basis (see sample calculations below).

***The ingredients must be listed by weight on an as formulated basis.  The ingredients must be Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS), approved food additives, or sanctioned animal feed ingredients such as those as defined by AAFCO.

Terms related to pet food to know and understand:

As-Fed (AF) – refers to how food is generally fed to an animal (it includes moisture). 

&

Dry Matter (DM) – refers to the part of the food left after water removed.

% Dry matter = 100% - % Water

Use these formulas to convert from a dry matter percent to an as fed percent and from an as fed percent to dry matter percent:

% nutrient (dry) = % nutrient (as fed)/% dry matter x 100

% nutrient (as fed) = % nutrient (dry) x (% dry matter)/100

For example from the label above there is a minimum of 28% crude protein (CP) and I want to know the % CP in dry matter.

First I need to figure out the %DM of the food:

%DM = 100% - % Water (listed as moisture on guaranteed analysis)

%DM = 100% - 12% water

%DM = 88%

Then I can calculate %CP on a dry matter basis.

% nutrient (as fed) = % nutrient (dry) x (% dry matter/100)

28% CP = ____% CP x (88%/100)

28% CP = ____%CP x 0.88

%CP on a dry matter basis = 32%

Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) – establish current guidelines for pet food labeling including nutritional standards for complete and balanced pet foods.  These guidelines are generally adopted by state legislatures as law (Fascetti, AJ and Delaney, SJ 2012).

State Feed Control Official – regulates pet food to ensure laws and established rules are complied with so that unadulterated and correctly labeled products are sold (http://petfood.aafco.org/NutritionalLabeling.aspx).

Meat – muscle tissue from slaughtered mammals but may include overlying fat, skin, sinew, nerve, and blood vessels.  It may include the heart muscle, diaphragm, tongue, and the esophagus.  It does not include bone.  The manufacturer may identify species, but if “meat” is used without identifying species it must be from cattle, pigs, sheep, or goats.  If it comes from any other mammal, the species must be identified.  Also, if the muscle is from non-mammalian species, such as poultry or fish, it cannot be declared as "meat” (http://www.aafco.org/Consumers/What-is-in-Pet-Food).

Meat by-products – the non-rendered, clean parts, other than muscle tissue, derived from slaughtered mammals.  It may include lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, livers, blood, bone, partially de-fatted low temperature fatty tissue, and stomachs and intestines freed of their contents.  It does not include hair, horns, teeth and hoofs.  Unless the by-products are derived from cattle, pigs, sheep or goats, the species must be identified (http://www.aafco.org/Consumers/What-is-in-Pet-Food).

Poultry – the clean combination of flesh and skin with or without accompanying bone, derived from the parts and/or whole carcasses of poultry.  It does not include feathers, heads, feet and entrails.  If bone has been removed it may be listed as “deboned” (http://www.aafco.org/Consumers/What-is-in-Pet-Food).

Poultry by-products – must consist of non-rendered clean parts of carcasses of slaughtered poultry such as heads, feet, and internal organs, free from fecal content and foreign matter (http://www.aafco.org/Consumers/What-is-in-Pet-Food).

Rendering – process where the materials are subject to heat and pressure (cooking), destroying disease-causing bacteria and removing most of the water and fat and leaving primarily protein and minerals.   In the case of “meal” the products are ground to form uniform sized particles (http://www.aafco.org/Consumers/What-is-in-Pet-Food).

Meat meal – rendered product from mammalian tissues.  It does not include blood, hair, hoof, horn, hide trimmings, manure, stomach, and rumen contents.  This ingredient may be from mammals other than cattle, pigs, sheep or goats without further description. However, a manufacturer may identify species if appropriate (http://www.aafco.org/Consumers/What-is-in-Pet-Food).

Meat and bone meal – rendered product from mammalian tissues, including bone.  It does not include blood, hair, hoof, horn, hide trimmings, manure, stomach, and rumen contents (http://www.aafco.org/Consumers/What-is-in-Pet-Food).

Animal by-product meal – rendered product from mammalian tissues.  It does not include hair, hoof, horn, hide trimmings, manure, stomach and rumen contents.  This ingredient is not intended to be used to label a mixture of animal tissue products.  It may consist of whole carcasses, but often includes by-products in excess of what would normally be found in "meat meal" and "meat and bone meal" (http://www.aafco.org/Consumers/What-is-in-Pet-Food).

Poultry by-product meal – the ground, rendered clean parts of the carcasses of poultry such as necks, feet, undeveloped eggs and intestines.  It does not include feathers.  It is similar to "poultry by-products," but most of the water and fat has been removed to make a concentrated protein/mineral ingredient (http://www.aafco.org/Consumers/What-is-in-Pet-Food).

Poultry meal – dry rendered product from a combination of clean flesh and skin with or without accompanying bone, derived from the parts and/or whole carcasses of poultry.  It does not include feathers, heads, feet, and entrails.  It is similar to "poultry," but most of the water and fat has been removed to make a concentrated protein/mineral ingredient (http://www.aafco.org/Consumers/What-is-in-Pet-Food).

-Jennifer D'Amato-Anderson, MS (Animal Nutrition)