The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) Pet Food Committee (PFC) Copper Claim Workgroup is seeking public comments regarding the establishment of a “controlled copper” claim for dog food. Comments will be accepted until March 1, 2024.
The proposed “Controlled Copper” claim would indicate that the dog food is nutritionally adequate for one or more life stages in accordance with AAFCO’s Model Regulations for Pet Food and Specialty Pet Food; contains a maximum of not more than 15 mg copper/kg DM and not more than 3.75 mg copper/1000 kcal of metabolizable energy; and put a Test Guarantee on its label in accordance with the model’s regulatory guarantee for the maximum amount of copper in dog food.
The Workgroup’s final report states, “By a small majority, the Workgroup recommended that the PFC establish a regulation for a ‘controlled copper’ claim on dog foods… It is within AAFCO’s mission to provide clarity to consumers, promote market consistency, and support animal health, all of which are accomplished in this regulation.”
Research and discussion for a potential claim has been ongoing since February 2021 after an article was published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA) regarding current AAFCO nutritional guidelines for copper (Cu) in foods for normal dogs. AAFCO convened an expert panel to review the relevant veterinary literature, which determined that the data for establishing a safe upper limit, or maximum tolerance, for Cu in dog foods was insufficient. The Copper Claim Workgroup was created to review additional guidelines for copper in dog food in recognition of concerns from pet owners and veterinarians.
“There are very strong opinions on both sides of this issue,” wrote Dr. Karen L. Donnelly, chair of the Copper Claim Workgroup, in the final report. “All Workgroup members agree that more research is needed on the effects of dietary copper on the health of dogs, but in the meantime, the PFC needs to decide whether the proposed regulation is an appropriate and acceptable step toward addressing the issue.”
AAFCO encourages stakeholders such as veterinarians, animal nutritionists, consumer groups and the general public to review the final report of the Copper Claim Workgroup here. Comments should be emailed to [email protected] with the subject line “Copper Claim Workgroup Comment” by March 1, 2024.
