8. Navigating Pet Food Labels

1. FDA (food and drug administration)

2. FTS (federal trade commission)

3. state feed control officials

who are the agencies that regulate pet food

AAFCO

_____ is NOT a regulatory body they only set guidelines for states to adopt

1. center for veterinary medicine (CVM)

2. food safety modernization act (FSMA)-->current good manufacturing practices (GMPs) and hazard analysis (HAACP)

3. federal food, drug, and cosmetic act (FFDCA)

regulatory actions of the FDA

1. FDA approved food additive

2. generally recognized as safe (GRAS)

3. AAFCO defined ingredient

according to the FDA, food/feed/supplement ingredients must be either...

FDA Smart hub under the pet food and pet treats tab

if you suspect an issue with food, where can you go to report

protecting public from deceptive or unfair business practices and from unfair methods of competitions

mission of the FTC (federal trade commission)

guidelines for labeling, ingredient definitions, and nutrient concentrations (adult maintenance and growth/reproduction classification)

though AAFCO is not a regulatory authority, they still have roles in...

pet food label

where can all this information be found

species, life stage and how the food is sustained

what does the AAFCO/nutrition adequacy statement tell us

1. by formulation-->dog or cat adult maintenance, growth, reproduction, and/or all life stages

2. by feeding test-->complete and balanced for maintenance of adult dogs/cats, growing puppies/kittens, gestating or lactating female dogs/cats, and/or all life stages

what are the two types of formulation for AAFCO statements

large size statement

for growth and all life stage diets using an AAFCO statement based on formulation, they need a _____

by formulation

what type of AAFCO statement is shown here

by feeding test

what type of AAFCO statement is shown here

1. retail type would indicate toppers

2. therapeutic type would be Rx. diets to meet specific needs

what might "intermittent or supplemental feeding" indicate

25%

what rule might the dinner, entree, recipe, platter, formula foods fall under and what does it indicate

100%

this is an example of what rule

95%

these are all examples of what rule

25%

these are all examples of what rule

3%

these are examples of what rule

flavor

these are examples of what rule

declining order of ingredients by weight

how are ingredients commonly written

striated skeletal/tongue/diaphragm/heart/esophageal mm. derived from slaughter (for human consumption) animals

AAFCO definition of meat

non-rendered organs (kidney, liver, brain, excluding hair, hoof, horn, teeth) from slaughtered (for human consumption) animals

AAFCO definition of byproducts

rendered for fat removal to make it lighter

AAFCO definition of meat meal

% as fed of a guaranteed ingredient while having to account for water

what is guaranteed analysis on a label

1. crude protein

2. crude fat

the minimum percentage guaranteed analysis focuses on...

1. crude fiber

2. moisture

the maximum percentage guaranteed analysis focuses on...

1. ash

2. omega 3 FAs

3. total dietary fiber (TDF)---soon to be added to new guidelines

what are some additional but optional guaranteed analysis measures

1. consumer protection against shortages/excess

2. feed control officials can sample products at any time to make sure GA is met

3. should not be used as exact guide to nutrients or contents of pet food

the guaranteed analysis is not a measure of quality but is...

tyical average profile (not just guaranteed) which does not have to be included on the label

what is the significance of the typical analysis...

1. common terms and measurements

2. "feed (weight/unit of products) per (weight only) of dog/cat"

3. frequency

4. consistent with intended use indicated in AAFCO statement unless otherwise stated

guidelines for feeding directions

1. metabolizable energy (ME) on an "as-fed" basis

2. "kilocalories (kcal)/kg" required

3. common household measures

4. "calculated" by modified atwater factors

5. "fed" meaning AAFCO feeding trial

significance of the calorie statement