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Dog Food Labeling
& Dog Food Regulations

Dog food labeling and dog food regulation requirements may not be at the top of your priority list but they are absolutely a top priority in ensuring that what your dog is eating is safe and that the dog food contains the required nutritional ingredients.

Unfortunately without rules and regulations to monitor the manufacturing and to ensure that the dog food is labeled accurately, your dog could and would be eating anything.

To ensure dog food safety, there are currently three different agencies that watch over the dog food industry.

Food and Drug Administration Center For Veterinary Medicine Pet Food
The FDA division for Veterinary Medicine of course deals with animals and one of their functions is to make sure that the ingredients that are used in pet food are safe. The ingredients in pet food must also serve a functional purpose such as nutrition, flavor or vitamins and minerals. Any additional substances such as preservatives or additives must be specifically approved before they can be added.
FDA rules also state that the dog food must be processed and not contaminated with microorganisms. Which means it must also be produced in sanitary conditions, safe to eat and truthfully labeled. The ingredients on the dog food label must also be listed in order of weight of the ingredients. They also evaluate the health claims that are stated on the dog food label.

Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) AAFCO is not a government agency like the FDA, instead its members are made up of state and federal employees from various agencies and employees from pet food companies. They have additional rules and dog food label regulations on top of the FDA regulations for pet foods. However, dog food regulations vary from state to state and not all states agree to AAFCO regulations.
The AAFCO require dog food to obtain the AAFCO Nutritional Adequacy Statement in order for them to utilize the term “complete and balanced” on their packaging. It's basically their way of guaranteed compliance for nutritional standards and statements and ingredients.
If a dog food product acquires the AAFCO Nutritional Adequacy Statement, it has met the Nutritional Profile based on the laboratory testing or it has successfully passed a feeding trial on live dogs.
Currently there are only two specific Nutrient Profiles being used:
- Adult Maintenance
- Growth, Lactation and Reproduction
Pet Food Institute
The Pet Food Institute is the voice of the U.S. Pet food manufacturers. It handles the industry's public education and media relations and a representative before the U.S. Congress and state and federal agencies. They organize informational seminars and educational programs and coordinate with other organizations. The PFI represents 98% of all dog and cat food manufacturers in the U.S.
PFI dedicates itself to the following:
- Promote overall care and well being of pets
- Support initiatives to advance the quality of dog and cat food
- Support research in pet nutrition and the important role of pets in our society
- Informing and educating the public on pet proper feeding and pet care
- Representing the pet food industry before Federal and State governments

So we've discussed the agencies that are regulating the dog food industry, but even with the regulations, it's important to know what you are looking at on your dog food labels and what the rules are, because not everything is what it appears to be.

The first set of dog food labeling rules comes from the FDA and must list the following information:

The product must be identified as a dog food
The weight, volume or count of the dog food
Name and location of the manufacturer
Listing of all ingredients by their common name
Listing of all ingredients in descending order by weight

What's Missing

So with all of these rules and regulations in place, does this guarantee a quality dog food product? One of the first things I should mention is that AAFCO statements only appear on commercial dog foods, which means the natural diets and homemade diets can not be compared.

The dog food labeling rules also do not take into account nutritional needs based on different dog needs. Obviously there will be different needs between a Border Collie that's working cattle and a small toy poodle that spends their days in the house being pampered.

The point is that an AAFCO Nutrient Profile only gives an average standard for the dog food manufactures to shoot for, so if they put the same average amount of protein, vitamins, minerals, fat etc. in each dog food, then how can that possibly be the best quality for your dog and your neighbor's dog and his neighbor's dog?

Now certainly there is no way the dog food industry could possibly make a dog food for each an every dog but making carbon copy dog foods is also not the answer. Obviously there still needs to be further changes to address the quality of the ingredients and not just the quantities of the dog food.

The fillers and carbohydrates in dog foods need to be addressed as they are generally responsible for over half of the make up of the dog food and yet hold little nutritional value for your dog. The other concern here is how the unknown ingredients affect your dog's health and specifically their digestion.

I would encourage you to continue to read your dog's food labels thoroughly and make your feelings as a consumer known. Although many dog food manufacturers are making quality changes on their own, the need for new regulations and labeling rules is way past due. Your dogs can't speak for themselves!

Here are a few of the statements that are used on dog food labels that can be misleading:

With Chicken Flavor – Flavor is detectable but doesn't have to have any actual Chicken meant present in the product.

With Salmon – The product contains at least 3% salmon. So if you buy a product that says “now with real beef” it may only have 3% real beef in it!

Beef Dinner – The product must contain at least 25% Beef.

Liver For Dogs – At least 95% of the product must be liver or 70% including water

There are many other label statements you should be cautious of. Here are just a few:Organic Dog Food, Natural Dog Food, Gourmet Dog Food, Premium Dog Food – A product can say organic but it doesn't necessarily mean it's 100 percent organic.Artificial Flavors, Calories, Antioxidants – All vary with with manufacturers and products

With time and our insistence the dog food industry will improve their labeling and their products. In the mean time, take control of your dog's food health and make a informed decision and read those labels!

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