Nutritional Adequacy Statement Dog Food
Nutritional Adequacy Statements can save you lots of time. Pet food labels for puppies and all life stages will soon have to have one of two qualifiers for the nutritional adequacy statement AAFCO statement which is required on every food to show it is complete and balanced.
This statement can inform the consumer whether this food provides complete and balanced nutrition.
Nutritional adequacy statement dog food. NUTRITIONAL ADEQUACY OF DOG AND CAT FOODS. The AAFCO Dog and Cat Food Nutrient Profiles express nutrient levels on a dry matter or moisture-free basis. These nutritional adequacy standards are defined by two nutrient profiles based upon a dogs stage of life Adult maintenance.
For this reason an AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement is one of the most important aspects of a dog or cat food label. Rather its the AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement that indicates whether the food meets the legal requirements of a complete and balanced diet for puppies. A complete and balanced pet food must be substantiated for nutritional.
Its bizarre but one of the most important things on a pet food label is often in the tiniest print. The nutritional adequacy statement should state in what species dog or cat and in which lifestages growing adult reproducing the food was tested. In essence this method combines the formulation and feeding trial methods for determining nutritional adequacy.
This description should match your pet. Nutritional Adequacy Statements The Bottom Line. In the United States AAFCO regulations require that all pet food labels must contain a statement and validation of nutritional adequacy or purpose except products labeled as treats.
Nutritional adequacy standards established by AAFCO must be met or exceeded in order for a pet food to be marketed as complete and balanced for a certain life stage. The statement can look like this Name of product is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for specific life stage or like this Animal feeding tests using AAFCO procedures substantiate that name of product provides complete. Any product that does not meet either standard must be labeled for intermittent or supplemental feeding only.
This is simply the text on the label called the nutritional adequacy statement that states what life stage and kind of pet the food is suited for. The nutritional adequacy statement also indicates what methods were used to determine the adequacy of the diet. This section contains the minimum testing methods for the substantiation of nutritional adequacy claims calorie content claims and procedures for establishing pet food product families referenced in AAFCO Model Pet Food and Specialty Pet Food Regulations PF2 4 7 8 9 andor 10.
And they can go a long way toward providing you some level of assurance your dogs food might actually come close to meeting important dietary standards. The wording of this claim would be similar to. What are AAFCO dog food nutrient profiles.
Unfortunately though the statements themselves are not always easy to find. But the guaranteed analysis on a pet food label expresses nutrient levels on an. In order for a dog food to be marketed as complete and balanced it must meet the nutritional standards established by AAFCO.
Current regulations require that all labels of pet foods manufactured and sold in the USA must contain the following items. A dog food must meet or exceed the standards of an established nutrient profile to be marked complete and balanced for a particular life stage such as adult maintenance or growth. 1 product name 2 net weight of the product 3 name and address of the manufacturer 4 guaranteed analysis 5 list of ingredients 6 the words dog or cat food intended animal species 7 statement of nutritional adequacy and 8 feeding guidelines.
If it does the statement will either say the food is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for growth or for all life stages. Some products and dog foods are designed for intermittent or supplemental feeding and are not considered complete and balanced. The nutritional adequacy statement aka the AAFCO statement AAFCO stands for the Association of American Feed Control Officials.
To state this the food must have passed a feeding trial or meet one of the nutrient profiles. These AAFCO recommendations of nutritional adequacy are called the AAFCO Dog and Cat Food Nutrient Profiles. This can be found in certain pet foods formulated for specific purposes such as weight loss.
That is if your pet is a growing kitten then the food should have been tested in growing kittens etc. Pet foods may also have a nutritional adequacy statement if the food is intended for intermittent or supplemental feeding purposes only.
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