How to read and understand pet food labels WHAT’S IN A NAME

Can you guess how many different brands of pet food there are in North America?  15,000 brands of pet food exist in North America with more being developed every year

Did you know?  In the USA 46% of US homes have children, 69% have pets  In Ontario 1.3 dogs in the household, 1.7 cats in the household  82-85% of owners think that the best way to comfort their pet is by feeding them, followed by petting, then playing  94% of people visiting their Veterinarian are expecting a diet recommendation from their visit. Only 11% actually get one, or feel like they got one  The pet food industry brings in $17 billion dollars per year

AAFCO  AAFCO is an acronym that stands for the Association of American Feed Control Officials. This is a nonprofit association of state and federal officials that develop guidelines for animal feeds in regards to: the production (how its made), labeling on the packaging, and the selling of it.

 There are 51 members- 1 in Canada, and 1 for each US State  AAFCO created the min and max% that are shown on pet food labels  Despite all the new research that has been happening in the pet food industry the AAFCO guidelines have not been changed in over 25 years

 Pet food manufacturers commonly state one of two established standards on their labels to show that their foods contain all the protein, fats, vitamins, and mineral requirements that dogs and cats need to survive.  One of these standards that AAFCO has set is based on the “formulation” of all the nutrients cats & dogs are known to require to maintain health and fitness. The other standard involves “feeding tests” that show that the dogs and cats can actually live and thrive on the product  Pet foods that are “formulated” have no required testing to determine if the ingredients used are bio- available or digestible in dogs or cats  AAFCO does not require all pet foods to complete a feeding trial.

These are litter mate puppies – both were fed foods that met the minimal requirements by AAFCO for being “Complete and Balanced”.

READING PET FOOD LABELS  Foods that are labeled with simple terms such as “Beef for Dogs,” or “Chicken Cat Food,” must contain at least 95% of the named ingredient (not including water content). If the label lists two ingredients (like chicken and liver), the combination of the two ingredients must make up 95% of the total weight of the food, with the first listed ingredient being more prevalent  The rule only applies to animal products; therefore, if the label says “Lamb and Rice Dog Food,” the food must still contain 95% lamb Example: Beef Dog Food: The food must contain 95% beef by weight. The same goes for chicken, tuna or any other meat in the product name.

THE “DINNER” RULE  foods with the designation “dinner” or other, similar qualifier must contain at least 25% (not counting water content) and less than 95% of the named ingredient  Synonyms for dinner include: platter, entrée, nuggets and formula.  Example: Salmon cat food dinner: Contains at least 25% salmon

THE “WITH” RULE  Originally this rule was created so that companies could highlight an extra element in the food outside the product name (such as “Beef Dinner — with cheese!”). But now, under AAFCO rules, products can have “with” in the main product name of the food, indicating that it contains only 3% of the “with” ingredient. Read labels carefully: “Beef Dog Food” contains 95% beef, but “Dog Food With Beef” only has 3% beef  Example: Cat food with Chicken: Contains only 3% chicken or less.

THE “FLAVOR” RULE  Chicken (or any other) “flavored” pet foods don’t need to contain any of the ingredients that they are supposed to taste like. They merely need to have a specific flavor that is detectable by the animal for which it is meant

Gourmet, Premium, Super, ULTRA-Premium  As far as AAFCO is concerned, these terms have no specific meaning and are merely used as a marketing tool. Foods with these descriptions are not held to any higher (or lower) nutritional standards than any other complete and balanced food products

COMMON TERMS TO WATCH FOR:  ORGANIC  NATURAL  HOLISTIC ( not legally defined )  HUMAN GRADE ( not legally defined )

Organic - USDA > 95% “Made with Organics” 70% to 94% Ingredient listed only Organic peas, organic chicken, etc. 1% to 69%

What do “Natural” and “Holistic” labels mean?  Legally, not much. Food labeled as natural should contain few, if any, synthetic ingredients  Any manufacturer can make claims of “holistic” in literature and brochures regardless of ingredients used in its foods

“NATURAL”  Amanita phalloides, Natural, but deadly! According to AAFCO, the term "natural" requires a pet food to consist of only natural ingredients without chemical alterations; except for added vitamins and minerals There is no nutritional advantage known to dogs and cats who are being fed a natural food. This is a consumer choice, not a nutritional need.

“HOLISTIC”  Not defined or regulated and therefore is essentially meaningless. In fact, some regulators consider the term misleading in that it may falsely imply therapeutic benefit

Therefore “organic”, “holistic” and “all natural” labels DO NOT SPEAK TO QUALITY, NUTRITIONAL BALANCE, OR SAFETY

“HUMAN GRADE”  Human-grade means that the processing plant is certified for processing human food It does not mean the food coming from the processing plant would necessarily be something that humans would eat, though. But rather, that the “sanitary conditions” in the plant are acceptable for human food processing It does not mean the food coming from the processing plant would necessarily be something that humans would eat, though. But rather, that the “sanitary conditions” in the plant are acceptable for human food processing

“HUMAN EDIBLE”  Human edible ≠ Human grade  Human edible must never leave the chain of inspection Exp. Slaughter house ► Packing house ► Supermarket, are all federally inspected and therefore considered human edible Slaughter house ► Pet food processing plant is not federally inspected therefore not human edible

INGREDIENT MYTHS AND FACTS  MYTH: A product contains or is made from human grade ingredients  FACT: Claims that a product contains or is made from ingredients that are “ human grade”, “human quality”, and or “people foods” are false and misleading unless the entire product, itself, meets the federal standards for food edible by people.

 “BUYER BEWARE!!!” A pet owner may think they are feeding their pet “human edible pet food” when in fact all it is, is “human grade pet food”

MY PET NEEDS TO LOSE WEIGHT WHAT FOOD DO I CHOOSE?  Under federal guidelines, pet foods labeled “low calorie” or "light”, must provide the caloric content.  To be considered “low calorie”/ “light” for dog foods the kcals/kg of kibble must be less then or equal to 3,100 and for cats must be less than or equal to 3,250  Be careful when selecting a pet food that says “weight control” or “weight management”. These foods may not contain less calories then what you are feeding currently and therefore you will not see any changes.

INFORMATION PANEL  nutritional adequacy statement  guaranteed analysis  feeding guidelines  ingredient list  manufacturer’s information

NUTRITIONAL ADEQUACY STATEMENT  This portion of the label verifies that the food provides complete and balanced nutrition for growing animals, pregnant and nursing mothers, or adults – or it might say the product is nutritionally adequate for all of these groups (“all life stages”)  Caution should be exercised when considering foods intended for “all lifestages.” They may contain excessive levels of some nutrients making them inappropriate for adult and senior pets or not enough nutrients for puppies or kittens

LIFE STAGE NEEDS Higher protein Higher energy Higher calcium/ phosphorus for growth Optimal protein Less energy Less Fat Higher fiber Moderate protein Moderate fat, Moderate vitamins, and minerals

GUARANTEED ANALYSIS  The guaranteed analysis is designed to provide consumers with nutrient information about the pet foods they purchase. It indicates minimum or maximum levels of nutrients such as protein, fat and fiber in the product to guide consumers. It is important to remember, however, that the guaranteed analysis is not an indication of the actual nutrient content of the food  The minimum guarantee gives the lowest amount of the nutrient in the food, not the actual amount. For example, a product with a minimum guarantee of 8% fat may actually contain a higher percentage. Likewise, a product with a maximum guarantee of 5% fiber may only contain as little as 1%  Obtaining the actual nutrient content from the manufacturer is a better way to evaluate products

“SOLE FOOD” Crude Protein Min.6.0% Crude Fat Min.4.0% Crude Fiber Max.6.3% MoistureMax.78.0% Guaranteed Analysis of old shoes, oil, coal and waterAshMax.2.7% A combination of ingredients such as old shoes, motor oil, crushed coal, and water meet this guaranteed analysis which is typical for pet foods. While this example carries this thought to the extreme, exaggeration is used only to emphasize the point.

FEEDING GUIDLINES Limit food rewards and let your dog work for that tasty treat.

INGREDIENT LIST  Ingredients are the delivery vehicles for nutrients and are listed on a pet food label in descending order by weight  Ingredients such as chicken, beef or lamb contain more than 50% water. The high water content makes them weigh more than dry ingredients such as grains, meat/poultry meals, minerals and vitamins, so they are listed first

“ REAL CHICKEN???”  What is the definition of “real” ?  You should feel a little uneasy when you see pet food labels that say: “contains REAL CHICKEN”  Have we ever had UNREAL CHICKEN in our pet food?  Does “unreal chicken” taste like chicken, too?

 Meat: Meat is the clean flesh of slaughtered animals. The flesh can include striated skeletal muscle, tongue, diaphragm, heart, esophagus, overlying fat and the skin, sinew, nerves and blood vessels normally found with that flesh  By-Product: A by-product is a secondary or incidental product deriving from a manufacturing process. For example the following are by-products beet pulp, tomato pomace, vitamin E, chicken stock, whey, lanolin, brewers yeast, bran, wheat germ, distillers grain, molasses, straw, and salt  Meat by-products: Meat by-products are clean parts of slaughtered animals, not including meat. These include lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, liver, blood, bone, and stomach and intestines freed of their contents. It does not include hair, horns, teeth, or hooves

INGREDIENT MYTHS AND FACTS  MYTH: By-products are of lesser quality than meat.  FACT: Some by-products such as liver offer superior palatability compared to meat such as chicken breast, tongue etc.  WITH EXTREMELY RARE EXCEPTIONS, ALL PET FOODS CONTAIN BY-PRODUCTS! BY-PRODUCTS!

WHERE ARE OUR PET FOODS BEING MADE???  Some pet food companies formulate their diet and then make it in their own manufacturing plant while other companies formulate their diet and then send the recipe to a 3rd party company to have it manufactured.  Those who formulate and make the diet in their own plant HAVE TO adhere to strict quality control measures, checking every batch of ingredients when shipped to the plant, and randomly testing the food throughout the manufacturing process.  Those who formulate BUT have a 3rd party make the diet DO NOT HAVE to have quality control measures in place, which can mean that ingredients vary between batches and therefore a consistent diet between bags is not guaranteed. And in some instances lacking essential nutrients.  Those who formulate BUT have a 3rd party make the diet DO NOT HAVE to have quality control measures in place, which can mean that ingredients vary between batches and therefore a consistent diet between bags is not guaranteed. And in some instances lacking essential nutrients.  On the label of the pet food who will see 1 of 2 scenarios: either: manufactured for / prepared for: these are all 3rd parties that are receiving the recipes and making it in their own facilities or: manufactured by / prepared by: these are companies who are manufacturing their own pet food either: manufactured for / prepared for: these are all 3rd parties that are receiving the recipes and making it in their own facilities or: manufactured by / prepared by: these are companies who are manufacturing their own pet food

DETERMINING QUALITY  There is no way to determine the true quality of a pet food by reading the ingredient list or the guaranteed analysis. In fact, two products that may appear to have the same guaranteed analysis might have actual nutrient levels that vary significantly  Individual ingredients do NOT determine the quality of a pet food. It’s the nutritional value of each ingredient blended together that delivers a product specific for a pet’s age or condition. The guaranteed analysis is not a guarantee of nutritional quality – nor is the ingredient list or the presence or absence of certain ingredients  Quality matters because when you have better quality nutrients you increase the digestibility of the food which therefore reduces food volume and stool production!

CORN IS BAD RIGHT?  Corn is an excellent ingredient because of the benefits it brings to the product. Corn is a highly nutritious ingredient chosen as a source of protein (for muscle and tissue growth), carbohydrates (for energy), fiber, antioxidants (Beta- carotene, Vitamin E, and Lutein) and linoleic acid - an essential fatty acid that promotes healthy skin and a luxurious coat  Most grains, including corn, are poorly digested before they are cooked. Once cooked, however, they become highly digestible, higher then several other grains such as rice, wheat, barley and sorghum  Some consumers are concerned that corn may only be filler. Fillers offer no nutritional value therefore corn can not be a filler because it is a superb source of nutrients  While some individuals are concerned about allergies in pets, corn is not a common cause of adverse food reactions. Studies have shown that corn causes no more food allergies than any other grains

Actually only 0.01% of animals have adverse reactions to corn. DOGS CATS Beef Dairy Wheat Lamb Chicken Chicken Egg Soy 93% of all canine adverse reactions to food are caused by these 7 ingredients alone. 68% of reported cases 25% of reported cases Beef Dairy Fish 80% of reported cases

Grain Free MYTH: Grain-free pet foods are better. FACT: There is no nutritional foundation to support a grain free diet, and foods that have grains are just as digestible as grain- free foods The term “grain-free” is misleading, as all grain-free foods contain carbohydrates from other sources, such as the sweet potato, which has more carbohydrates than corn

SUMMARY:  Good nutrition isn’t just about the ingredients – it’s about the right balance of nutrients.  Feeding a pet food that does not have the proper nutritional balance can lead to a wide range of health issues  Pet owners should look at the pet food label to see if a feeding trial was done to support nutritional adequacy claims  Watch out for “all life stages” foods! Pets should be fed according to their nutritional needs – and these needs do change  Pet owners and veterinary professionals have a right to know what they are feeding their animals. The pet food label contains a wealth of information, if one knows how to read it. Do not be swayed by the many marketing gimmicks or eye-catching claims  If there is a question about the product, contact the manufacturer or ask an appropriate regulatory agency “you can’t judge a book by its cover!”

RAW FOOD DIETS? Raw pet food diets are controversial!! Potential risks include: Threats to human and your pets health from bacteria in raw meat An unbalanced diet that may damage the health of your pet if given for an extended period. Exp lack of vitamins and minerals Potential for whole bones to choke an animal, break teeth or cause an internal puncture No scientific proof of benefits

 Meat meal : Meat meal is the rendered product from mammalian tissues, therefore ingredients are the same as “meat” except the water content is less due to the rendering process  Meat by- product meal : Meat by-product meal is the rendered by-product from mammalian tissues, therefore ingredients are the same as “meat by- products” except the water content is less due to the rendering process