What Is AAFCO and Why It Matters for Your Pet’s Food
AAFCO, the Association of American Feed Control Officials, sets the nutritional standards that most complete and balanced pet foods must meet. The AAFCO statement on a bag comes in one of two very different versions — a “formulated to meet” statement that never touched a live animal, or a feeding trial statement, the higher standard. Here is what the AAFCO statement on your pet’s food actually tells you.
The Only Rulemaker
AAFCO (the Association of American Feed Control Officials) is a non-governmental group that sets nutritional guidelines for pet food, and this statement appears in one of two versions. One of these statements is required on any food that claims to be complete and balanced. This means that treats and toppers are not included in this oversight.
Version 1: Formulated to Meet
“[Product name] is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for [life stage].”
This means someone, and this could be anyone, sat down with a spreadsheet, plugged in the ingredients and amounts, making sure that the end result hit AAFCO’s minimum nutrient levels. No animal ever ate the food as part of the approval process, and no training or education is required of the recipe’s author. The math worked out on paper, and that is it.
Version 2: Feeding Trial
“Animal feeding tests using AAFCO procedures substantiate that [product name] provides complete and balanced nutrition for [life stage].”
This means real animals were fed the actual food, in a controlled study, following a specific AAFCO protocol. This is the ideal and highest standard. While not perfect – trials are typically 6 months long and use a small number of test patients – the food was at least fed to real animals. Food trial testing is expensive, and the majority of pet foods do not perform them for this reason.
Life Stage Descriptors
The other area that should be considered is the life stage descriptor on pet food labels, which include:
- Adult maintenance – meets minimum requirements for adult dogs only
- Growth – meets the higher requirements for puppies
- Reproduction – meets requirements for pregnant or nursing dogs
- All life stages – must meet the most demanding requirements, which are the puppy/reproduction standards
While “all life stages” may sound appealing, this in actuality means that the food was made to meet the needs of the most rigorous case. This broad approach means that these foods may not be as optimal for your adult, senior, or overweight pet.
The AAFCO statement is one of eight required elements on a pet food label. See the full breakdown in our complete pet food label guide.
Curious whether the feeding chart on the bag actually matches what AAFCO requires? Read Pet Food Feeding Directions: Why They Are Just a Starting Point.
Have questions about your pet’s specific diet? Our veterinary team is happy to walk through your pet’s current food at any wellness visit. Schedule a visit with Healthy Paws Animal Hospital.