Pet food and specialty pet food treats and supplements packaging will more closely resemble human food labels with new, recommended labeling regulations approved for publication by the Association of American Feed Control Officials and sought by the industry.
After nearly eight years of industry collaboration, AAFCO approved the first major update in 40 years for pet food and specialty food products which create “standardized nutrition information, clear ingredient statements and storage and handling instructions,” the organization said in a statement.
The next step is for states to adopt the recommendations as regulations.
The update to the Pet Food Model Regulations includes four major labeling changes. The first is a modification to the nutrition facts box to resemble human nutrition labels. The nutritional information will be set off in a box with the header “Pet Nutrition Facts” and clearly identifying serving size in common measuring units.
The box also will include calorie content. New to the nutrition label will be a maximum total carbohydrate percentage and dietary fiber percentage.
The intended use statement will now be in the lower-third of the front display, and the ingredient statement is updated to clarify consistent terminology and allows the listing of common names of vitamins.
The recommended regulations also address an optional updated and standardized handling and storage instructions. This also has suggested graphics to indicate advice such as “Separate from human food” or “Keep out of reach of children” or “Keep frozen until ready to use.”
Since 2015, the American Feed Industry Association and many of its members as well as the Pet Food Institute worked to develop the revised regulations in collaboration with AAFCO. AAFCO said the "initiative has been a key example of the benefit of industry and consumer collaboration to solve challenges and make improvements to pet food labels."
“The feedback we received from both consumers and industry advisors throughout this process was an important part of our collaboration to make improvements. We sought public comment to learn more about how pet food label changes would enhance transparency and provide clearer information in a consumer-friendly format,” said Austin Therrell, executive director of AAFCO. “New packaging and labels will be well-defined and easy to understand. And that’s good news for all of us, from pet owners and manufacturers to pets themselves.”
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Victoria Broehm, AFIA spokesperson, told Agri-Pulse the industry worked “alongside state and federal regulators to collect input from consumers, update pet nutrient analysis requirements and develop fresh text and visual on-package prompts to help pet owners better understand their pets’ food labels.”
Pet Food Institute President and CEO Dana Brooks said the changes will “increase consumer understanding and allow pet owners to make better informed decisions about the food they feed their four-legged family members.”
States will now begin the process of individually adopting and enforcing the AAFCO-approved regulations. AAFCO recommended a transition period of six years for pet food manufacturers to incorporate the proposed changes.
“Pet owners will see some changes before that date, but all packaging should be consistent by the end of the six-year period,” AAFCO said in a statement.
Brooks said PFI looks “forward to working with AAFCO and state departments of agriculture to implement these changes, educate pet owners and encourage all states to adopt the language so industry can have uniformity with this major change in pet food regulations. Pet food makers are committed to providing pet owners with the best science-based nutrition for their pets.”
Broehm added, “With the label changes now adopted, AFIA’s members will begin the process of updating their product designs, internal review systems, laboratory methods and any other efforts needed to implement the changes. The AFIA will be working in concert with AAFCO, state regulators, veterinarians and retailers to inform them of the changes in the months to come and prepare other consumer-friendly materials.”
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