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Pet Food Regulations

Using the Regulation We Get to Our Advantage

The one thing that consumers can pretty much depend on in the regulation of pet food is the words and the numbers printed on a pet food label. It doesn’t sound like much, but actually it can be helpful to consumers.

The one thing that consumers can pretty much depend on in the regulation of pet food is the words and the numbers printed on a pet food label. It doesn’t sound like much, but actually it can be helpful to consumers.

To take full advantage of the enforcement we get, consumers need to understand a couple of things.

  1. The words (and numbers) on a pet food label are highly scrutinized by regulatory authorities, the website is not.
  2. Regulatory authorities consider pet food websites to be an extension of the pet food label.

With #1: The one thing consumers can pretty much depend on being regulated in pet food is the label; the words printed on a pet food label (misleading pictures are not enforced). On a yearly basis, pet food manufacturers are required to register each product they sell in each state they sell in – and labels for each product sold must be submitted for inspection. State authorities (most) have a check list of pertinent things that the label must include. If something required is missing, the label will be rejected – the product will not be able to be sold.

Things that the pet food label must include are intended species (such as for a cat or dog), Guaranteed analysis, quantity statement/weight, pet food company name and address, feeding directions, calorie content and a listing of ingredients.

And…to our advantage, regulatory authorities closely scrutinize any claims made on a pet food label…such as significant words to educated pet food consumers ‘USDA inspected and approved meat’ and ‘Human Grade’. If a claim is made on the actual pet food label – regulatory authorities require sufficient verification from the manufacturer to the validity of the claim.

As example…

Using this example of a Human Grade claim printed on the pet food label, consumers can trust that regulatory authorities have fully verified all ingredients are human edible, all supplements are human grade and the pet food is manufactured in a licensed human food facility.

But what about a website? With #2 mentioned above: Pet food regulatory authorities consider “brochures, point of sale materials, websites” to be an extension of the pet food label. In other words – pet food brochures, point of sale materials, and websites should abide by all label regulations and should be thoroughly inspected by regulatory authorities (emphasis on the word ‘should’). Using this example…

How does a consumer know if the claim of ‘USDA inspected meats’ is true?

Knowing that regulatory authorities closely scrutinize the actual label, not the website – to help verify if a claim touted on a website is true, check to see if the same claim is on the pet food label.

If there is no ‘USDA inspected meats’ claim on the actual pet food label, a consumer can safely assume the claim has not been verified by regulatory authorities. Before you believe the website claim, ask the company for proof. They CAN and SHOULD be able to provide you with certain verification of their claim (such as copies of quality guarantees from their suppliers, copies of recent invoices, and/or the USDA inspection number of the facility the meat is sourced from).

Remember, regulatory considers the website (and brochures) an extension of the pet food label; claims on a website are required by law to be truthful and the company is required by law to provide verification of that claim. If they don’t, report that pet food website to your State Department of Agriculture (you can find your state authority Here). Explain the pet food made a claim that they would not verify to you, ask for their assistance.

Pictures and Made in the USA claim

Unfortunately for pet food consumers, pictures of choice cuts of meat printed on a pet food label or displayed on a pet food website are NOT scrutinized by regulatory. Images that mislead consumers are a violation of pet food regulations, but authorities have chosen NOT to enforce these laws. As well, the Made in the USA claim is not scrutinized. Law requires the claim to mean all (or virtually all) ingredients including supplements originate from the US and the product itself to be made in the US. But…authorities have chosen NOT to enforce these laws.

Do not depend on the validity of pictures or Made in the USA claim on pet food labels or websites. Ask the pet food company for verification of the claim.

One more thing…

The claim ‘USDA inspected meats’ or ‘sourced from USDA facilities’ means absolutely nothing. These claims give consumers no guarantee to quality of ingredients. Rejected for use in human food meats are ‘inspected’ and fail inspection – they are not ‘inspected and approved’ for human consumption. Ingredients that fail inspection are ‘sourced from USDA facilities’. Don’t assume claims like these guarantee you a quality meat is being used in the pet food. The claim Human Grade or USDA inspected and approved – if verified – are your guarantee to quality.

 

Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,

Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
Association for Truth in Pet Food

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23 Comments

23 Comments

  1. Shannon

    March 30, 2017 at 10:30 am

    Even the Guaranteed Analysis on labels is meaningless. I have run into several instances of a pet food’s “maximum” value of something based on a Typical Nutrient Analysis being higher than the maximum level on the GA (which should not be). They claim they have a percentage of wiggle room. So that means the guaranteed max isn’t really the max!

    • Susan Thixton

      March 30, 2017 at 10:41 am

      Hi Shannon – actually the Guaranteed Analysis is something that regulatory authorities do check, and many states do random testing to confirm the GA minimum is as it claims. Here is a link to Missouri Department of Agriculture testing results of feed/pet food: https://data.mo.gov/Agriculture/Missouri-Department-of-Agriculture-feed-sample-tes/y9w9-qkg2/data There always could be ones that are not tested – but I know that most states are strict on that ‘guarantee’ (especially protein and fat minimum).

      • MK

        March 30, 2017 at 1:05 pm

        using the link and checking out Lotus, which is what I feed, the most concerning error, Id say was the Lotus Low fat cat food results having excess fat and lower on protein.

  2. Dr. Jean Hofve

    March 30, 2017 at 12:17 pm

    Well said! This is a confusing issue for consumers, thanks for helping provide clarity!

  3. Regina

    March 30, 2017 at 1:18 pm

    Shannon had a question similar to mine, that I think you partially answered.

    Basically, the labels are regulated to have all of the pertinent info, but, do they actually compare the label to what’s inside the bag or can????? If only random states do these tests, then what about the loads of foods that slip through that very tiny net?

    • Susan Thixton

      March 30, 2017 at 1:38 pm

      That is what the testing is for – to compare the ‘guarantee’ stated on the label to the results. It would be wonderful if regulatory could test more products, but they don’t have a budget to do that. Testing is expensive, even if done in a state lab. Guaranteed analysis and bacteria is about all they test for.

  4. Regina

    March 30, 2017 at 1:24 pm

    And, about that “made in USA” claim, why isn’t it regulated????? Seems simple enough (or am I just a simpleton!)

    Also, keep in mind, I see labels that say “crafted in our USA kitchens” — which I think is useless!! The recipe might have been formulated in a kitchen in the USA, but it could still be actually MADE somewhere else.

    But really, why do they have regulations if they are not going to be enforced????? Can you imagine if your local police decided to stop enforcing traffic laws?!??!?!

    • Susan Thixton

      March 30, 2017 at 1:39 pm

      No – you are not a simpleton. It is simple – so are the images. But…they don’t verify those things. I don’t know why.

  5. MK

    March 30, 2017 at 2:38 pm

    Correct me if I’m wrong, wouldnt a dog food that states human grade [meat] have to have the USDA seal on it?

    • Susan Thixton

      March 31, 2017 at 9:18 am

      The USDA does not regulate pet food – FDA and State Department of Agriculture does. Human grade pet foods could include the USDA seal, but the bodies that regulate pet food prefer them to use the term ‘human grade’. The USDA seal wouldn’t cover supplements used in the pet food, the ‘human grade’ claim would.

      • Sherrie Ashenbremer

        April 3, 2017 at 1:08 pm

        But if it sez HUMAN GRADE (like Honest Kitchen is Human Grade) then it really is Human Grade right? Which means we could eat it, of course I wouldn’t but a human could

        • Susan Thixton

          April 3, 2017 at 1:15 pm

          If it says Human Grade on the label – then yes, you can (fairly) safely assume the claim has been verified and a human could eat the food. It is held to the same safety standards as human food.

  6. Kyoko

    March 30, 2017 at 3:23 pm

    This article is terrific, Susan. It explains why the label sometimes has different information from the website. The Missouri Department of Agriculture webpage is great—I was looking for information like that. To make a right choice for our pets, we have to be able to trust that the information given by the food manufacturers is accurate. In addition to Missouri, do you know which states test pet food on a regular basis and make the test results available to the public? Thank you!

  7. GG

    March 30, 2017 at 4:31 pm

    Funny you don’t mention the most notorious case, where Blue Buffalo Pet Products Inc. agreed to pay $32 million to settle a class action lawsuit with customers of the pet food company over advertising claims about natural ingredients in its products. In reality its pet food contained poultry by-products, corn and artificial preservatives despite contrary claims. Any reason this landmark case isn’t mentioned?

    • Susan Thixton

      March 30, 2017 at 4:57 pm

      Because that lawsuit has nothing to do with this post. I wrote about the lawsuit and the battle along the way – but that lawsuit has nothing to do with the information in this post.

  8. Lori S.

    March 30, 2017 at 7:02 pm

    Really nice article, thanks!!

  9. Peter

    March 31, 2017 at 7:39 am

    There can also be a significant period of time between when a manufacturer changes ingredients or their proportions, and changes to the label itself. In that respect, the label can indeed be substantially “meaningless,” particularly to a consumer shopping to ensure for specific non-inclusion of certain ingredients.

  10. Terri Christenson Janson

    March 31, 2017 at 11:44 am

    Very Interesting article! Thank you!

  11. Reader

    April 1, 2017 at 3:49 am

    Prescription Canned Food (Hills) must be an exception. The label is written in several languages. While it doesn’t say “dog” food, there is a dog’s picture on the label. There are no feeding instructions (weight/ratio) so perhaps it’s intended for Vet’s specific direction. Sensitive Stomach (Z.D) is chicken based, it doesn’t say USDA anything (but when I called they said the chicken is fit for human consumption).

    • T Allen

      April 2, 2017 at 11:05 am

      There is no chicken in ZD. There is chicken liver but it is not “chicken based” as the first ingredient is corn. Here’s the list of ingredients per DogFood Advisor. http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/hills-prescription-diet-zd-dry/ My sensitive stomach dog made a complete permanent recovery when I removed wheat, corn, soy, dairy from his diet. I recommend Honest Kitchen base mix Preference and add your own meats. Way cheaper and healthier then a fake food diet which will eventually lead to diabetes.

      • Reader

        April 2, 2017 at 3:27 pm

        You’re looking at a bag of kibble. My comment referred to canned. The ingredients are water, chicken_liver which is hydrolyzed for easy digestion. Chicken is fit for Human consumption is used. Also corn starch (or gluten) which sounds bad. And cheaply handled corn IS bad (GMO, pesticides, mold, etc.). But is used in place of other problematic ingredients (wheat, soy, etc.). All PF needs some kind of binder, period. Except raw and dehydrated pure protein “toppers.”

        When THK first replaced alfalfa with peas, one of my dogs had real trouble! Eliminating the product didn’t stop the symptoms fast enough, which could’ve led to dehydration and worse. Once IBS is present, diet variety is harder. It can also recur, especially if the system doesn’t heal sufficiently. Z/D (prescription) permitted a period of relief (as many comments will attest). Prescription is not the same as OTC Science Diet!. Prescription food is not intended to be permanent! Though it’s use can be inappropriately monitored (as prior articles have discussed). The opportunity for healing is like people eating a bland, calming diet. And I was afraid (for that for the period of time required in his case) plain chicken and rice wouldn’t give him enough nutrients. As my original post said, he’s been on a full rotation diet for a long time now.

        Dogs (like people) can be specifically sensitive to all that you mention (particularly dairy). Limiting carbs is helpful to avoid triggering diabetes in dogs so inclined. But a carb (binder) will exist in all PF (except as mentioned). THK uses potatoes & peas. Which might be better, but only because of how corn is commercially grown, handled and stored (GMO, pesticide & mold). The ratio of a binder to protein is what’s important. Bad PF uses cheap (toxic) corn as a leading ingredient, and so the appropriate usefulness of a carb is negated.

        Chicken (inferior grade) can also make a sensitivity worse. But Z/D is formulated to help avoid doing so. The over use of ANY ingredient, formula, recipe or meal, can overload a dog’s digestive process. They were designed to handle (and are supported by) variety. Carbs of any kind can lead to obesity (when unbalanced, over fed or inactivity occurs) and possibly to diabetes. THK (certified human grade) is better than “fake” food. Because clean ingredients go along with the addition of wholesome pure protein. That ratio can be controlled. In a retail sense, it is not way cheaper by a long shot. Except for the peace of mind it provides, and the idea of fewer Vet trips. Spot Farms is a promising alternative (lower price point, tied in with Purdue chicken, human grade ingredients, finer texture for digestibility and easier rehydration). https://spotfarmspet.com/our-food/

        (No, I don’t sell any product or benefit from promotion).

  12. T Allen

    April 2, 2017 at 11:05 am

    Great explanation Susan! Will be a good reference article to refer people to!

  13. Anonymous

    April 3, 2017 at 1:17 pm

    It sounds like there are a lot of consumers here who are angry about “Made in the USA” claims that are false. And the truth is that most vitamin packs are made with Chinese ingredients (Merrick was recently sued on this). And consumers should be mad about being misled that their meat is “USDA graded” when its not. There are a lot of attorneys out there who will gladly take the case. Sometimes the way to train big pet is by making them feel it financially (like what happened to Blue Buffalo).
    So consumers, if you know something to be false, or suspect it, use the legal system to make big pet listen!

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