Test Your Knowledge of Pet Food Regulations

Yes, pet food regulations are boring and tedious to read. But...the more pet owners understand about how the pet food is regulated (and unregulated), the easier it is to find a quality pet food.

Take the quiz, see how well you do! Further explanation of each question is below.

 

Who regulates pet food?

Pet food is regulated on two levels.

FDA & AAFCO USDA & State Department of Agriculture FDA & State Department of Agriculture

Which ingredient is the most commonly used in pet foods (based on pounds used)? Chicken Chicken meal Chicken by-product meal Corn

What is the minimum amount of chicken required to be included in a pet food named ‘with Chicken’?

The name of this pet food includes the word “with”. Pet food regulations require a minimum amount of the named ingredient (in this instance ‘chicken’) when the word ‘with’ is included in the name.

3% 5% 12%

True or False: Puppy foods and Kitten foods are required to meet the All Life Stages Nutrient Profile (they do not have a separate/unique nutrient profile). True False

True or False: When a pet food manufacturer performs an AAFCO Feeding Trial, the feeding trial results are submitted to AAFCO for approval. True. False.

What is the minimum percentage of chicken required in a pet food named Chicken Recipe, Chicken Formula, or Chicken Dinner?

Pet food regulations require a minimum amount of the named ingredient (in this instance ‘chicken’) when the descriptors such as Formula, Recipe or Dinner are included in the name.

3% 10% 25%

True or False: The FDA openly allows pet foods to source ingredients from diseased animals and animals that have died other than by slaughter. True. False.

True or False: Pet food regulations require images on pet food labels to accurately portray the pet food’s ingredients. True. False.

What are the legal requirements of a pet food labeled as Human Grade? All ingredients are human edible. All ingredients are human edible, and manufacturing facility is licensed for human food production. All ingredients are human edible, manufacturing facility is licensed for human food production, and ingredients are transported and warehoused per human food requirements..

What is the minimum required protein percentage for Adult Cat Foods? Adult Cat Food 26% Adult Cat Food 22% Adult Cat Food 20%

What is the minimum required protein percentage for Adult Dog Foods? Adult Dog Food 18% Adult Dog Food 24% Adult Dog Food 28%

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How Pet Food is Regulated

Pet food is regulated on a federal level by FDA and a state level by State Department of Agriculture. AAFCO is not a regulatory agency, they do not regulate any part of pet food. The USDA does not regulate pet food, however the agency used to have a Certified Pet Food program which required all ingredients to be human edible.

Most Commonly Used Ingredient

According to an industry report, almost 1 million tons more corn is used to make pet foods than any other ingredient.

‘With’ Included in the Pet Food Name

AAFCO regulations require a minimum of 3% of the product weight exclusive of water added for processing.

Puppy Foods and Kitten Foods

Puppy Foods and Kitten Foods, classified by AAFCO as “Growth“, are required to meet the Nutrient Profile All Life Stages. There is a small change for puppy foods formulated for large breed puppies, which are required to contain slightly less calcium. AAFCO has two Nutrient Profiles: Adult Maintenance and All Life Stages.

Feeding Trials

While AAFCO established the requirements for a Feeding Trial, AAFCO does not certify the results. No regulatory authority or third party is required to validate the results.

Recipe, Formula, Dinner

AAFCO regulations require a minimum of 10% of the named ingredient (10% of the product weight exclusive of water added for processing) when descriptors Recipe, Formula, Dinner or similar are used in the name.

Diseased Animals and Animals that have died other than by slaughter

Even though federal law prohibits the use of diseased animals and animals that have died other than by slaughter in any food (human food or animal food), the FDA is solely responsible for allowing these types of ingredients in pet food. FDA states: “we do not believe that the use of diseased animals or animals that died otherwise than by slaughter to make animal food poses a safety concern and we intend to continue to exercise enforcement discretion.”

We (Association for Truth in Pet Food) have petitioned FDA on numerous occasions regarding their allowance of these illegal ingredients in pet food, requesting the agency to stop allowing them – or at the very least require disclosure on pet food labels in order for pet owners to understand what they are purchasing. All of our attempts thus far have been rejected by FDA.

Again, these types of ingredients are a direct violation of federal law – but the FDA allows them in pet food without your knowledge.

Pet Food Label Images

Pet food regulations state: “A vignette, graphic, or pictorial representation on a pet food label shall not misrepresent the contents of the package.”

Even though many pet food labels are in clear violation of this rule, no regulatory authority enforces it. FDA and all state authorities allow images on pet food labels to mislead pet owners.

Legal Requirements of Human Grade Pet Food

The legal requirements of Human Grade Pet Food are: “Every ingredient and the resulting product are stored, handled, processed, and transported in a manner that is consistent and compliant with regulations for current good manufacturing practices (cGMPs) for human edible foods as specified in 21 CFR (Code of Federal Regulations) Part 117.”

Minimum Required Protein Cat Food

The AAFCO Nutrient Profile for Adult Cats requires a minimum protein percentage of 26%. The AAFCO Nutrient Profile for All Life Stages (including kittens) requires a minimum protein percentage of 30%.

Minimum Required Protein Dog Food

The AAFCO Nutrient Profile for Adult Dogs requires a minimum protein percentage of 18%. The AAFCO Nutrient Profile for All Life Stages (including puppies) requires a minimum protein percentage of 22.5%.

Susan Thixton
Pet Food Consumer Advocate
TruthaboutPetFood.com
Association for Truth in Pet Food

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