Industry proposals make pet food packaging look like human food packaging and include new advertising standards
With a history spanning more than a century, the industry organization Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) has led the charge in setting ingredient definitions, labeling standards, and laboratory standards for animal feeds and feed ingredients. This includes pet food and ingredients. And for the better part of a decade, AAFCO has been engaged in the Pet Food Label Modernization (PFLM) project aimed at updating AAFCO’s model regulations that set requirements for pet food labeling.
That’s why when AAFCO launched the revised Model Regulations for Pet Food and Specialty Pet Food (2023 Model Pet Food Regulations) in July 2023, there was no surprise and little fuss from to industry or regulators. Instead, the 2023 Model Pet Food Regulations received unanimous support from the heads of state agriculture departments and generally had industry support. This is important because individual states must now adopt and implement the 2023 Model Pet Food Regulations to give them the force and effect of law. And that won’t happen without industry and regulator buy-in.
Pet Food Labels
What are the major updates to pet food labels that AAFCO is proposing? Well, it looks more like human food packaging than current pet food packaging. Notable changes include the following:
- A Pet Nutrition Facts Boxwhich looks similar to the Nutrition Facts Panel for human food.
- The calorie content is now broken down into calories from protein, fat, and carbohydrates to “achieve or maintain a healthy body weight for your pet.”
- Nutrition information is in standard household measurements, such as cups, rather than a guaranteed percentage analysis.
- New symbols are designed for packaging to be used for handling and storage recommendations.
Advertising Standards
There are several important labeling rules that address common misstatements in pet food labeling advertising, including:
- Vignettes or graphics must not misrepresent the contents of the package.
- The use of “Proven” is not permitted unless the claim is substantiated by scientific or other empirical evidence.
- Product comparisons must not be false or misleading.
- Endorsements must not be false or misleading.
- “Improved,” “New,” or similar claims must be substantiated and limited to six (6) months of production.
- Preference or comparative label claims must be substantiated and limited to one (1) year of production, after which the claim must be removed or re-verified.
- There are also some rules on whether ingredients or other terms can be used in the product name. Check the model rules for more details.
Looking ahead
Note that these model rules do not yet have the force and effect of law, but given their widespread acceptance by regulators, it is likely that states will adopt them in the near future. However, AAFCO recommends states provide a generous six-year transition period for pet food companies. That means, under AAFCO’s proposal, pet food packaging labeled in compliance with the 2023 Model Pet Food Regulations would not be on shelves until at least 2030, depending on when each state adopts them.
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