There is no legally established nutritional profile specific for puppy or kitten foods in the US. There is no legally established nutritional profile specific for senior pets, overweight pets or breed specific pet foods in the US.
In the US, for a pet food to be classified as ‘Complete and Balanced’ they are required to either meet the nutritional requirements of an AAFCO Nutrient Profile or have completed an AAFCO Feeding Trial. With either of these methods – to substantiate a complete and balanced diet, the pet foods are divided into two different categories – Adult Maintenance or All Life Stages.
Adult Maintenance cat and dog foods are formulated for the nutritional needs of an adult pet – although AAFCO requirements do not specifically define ‘adult’ – specifically define what age a pet would be considered an adult.
On the other hand, All Life Stages cat and dog foods are formulated for the nutritional needs of an adult pet, a puppy or kitten, a pregnant cat or dog, and/or a senior pet. AAFCO defines All Life Stages as “gestation/lactation, growth, and adult maintenance life stages.”
Pet food labels are required to disclose how they are formulated, whether they were formulated to All Life Stages Nutrient Profiles or Adult Maintenance Nutrient Profiles. AAFCO regulations state:
“(Name of product) is formulated to meet the nutrition levels established by the AAFCO Dog (or Cat) Food Nutrient Profiles for _____________. (Blank is to be completed by using the stage or stages of the pet’s life, such as gestation/lactation, growth, maintenance or the words ‘All Life Stages’.)“
However, finding this required disclosure statement on a pet food label or website can often be challenging.
Such as…
On the Purina website, the Purina Kitten Chow webpage displays the front and the back of the label where we could not locate the required disclosure statement.
In our search on the Purina website, we found the required formulation statement when we downloaded the “full ingredient list” pdf. On this Purina document it states “Kitten Chow Healthy Development With Real Chicken is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Cat Food Nutrient Profiles for all life stages.”
Why this disclosure is important for pet owners to know.
Marketing of pet foods can be a huge source of confusion for pet owners. Marketing can make pet owners believe – as example – a kitten or puppy food was specifically formulated for kittens or puppies when actually the pet food is legally required to meet the same AAFCO Nutrient Profile that some adult foods are formulated to meet (All Life Stages).
If you have a puppy or kitten, you are NOT limited to purchasing a pet food that is specifically labeled as puppy or kitten food. Any pet food that is labeled as All Life Stages is formulated to the exact same nutritional profile as a pet food that is labeled specific for puppies or kittens.
*The one exception to the above would be for a Large Breed puppy. Large Breed Puppy Foods are required to contain less maximum calcium than foods for adults.
Pet foods marketed as Kitten/Puppy or Senior could be more expensive than a pet food marketed as an Adult Food – when they could be formulated to the same All Life Stages Nutrient Profile.
Wading through the marketing confusion.
Pet foods that state “Growth” are formulated to the All Life Stages nutrient profile.
Pet foods labeled for Senior pets could be formulated to the All Life Stages nutrient profile or the Adult Maintenance.
Pet foods for adult animals could be formulated to the All Life Stages or Adult Maintenance nutrient profile.
Below are the AAFCO Adult Maintenance and All Life Stages Nutrient Profiles for Cat Foods and Dog Foods based on calories. (The first column is required nutrient, second column is unit per 1,000 kcal, third column is for All Life Stages/Growth & Reproduction minimum requirements, forth column is for Adult Maintenance minimum requirements, and the fifth column is the few AAFCO maximum levels established for both Nutrient Profiles.)
Cat Foods
Dog Foods
Pet foods labeled for a specific life stage (puppy/kitten, senior) or breed specific could have some tweaks believed by the manufacturer to best meet the needs of the specific life stage/breed, BUT – legally they are required to meet the same two AAFCO Nutrient Profiles – Adult Maintenance or All Life Stages.
Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
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Kyle
April 26, 2024 at 1:19 pm
Would you be able to re-upload the nutrient profiles with a higher-resolution image?
Susan Thixton
April 28, 2024 at 10:02 am
Here is the link to the AAFCO document: https://truthaboutpetfood.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Model_Bills_and_Regulations_Agenda_Midyear_2015_Final_Attachment_A.__Proposed_revisions_to_AAFCO_Nutrient_Profiles_PFC_Final_0702146.pdf
Kyle
May 2, 2024 at 11:36 am
Thank you, Susan. It’s immensely appreciated.