Have you ever wondered how dog food brands come up with their names? Sometimes it’s easy, like for us: all our ingredients are on the Front of the Pack. But if you want to highlight the specific ingredients that are in your dog food, there are some rules laid out by the The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCOhttps://www.aafco.org/) on the FDAhttps://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/products/animal-food-feeds’s website that brands have to follow.
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You might know that when it comes to human food, the ‘heaviest first’ rule means that manufacturers have to list ingredients in the order they appear in the recipe according to quantity. But this applies only to the ingredient’s pre-cooking weight which is liable to change as food hardens, softens, or releases water so is not always indicative of the true weight within the food.
When it comes to animal food, things are a little less complicated. The naming process must adhere to one of these four ‘rules’:
It doesn't just make the naming process easier, but it also helps dog owners really understand exactly what’s in the meal’s they’re feeding their furry friends.
If a kind of meat is the first ingredient listed in the name of a dog food, then that meat must make up at least 95% of the named ingredient on the label.
This is mainly applicable to wet and canned dog food, and means that when you pick up ‘Chicken Dog Food’ that product is guaranteed to be at least 95% chicken.
If the dog food contains two ingredients, like ‘Chicken and Turkey Dog Food’ then together these two ingredients have to make up 95% of the overall product.
What’s more, the ingredient with the larger quantity must be named first. So in this example, our product contains more chicken than turkey, but combined the chicken and turkey account for at least 95% of all the ingredients.
This rule only applies to meat products. Ingredients not derived from animals can be named, but ‘Chicken and Broccoli Dog Food’ would still need to be made up of at least 95% chicken.
A slightly more confusing rule applies to products with a named meat ingredient that makes up no less than 25% and no more than 95% of the total product.
The 25% rule, or ‘dinner’ rule states that manufacturers can name their products ‘Chicken Dinner for Dogs’ or ‘Chicken Formula’ or similar so long as chicken makes up at least a quarter of the total ingredients. This still leaves room for another ingredient to be the ‘main’ product by weight. But the descriptor of ‘dinner’ or ‘entree’ or ‘nuggets’ allows the meat product to be included in the name.
Another slight complication in this rule is that if two products are named, for example ‘Chicken and Turkey Dinner for Dogs,’ then both chicken and turkey combined must make up 25% of the total ingredients – but neither one can account for less than 3% of the total. Unlike the 95% rule, this also applies to non-animal ingredients within the 25% rule.
The issue here for dog owners is that dog food that runs by the 25% rule could include something you don’t want them eating as the main ingredient. This highlights why it’s so important to always read the packaging and know exactly what’s in your dog’s food before you serve it.
After all, if that Chicken Dinner for Dogs is actually 75% oatmeal and Fido is allergic to gluten, then he’s in trouble – and there’s nothing the dog food company will do about it.
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If you want to name an ingredient that isn’t actually one of the major elements of your dog food recipe, then it must make up at least 3% of the total product and can be named as ‘with’ that ingredient – hence the 3% or ‘with’ rule.
This means that ‘Chicken Dog Food with Turkey’ would be at least 95% chicken and at least 3% turkey. However, manufacturers could just as easily name their product ‘Dog Food with Turkey’ which sounds a lot like ‘Chicken Dog Food’ but the simple switch in wording means the former contains just 3% Turkey and the latter contains at least 95% chicken.
Once again, this rule exemplifies the importance of reading the back of the pack to truly understand what’s in the food you feed your dog – even with stringent rules in place, it’s easy to be taken unawares by unwanted ingredients. Can you see why we put everything on the front of the pack now?
The astute might have noticed that in both the human and dog food words, the word ‘flavor’ appears frequently in product names. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the product contains none of that ingredient at all but, in the case of dog foods, it does mean the manufacturers are not required to adhere to a specific quantity within the recipe.
So as long as ‘Chicken Flavor Dog Food’ has the word ‘flavor’ displayed in the same font size and color as ‘chicken’ it doesn’t really matter how much chicken is in there – or if it’s chicken at all.
According to the flavor rule, ‘Chicken Flavor Dog Food’ can contain actual chicken, chicken broth, byproducts of chicken meat, or even just chicken ‘flavoring’ (and none of the meat at all) and still use the word ‘Chicken’ in the product name.
Interestingly, ‘specially trained’ testing animals are used to help confirm that a dog food really does contain the ‘flavor’ stated in the name (which is a room we’d love to be in). And if that testing animal says it tastes like chicken – despite containing absolutely no chicken – then ‘Chicken Flavor Dog Food’ it is.
More of a no-brainer than a rule, a product marketed as dog food or treats called simply ‘Chicken’ must be 100% chicken. This isn’t just to prevent false advertising, like the previous rules. But it’s to help owners understand that more products will be needed to supplement this 100% chicken product, which cannot provide a dog with a well-rounded diet.
Dogs cannot survive on a single protein, and need a healthy mix of pure and natural vitamins, minerals, nutrients, and other proteins from foods like fruits, vegetables, and plants. Which is why Front of the Pack’s pure animal protein snacks are just that – snacks.
For a full and nutritious diet, Front of the Pack’s dog food/food is loaded with protein from animals alongside organic fruit, veg, and other pure ingredients. All air-dried low and slow to lock in the goodness your dog needs to live a happy and healthy life and with no added nasties, you’ll find everything you need to know right on the Front of the Pack.
Do you ever feel bombarded by advertising as you walk down a pet food aisle? Food companies put a lot of effort into making their food bags catch your eye, and putting wording on the front to make you believe their food is the best option for you. Words like “premium”, “super premium”, “ultra premium”, “gourmet”, “holistic”, “organic”, “natural”, “low-fat”, “weight management”, “low-calorie” are everywhere. The list goes on and on. Do those words actually mean anything, or are they just there to suck you in?
Well, our friends at AAFCO have defined some of these terms so that they do have meaning. If you want your pet to lose weight, you should look for the terms “Lite”, “Light”, or “Low-calorie”. These terms have been defined to contain less than a specified amount of calories per pound of food. The terms “Lean” and “Low-fat” are defined to have less than a specified amount of fat. The bottom of this FDA page lists those amounts for wet and dry foods.
Other dieting terms such as “Weight Management” or “Weight Control” have no AAFCO definition. They may have fewer calories than the same brand’s regular maintenance diet, but could have a much higher calorie content than “Light” foods. Not all foods list the calorie content on the food bag, so knowing these terms will be helpful when trying to pick out a food for weight loss. Also make sure the AAFCO statement reads that the food is adequate for maintenance of adult dogs, not “all life stages” (See Part 1 of this series).
The term “Organic” refers to the handling and processing of ingredients and products, avoiding pesticides and fertilizers. If you are looking for an organic pet food, look for the USDA Organic seal. This ensures that the pet food is made with >95% organic ingredients. Other organic labels you may see are usually trade associations, and their requirements may not be as stringent as the USDA’s.
The term “Natural” is not defined by AAFCO. It is generally used to indicate that there are no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives in a food, and AAFCO has created guidelines for what types of foods should be considered natural. However there are no regulations controlling what foods are labeled as natural.
Terms such as “Super-premium”, “gourmet”, or “holistic” have no definition and are just there to catch your eye. Also keep in mind that there is no regulation on what companies can put on their website, so always look at the pet food label to get the information you need.
You may also be interested to know that the name of the food itself can give you a clue as to how much of a certain ingredient is in the food. Since many people choose their pet food based on the name, AAFCO has created four rules for naming foods based on the percentages of the main ingredients in the food.
1. The 95% Rule: Refers to the percentage of meat, poultry, or fish in the product (not grains). For example a food named “Chicken Dog Food” would have to contain at least 95% Chicken by weight.
2. The 25% Rule: These foods have between 25-95% meat, and have terms such as “Dinner”, “Entrée”, “Platter”, or “Formula” in the name. So a food named “Tuna Entrée” would contain between 25 and 95% Tuna. For a food named something like “Chicken and Liver Formula”, the total weight of the chicken and liver together must be between 25 and 95% of the food.
3. The 3% Rule or “with” Rule: A food that says “with Beef” must contain at least 3% Beef.
4. The “Flavor” rule: This is a vague rule, there is no required percentage, but there must be enough of the ingredient in the product to be recognizable by the pet. These foods will have “flavor” in the name of the product, such as “Tuna Flavor Cat Food”.
For more details you can go to this FDA webpage, and look under Product Name. The main point to keep in mind is that a food called “Chicken Cat Food” will have a lot more chicken in it than one called “Cat Food with Chicken”.
Hopefully some of these guidelines help you sort through that daunting pet food aisle. Keep in mind that all these companies are trying to sell you their food, so to find a quality diet you have to look past the flashy packaging and see what that bag really says.
So considering everything we’ve discussed in these last 3 posts, how do you pick the right pet food for your pet? I would start by deciding ahead of time what you are wanting from the food. Do you want a food that will help with skin health or dental health? Do you want to feed a particular type of meat? Is it important to you to have a grain-free or natural food (keep in mind there are no scientific studies to show these foods are better than others)? This can help narrow down your options. You can look at the ingredient list to see what types of ingredents are in the bag. The packaging can tell you whether a food is organic or a “light” diet. And always check the AAFCO statement to see if the food has been through feeding trials (see Part 1 of this series).
If you’re up for doing a little more research, you can contact the pet food manufacturer for more specific information. Pet food manufacturers are required to list their name and address on the packaging. Some will also list their phone number which is a good indicator that they are interested in helping the people who buy their foods. If not, here is a list of most pet food manufacturers. Ask them whether their food was formulated by a veterinary nutritionist, or what measures they take to ensure quality control (i.e. How do they avoid recalls for Salmonella contamination?). They should be able to tell you how many calories are in a cup of their food. The more open a company is about their processes, the more likely it is that you can trust that they are providing a quality food. Here is a great resource from the World Small Animal Veterinary Alliance on questions you can ask your pet food manufacturer: WSAVA Questions for Manufacturers. If the manufacturer cannot answer these questions you should be wary of feeding their food to your pet.
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