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US pet food regulations unravel the mysteries of product labelling

Simon Pitman, Freelance Journalist 4 Mar 2024

New regulations governing the labelling of pet foods were approved by AAFCO members last July, providing the first major update to pet food regulations in 40 years. The move was a response to pet owners asking for clarity on labels that left many confused or unsure about what they have been feeding their animals.

The new regulations were approved by AAFCO members last July, providing the first major update to pet food regulations in 40 years. The move was a response to pet owners asking for clarity on labels that left many confused or unsure about what they have been feeding their animals.

US pet food regulations unravel the mysteries of product labelling — ^{© iStock/cmannphoto}

The Model Regulations for Pet Foods and Specialty Pet Foods aims to set a new standard for pet food manufacturers and distributors to follow throughout the United States and Canada. The new labelling regulation was introduced after a strategic consultation period that involved both consumers and professionals in the pet food industry.

Answering consumer demands

“From time-to-time AAFCO evaluates its model language to see if it needs to be updated to keep up with consumer demand or trends in the industry,” said Austin Therrell, executive director at AAFCO.

“When we began the Pet Food Label Modernization project, we were aware of some general feedback from consumers that pet food labeling was difficult to understand. We wanted to make sure that information presented on the label was clear and easy to understand so that consumers could make better purchasing decisions for their animals.”

“AAFCO has recommended a six-year enforcement discretion period, or transition period, that allows for states to adopt the new Model Regulations for Pet Food and Specialty Pet Food and for manufacturers to incorporate the changes into their labels and packaging,” said Therrell. “The National Association of Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) also recently unanimously voted to support AAFCO’s new Model Regulations and six-year enforcement discretion timeline.”

The enforcement discretion period was proposed to start from the regulation’s publication date at the beginning of 2024, thus giving individual states the necessary time to enforce the regulations according to their different resources and protocols.

Pets are now seen as family

The new regulations are a response to a significant shift in consumers’ approach to pet care in recent years, changes that were amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic when an epidemic of loneliness triggered by lockdowns led to a spike in pet ownership.

Underlining this trend, a 2023 PEW survey showed that while 62% of US households confirmed that they owned a pet, 51% of those respondents said they not only consider their pets to be a part of their family but said they are as much a part of their family as a human member. This is translating into heightened attention to pet care, and particularly, the quality of pet feed.

AAFCO targets four main areas for improvements

“Today, consumers are more educated about their pets’ health,” said Therrell: “The new Model Regulations for Pet Food and Specialty Pet Food are intended to enhance transparency and provide pet food label information in a format more familiar to pet owners. These are emphasised in the four main updates which are detailed in the official document.”

Those four areas are:

Nutrition Facts Box should be updated to more closely resemble labels for human food.
Intended Use Statement to be displayed on the lower-third level of the front display panel, ensuring consumers can more easily identify what the pet food is about.
Handling and Storage Instructions to clarify the use of consistent terminology and common terms for vitamins.
Handling and Storage Instructions are recommended as optional but should be updated and standardised with icons for increased consistency.

Public comment on copper claims

In another sign that pet food labelling is under scrutiny, AAFCO is currently seeking feedback about proposed guidelines for the amount of copper allowed in dog food.

The proposed ‘controlled copper’ claim would recommend that dog food contains no more than 15mg of copper/kg DM and no more than 3.75mg per 1,000 kcal of metabolisable energy, alongside a Guaranteed Analysis on the label to back up the information.

AAFCO is currently seeking comments on this proposal until March 1st, 2024, with interested parties invited to contact the organisation directly.