Dog food labeling and regulatory requirements for dog food
are probably not something you think about regularly, but if you are a pet
lover, you should prioritize getting familiar with. The sad truth is that the
pet food rules and regulations have not been developed to ensure that what your
dog eats is nutritious, safe and accurately reflected on food labeling.
The truth is that the rules often allow manufacturers to
lead consumers to false beliefs about what they are feeding their dogs. The
problem lies in the details of the labeling. For example, if your product says
"Chicken Flavored," the flavor should only be detectable, but there
should be no real chicken meat in the product. How about the one labeled
"Beef Dinner", this product should only contain 25% meat and, worse,
a product that says "With Beef" should only contain at least 3% meat
beef!
So even if you buy a product that you think is
"beef" and, in your opinion, means it's full of hearty beef, you'd
better think again! What you should look for are whole products like beef,
chicken, salmon, or venison. If a product says "dog salmon," then at
least 95% of this product must be salmon and / or 70%, including water.
It is too easy to be fooled into thinking that you are
buying a healthy product for your dog. You must be able to decipher the labeling
of the products you buy to ensure that your dog receives the nutrition it plans
to provide.
Currently, the pet food industry is overseen by three
different agencies. These agencies play a different role in trying to ensure
the safety of pet food. ** FDA Veterinary Medicine Center **
The FDA's division for veterinary medicine, of course, cares
for animals and one of its functions is to ensure that the ingredients used in
pet food are safe. The ingredients in pet food should also be used for functional
purposes like nutrition, flavor, or vitamins and minerals. All additional
substances, such as preservatives or additives, must be specifically approved
before they can be added.
** Association of American Feed Control Officials **
AAFCO is not a government agency like the FDA, but its
members are made up of state and federal employees from various agencies and
employees of pet food companies. They have additional rules and regulations on
dog food labels, in addition to FDA regulations for pet food. However, fd dog.
Regulations vary from state to state, and not all states accept AAFCO
regulations.
AAFCO requires a fd dog. Obtain the AAFCO Nutrition Adequacy
Statement so they can use the term "complete and balanced" on their
packaging. It is essentially your way of ensuring compliance with nutritional
standards, claims and ingredients. If a dog fd. The product acquires the AAFCO
declaration of nutritional adequacy, has satisfied the nutritional profile
based on laboratory tests, or has passed a feeding test in live dogs.
Currently, only two specific nutritional profiles are used:
** Entertain adult
** Growth, lactation and reproduction
** Pet Food Institute **
The Pet Food Institute is the voice of the United States Pet
Food Manufacturers. He is responsible for public education in the industry and
media relations and a representative before the United States Congress and
state and federal agencies. Organizations organizing information and
educational programs and coordinating with organizations. PFI represents 98% of
all manufacturers of dog and cat food in the United States.
** Please consult the resource box for links to these
agencies
PFI is dedicated to the following actions:
Promote the general care and welfare of pets
Support initiatives to improve the quality of dog and cat
food
Support research on animal nutrition and the important role
of pets in our society
Inform and educate the public about animal feed and care
Representation of the pet food industry to federal and state
governments
Although you have many diligently working events to protect
the pet food industry, it is important that you make an effort to learn and
understand the ethics of the dog voter. Because even if there are diets on food
labels, they are full of loopholes and allow you to leave clever words or a
lack of descriptions on pet food labels.
To start with, the FDA then this set of rules on the
labeling of all dog food:
The product must be identified as a fd dog.
You him weight, volume or name of dogs fd.
Manufacturer's name and location
List of all ingredients by their common name
List of all ingredients in decreasing order of weight
What is missing
With all of these agencies and rules and regulations in
place, I am sure you are asking why that does not solve the quality issues in
the pet food industry. For starters, AAFCO statements are only used on
commercial pet foods. This means that everything produced under the heading
"All natural or homemade" does not have to comply with this standard
and cannot be compared.
Then you should note that the design designs these dog
foods, they are just a nutritional food base. What I mean is that they have in
no way taken into account the individual needs of each dog. For example, my dog
Rodeo is a Border Collie and works with cattle almost every weekend. It is an
extremely active dog which requires Large Quantities of Energy. This means that
he needs recognized quality food with good protein and quality carbohydrates as
well as balanced fats, vitamins and minerals of course. The diet is not
converted into a small dog that matches the day on the sofa with naps, living
the life of a pampered puppy.
The fact is that an AAFCO nutritional profile only gives an
average standard for the fd dog. manufactures to shoot, so if they put the same
average amount of proteins, vitamins, minerals, lipids, etc. in every dog
food, so how can this be the best quality for your dog and your neighbor's
dog and his neighbor's dog?
Now, there is certainly no way for the dog food industry to
prepare food for each dog, but making carbon-based food is not the answer
either. Obviously, there are still changes to be made to improve the quality of
the ingredients, not just the amounts of dog food. Loads and carbohydrates in
dog food. should be addressed as they are generally responsible for more than
half of the composition of the fd dog. while retaining little nutritional value
for your dog. The other concern here is how the unknown ingredients affect your
dog's health and in particular his digestion.
The biggest idea to go through here is that you really need
to read these labels and if you feel strong enough, make your voice heard.
There is a definite need for new labeling regulations and laws. Write a letter,
make a phone call - remember you are speaking for your dog!
With the constant insistence of consumers, the dog food
industry will have to clean up their behavior and improve the labeling of pet
foods and their products. For now, it's up to you to take charge of your
precious puppy's health and make that informed dog food brand decision and read
those labels!
A few months ago, I left the business world to pursue my
passion for working with animals while trying to improve my health. To do this,
I use my experience of over 20 years as a dog breeder and owner of animals. I
have also worked for a well-known veterinarian and a national veterinary supply
company for several years. I have a B.S. in agriculture with a specialization
in animal sciences and agriculture and I have worked in the agricultural
business industry for over twenty years. So if you are interested in the
details of how good dog food, dog care and just good old fashioned love and
affection can help your dog lead a healthier and longer life, please join us
at:
I mentioned these agencies, you can find them on the link
below.
FDA Center Veterinary Medicine
Association of American Feed Control Officials
Pet food institute
** You can find the links to these agencies here Click here
[https://uscsc.org/best-dog-foods/].
For more information, visit the link below: https:
//uscsc.org/best-dog-foods/