Pet owners should:
The nutritional adequacy statement—usually found in small print on the back or side of pet food packaging—is the key to meeting a pet’s nutritional needs. For more about the nutritional adequacy statement, click here.
A variety of retailers—from grocery stores to specialty shops to websites—sell an abundance of pet food products. All options that are compliant with the regulatory requirements should be safe and nutritious.
Species
Pet food should provide a dog or cat proper nutrition. Because dogs and cats have different nutrient requirements, pet food must be formulated for the intended species. For example, cats require nutrients, such as taurine and ‘pre-formed’ Vitamin A, that dogs do not.
Life Stage and Condition
Pet food should also supply a pet with a complete and balanced diet for its life stage and condition. “Complete” means the product contains all the nutrients required. “Balanced” means the nutrients are present in the correct ratios.
The recognized life stages for both dogs and cats are:
Different quantities and ratios of nutrients as well as different feeding rates are ideal for different life stages.
An active, growing puppy or kitten needs nutrients in different quantities and ratios than a mature pet. Calorie-rich foods designed for young animals may make a less active adult animal obese.
On the other hand, a service, hunting or working dog or a pregnant or nursing pet may not receive enough nutrition from a food designed for a sedentary adult house pet.
Feeding Directions
Even once a pet owner has selected the right pet food, if the pet eats too much or too little it isn’t receiving a complete and balanced diet.
Some products provide feeding tables; others provide basic text instructions. Products labeled for ‘all life stages’ should have different feeding directions for gestation/lactation, growth and maintenance.
Feeding directions for a complete and balanced food must specify, for the animal’s life stage, at least the amount of the food (usually in cups or cans) to give per weight of the animal per unit of time. For example, a product’s label may suggest that a 10- to 15-pound adult dog eat ½ cup twice a day to maintain its condition or body weight.
Pet owners should remember that feeding directions are guidelines that may need revising based on a particular animal’s activities and condition. If an animal is gaining or losing weight, it is either getting too much or too little food and its intake should be adjusted accordingly.
Products not intended to be complete feeds are considered treats or supplements. These products are generally intended to be fed in addition to a complete diet (though exceptions exist).
These products may be labeled as treats, supplements, with words of similar designation, or with the direction “for intermittent or supplemental feeding only.”
In general, treats and supplements will be labeled with some basic nutritional information, but won’t contain a nutritional adequacy statement.
Read more about treats and supplements.
Pet food manufacturing process
Regulations for US pet food manufacturers
Be sure to read up on the AAFCO’s regulations, and the US Food and Drug Administration’s regulations.
In broad terms, however, the safety standards expected from pet food tend to be related to:
Reliable suppliers
Products must be free from harmful substances
Products must be labeled truthfully and correctly
Clear specifications when it comes to nutritional value, ingredients used, technical parameters, etc.
Appropriate chemical analysis/studies to verify the nutritional content of the product
Products meeting the same low-acid canning regulations as canned food made for human consumption
In essence, you can expect many of the same regulations and standards that you might find in food made for human consumption.
Dry pet food manufacturing
The dry pet food manufacturing process usually involves a cooking process that removes the fat from the meat components of the product. Other dry ingredients, such as the grains and cereals involved in the recipe, can also be added, dried, and sieved to create a dry mix.
The dry mix is then combined with the wet ingredients of the pet food and hydrated, creating a “dough”. The dough is then pressure cooked in an extruder. The dough is then extracted into “ribbons” in a specific shape.
At this point, they can be cut up and sliced into the sizes and shapes they are meant to be in, whether that’s kibbles or little dog treats. After this, the product is dried to remove any remaining moisture and to ensure it can be stored without spoiling.
Finally, the product is placed in a revolving drum, where it gets mixed with any last bits of flavoring and preservatives, giving the product its final delicious taste.
Wet pet food manufacturing
In the wet pet food manufacturing process, the product is actually normally cooked in the can (or another container) that it comes in when your customers buy it off the shelves. The ingredients are carefully measured and added into the container — this includes the animal products, such as meat, and often grains, thickening agents, vegetables, and extra vitamins and minerals). This has to be done in accordance with the recipe and the nutritional needs of the animal.
The container is then sealed, and the product is cooked within. The cooking process has to be highly regulated when it comes to temperature and the length of time the product is cooked to ensure the nutritional content, taste, and shelf-life of the product remain intact.
Once the product has been cooked, it is cooled, so it can finally be labeled and stored.
Dry vs wet pet food
After learning a bit more about the pet food manufacturing process for dry and wet products, you might be wondering — which is better? The truth is, both come with their advantages and disadvantages, so there isn’t really a clear answer. But let’s go over some of them to help you figure out the type of product you want to focus on and how you might want to market it to your customers.
First things first, both are potentially healthy options, so there are no worries there. Different dogs and cats might have different nutritional requirements and preferences. But ultimately, the most important part is the actual nutritional content of the product.
Advantages of dry pet food
The advantages of dry pet food are similar for both dogs and cats — dry pet food is easy to store and generally cheaper. Chewing helps sharpen a cat’s teeth, as well as helping keep dogs’ teeth clean. This can be especially helpful when fighting the gum problems faced by certain dog breeds.
Disadvantages of dry pet food
The disadvantage of dry pet food is that it can be harder to break down and chew for older pets or those breeds with weaker jaws and teeth. Its lower fat content might also prove a little insufficient for more active dogs.
Advantages of wet pet food
Wet pet food can help cats and dogs with hydration issues to a degree due to the higher moisture content. It is also said to help cats and dogs with certain urinary tract conditions. It is also common for dogs to prefer the taste of wet dog food.
Disadvantages of wet pet food
Wet pet food does not help clean a dog’s teeth quite as well as dry dog food does, and once a can has been opened, it tends to go off fairly quickly (so it can’t be stored quite as easily as dry products).
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