Understanding Dog Food Labels

The recent pet food recalls have been a wake-up call for dog
owners. Because of this, we all need to learn more about how to
interpret dog food labels. This article provides some of the
most basic regulations related to labeling of commercial dog
foods.

First of all, it is important to note that AAFCO, The
Association of American Feed Control Officials is not a
government agency. Rather, it is an advisory board of
representatives. The members of this board include some state
and federal representatives as well as people directly involved
in the pet food industry.

AAFCO provides useful information about diets and definitions
of food terms. However, the AAFCO does not police the pet food
industry.

The AAFCO board of representatives have designed testing
procedures that must be performed before a particular label
claim can be made. Pet food manufacturers may choose whether to
conduct their own feed trials, or rely on laboratory analysis of
the food to substantiate their claims. Pet food companies do not
have to conform to AAFCO standards in order to sell their
products. However, if they do subscribe, it will be stated on
the label.

A key to understanding the contents of any particular dog food
is fundamental to the knowledge of the basic regulations related
to labeling.

*The product name is the first part of the label noticed by us
consumers, and can be a key factor in whether or not to buy the
product. If the food label name includes the word "dinner,"
"formula," or "nuggets" (or similar words), the ingredient
specified must not be less than 25% of the total weight.
(Example: a label worded,"Lamb and Rice Formula" must be at
least 25% of these 2 ingredients, combined). That also means
that since ingredients named in this way only need to make up
1/4 of the total product, they may not even be the main
ingredients!

*Here's another surprising AFFCO labeling rule. If the name of
a food includes the phrase "with (the name of a specific
ingredient)," that specified ingredient must not be less than 3%
of the total product. (Example: a label worded, "with beef,"
must be comprised of at least 3% beef).

*If a name only includes the word "flavor" or "flavored", no
specific percentage is required at all by AFFCO. The product
must only contain an amount of the specified ingredient
sufficient "to be able to be detected." This amount can be less
than 1%.

*The word "poultry" can mean a wider variety of fowl than those
traditionally raised on a farm for human consumption.

*The use of the word "animal" is not limited to those
traditionally raised on a farm for human consumption, but can
mean other mammals, as well.

AFFCO has a list of food ingredient definitions. When dog food
manufacturers use these terms their packages, each ingredient
must fit the parameters stated in the corresponding AFFCO
definition. This list of AFFCO definitions is also included in
our Bichon World articles archive.

Please check out the definitions for the ingredients of the
foods you give to your little Bichon buddy! They depend on us
for their care and well-being.

About The Author: Sandy Schneider, author, is a devoted dog
mom. Agility, grooming, obedience, and just plain having fun
with her dogs are her passion. She operates
http://www.bichonworld.com and invites you to visit the site for
great information and articles at
http://www.bichonworld.com/articles