Pet food labels a hot topic in the industry

In October 2014, Blue Buffalo faced a situation of accidental mislabeling due to an issue with one of its ingredient suppliers. A Texas plant owned by Wilbur-Ellis mislabeled some ingredients sent to the company’s customers, including Blue Buffalo. Wilbur-Ellis products labeled “100% chicken meal” may have instead contained poultry by-product meal, and Blue Buffalo took to the Internet in an open letter to its customers once it found out.
Pet food labeling (and mislabeling) is still, and likely will remain, a hot topic.
A survey by Purina conducted in September 2015 showed that nearly half of dog owners surveyed agree choosing the right food for their dog is the most difficult part of pet ownership. A recent blog on www.petfoodindustry.com by Debbie Phillips-Donaldson pointed out that “that is a lot of confused, overwhelmed dog owners, even if you don’t extrapolate the 900 participating in the online survey to the 46.3 million dog-owning households in the US.”
The blog mentions that a good starting point to helping pet owners choose the right food for their pet might be to improve pet food labels, better explaining exactly what’s in the food and how it might benefit pets. This this year, the Pet Food Institute (PFI) convened a task force to explore that concept.
Whether it’s concerns that labels may not be correct or labels that can help pet owners make better purchasing decisions, pet food labeling will remain important in today’s market.

Animal groups pressure FDA on pet food labeling

Animal advocacy groups are asking the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to issue tougher standards for pet food, according to a report.

FDA is set to issue regulations by September that will fulfill a mandate from 2007 legislation requiring updated nutritional and ingredient information on pet food labels.

At issue are recalls, labeling requirements, and standards for ingredients.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) says it wants FDA to set standards that force manufacturers to issue recalls if their products have been linked to an illness or death in a certain number of animals. Currently, pet food manufacturers can issue voluntary recalls, or the FDA can request or order one. Advocates say they want triggers that require companies to initiate a recall after a certain number of animals become ill or die after ingesting a product.

However, Cathleen Enright, president and CEO of the Pet Food Institute, says FDA already has that authority.

"Are all those who are mandating a recall wishing to put that food safety authority into the hands of industry?” she said.

Pet food labels

Animal advocates say food coloring in pet food should be banned because animals are not swayed by the color of their food. Enright disagrees, saying food coloring is an issue of personal preference.

"We need to ensure that all ingredients are acceptable for pet food," she said. "If it's not a safety issue or health issue or nutrition issue, it's approved."

Standards for ingredients

Animal advocacy groups want a higher standard for ingredients that go into pet food.

“Pet food should be prohibited from having ingredients taken from 4D bins,” said Kathy Guillermo, a senior vice president at PETA. “This is the term that refers to where they place the bodies of animals that are dead, dying and diseased.”

Guillermo said 4D bins contain parts of animals that have been rejected for human consumption, and that they are commonly used in pet food products.

Study: Pet food labeling needs more transparency

A new study published in Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica, the official journal of the Veterinary Associations of the Nordic Countries, has found that many pet food brands contain unspecified animal parts that are not listed on labels.
The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Nottingham, examined 17 popular wet pet foods for dogs and cats in the UK. Researchers said they examined the presence and authenticity of animal sources of proteins in pet food in the wake of the 2013 horse meat scandal in the human food chain.
The pet foods were sampled for the relative presence of DNA from bovine, porcine, chicken and horse sources. In the samples, no horse DNA was detected, but there were substantial levels of unspecified animal species in most products tested. The study found that 14 of those brands contained cow, chicken and pig DNA, but none of those animals were listed on the label. Of the seven brands with prominent descriptions containing the term “with beef,” only two were found to contain more bovine DNA than porcine and chicken DNA combined.
 Researchers concluded that there is a need for the pet food industry to be more transparent with consumers in the disclosure of the types of animal proteins in their products. They said full disclosure will allow consumers to make more informed choices on purchases that are particularly important for pets with food allergies, reduce the risk of product misinterpretation, and avoid potential religious concerns.

Meat species study: Some petfoods may be mislabeled

Researchers in Chapman University’s Food Science Program have published a study focused on commercial petfoods marketed for dogs and cats to identify meat species present as well as any instances of mislabeling. Of the 52 products tested, 31 were labeled correctly, 20 were potentially mislabeled and one contained a non-specific meat ingredient that could not be verified.

“Although regulations exist for petfoods, increases in international trade and globalization of the food supply have amplified the potential for food fraud to occur,” said Rosalee Hellberg, PhD, co-author on the study. “With the recent discovery of horsemeat in ground meat products sold for human consumption in several European countries, finding horsemeat in US consumer food and petfood products is a concern, which is one of the reasons we wanted to do this study.”
Chicken was the most common meat species found in the petfood products. Pork was the second most common meat species detected, and beef, turkey and lamb followed, respectively. Goose was the least common meat species detected. None of the products tested positive for horsemeat.
Of the 20 potentially mislabeled products, 13 were dog food and seven were cat food. Of these 20, 16 contained meat species that were not included on the product label, with pork being the most common undeclared meat species. In three of the cases of potential mislabeling, one or two meat species were substituted for other meat species. While a seemingly high percentage of petfoods were found to be potentially mislabeled, the manner in which mislabeling occurred is not clear; nor is it clear as to whether the mislabeling was accidental or intentional and at which points in the production chain it took place, according to the report.
The study was published in the journal Food Control.

Genetically modified food labeling to be voted on in Washington

Mandatory labeling of genetically modified foods will be voted on in November by state legislators in Washington, USA, where a new initiative was recently introduced.
If passed, Initiative 522, or "The People's Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act," would require that agricultural commodities and processed foods containing genetically engineered ingredients must be labeled accordingly.
Legislators will vote in November to either pass the initiative directly into law, take no action (so the labeling proposal will appear on the November ballot for public vote), or arrange for a public vote to be held prior to November. The legislation in Washington comes after a proposal on genetically modified food labeling, Proposition 37, was defeated by California, USA, residents in an October 2012 vote. 

Pet owners confused on pet nutrition, pet food labeling, petMD finds

A recent petMD survey about pet nutrition found that pet owners are confused about the nutritional needs of their dogs and cats. Although 57 percent of pet owners surveyed said they look at petfood labels for information about the petfood's ingredients, the survey found pet owners often misinterpret the information on the labels.
"Understanding how to feed our pets properly is critical to their well-being," said petMD spokewoman, Dr. Jennifer Coates. "This knowledge gap is worrisome but also represents an opportunity for improving the health and longevity of our beloved companion animals."
The survey's findings include:

• Misunderstood terms: The majority of respondents said they thought animal hair, teeth and hooves are included in meat byproducts; however, the Association of American Feed Control Officials prohibits these parts from being included in a byproduct used in pet food.
• Feeding trial importance: A majority of respondents said they look at the pet food label to learn about ingredients, yet only 22 percent of pet owners check the label to see if a feeding trial has been conducted with the food. Pet foods approved by AAFCO must have a statement indicating how the pet food manufacturer determined the diet would meet pets' nutritional needs, which can be done either by a computer program or test feeding the food to pets.
• Misidentifying potential allergies: More than 40 percent of respondents cited grain ingredients as the most common allergens in pet food. Although more than 30 percent noted corn as the most common allergen, some studies have shown that protein or meat source may have a greater effect.
• Unaware of balanced nutrition: Protein was cited by 69 percent of respondents as a key nutrient for pets, but just 2 percent were aware of the need for fats, 3 percent of carbohydrates, and fewer than 25 percent were aware of the need for vitamins and minerals.
• Skepticism of label accuracy: AAFCO regulations mandate that every ingredient in a pet food must be listed in the ingredients list from the largest to smallest amount by weight, though still more than 70 percent of respondents said they believe pet food labels do not list all of the ingredients.
"Misconceptions surrounding pet food and canine and feline nutrition can lead owners to make ill-informed choices about what to feed their companions," Coates said. "Veterinarians are the best source of information about what to feed pets. They can take into consideration a pet's unique combination of life stage, lifestyle and health to make individualized diet recommendations."

Petfood labeling, petfood safety webinars to be hosted in December

In December, WATT/Petfood Industry will broadcast two webinars, on petfood labeling and petfood safety, sponsored by Trouw Nutrition USA and Extru-Tech Inc.
On Tuesday, December 4, at 10 a.m. CT, Trouw Nutrition USA will present and sponsor a webinar on "Hot topics in petfood labeling." Moderated by Petfood Industry managing editor, Jessica Taylor, the webinar will feature speakers Dr. David Dzanis, DVM, PhD, DACVN, Regulatory Discretion Inc., and Dr. Angele Thompson, president, Thompson PetTech.
The speakers will cover:
• Up-to-date information on petfood labeling requirements
• What changes to state and federal labeling rules may be expected in the future
• Resources to help you keep up with current petfood labeling requirements
On Tuesday, December 11, at 9 a.m. CT, Extru-Tech will sponsor a petfood safety webinar, called, “FSMA is coming tomorrow – what you need to do today.” Speakers for this webinar will include Dr. David Acheson, partner and managing director, food import safety, Leavitt Partners LLC, and Jim Giranda, vice president of food safety & quality systems, American Nutrition. This webinar will be moderated by Petfood Industry editor-in-chief, Debbie Phillips-Donaldson.
The speakers will cover:
• How to develop your overall Food Safety Plan, including key preventive controls you must have in place to ensure the safety of your products and compliance with likely FSMA regulations
• If you rely on any type of imported ingredient or finished product, you will learn about the major changes around importation of FDA regulated foods
• Learn how to manage current and likely future requirements around product tracking and how to maximize your ROI.

California voters reject Prop. 37 food labeling initiative

On election day, voters in California, USA, rejected Proposition 37, an initiative aimed at providing consumers with information about genetically engineered food. If passed, the initiative would have mandated that processed foods no longer be labeled as "natural," and retailers would be responsible for ensuring all processed foods containing any covered any covered material are identified as “Partially Produced with Genetic Engineering” or “May be Partially Produced with Genetic Engineering.”
However, the No on 37 campaign successfully helped to urge voters to vote "no" to the measure. The No on 37 campaign included a coalition of family farmers, doctors, scientists, researchers, retailers, food companies, business groups and more.The campaign argued that the proposition was misleading, costly and unnecessary based on the science of genetically engineered foods.
“California voters clearly saw through Prop. 37 and rejected higher food costs, more lawsuits and more bureaucracy,” said Henry I. Miller, M.D., the founding director of the US Food and Drug Administration's Office of Biotechnology (1989-93). “Food labeling policy should be based on logic and science, not fear. Leading scientific organizations have all agreed that foods containing genetically engineered ingredients are safe and are not materially different from their traditional counterparts. We’re glad the voters rejected this misleading, costly and unnecessary measure.”

FDA releases guidelines on therapeutic pet food labeling, distribution

The US Food and Drug Administration recently released draft guidelines on how it plans to regulate compliance with federal requirements for the labeling and distribution of therapeutic dog and cat foods.
The guides will serve to enforce the animal drug provisions of the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, according to FDA.
“Since 1988, the Center for Veterinary Medicine has observed an increase in the number of dog and cat food products making such claims that are sold with, or without, the direction of a licensed veterinarian,” the FDA states in its notice. “Because of this increase, and to help ensure animal safety, CVM is issuing this draft compliance policy guide to set out its current thinking with respect to factors it will consider before determining whether to take regulatory action against dog and cat food products intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment or prevention of disease.”
In its policy guide, FDA recommends to therapeutic petfood manufacturers:
• The product should be made available to the public only through licensed veterinarians or through retail or Internet sales to individuals purchasing the product under the direction of a veterinarian.
• The product should not be marketed as an alternative to approved new animal drugs.
• The manufacturer must be registered under section 415 of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.
• The product’s labeling must comply with all food labeling requirements.
• The product should not include indications for a disease claim on the label.
• Distribution of labeling and promotional materials with any disease claims should be limited to veterinary professionals.
• Electronic resources that disseminate labeling information and promotional materials should be secured so that they are available only to veterinary professionals.
• The product must contain only ingredients that are generally recognized as safe, approved food additives or feed ingredients defined in the 2012 Official Publication of the Association of American Feed Control Officials.
• The labeling of the product should not be false or misleading in other respects.
Comments to FDA can be made through the online federal register until November 9. 

DDW video adresses how 'clean label' relates to consumers

The term "clean label" is increasingly being used by pet food manufacturers and marketers and in new product development. So, David Schmidt, president and CEO, International Food Information Council Foundation, addressed the question of "how does 'clean label' relate to consumers?" during a video interview for DDW’s “Expert Answers” series.
A clean label “describes a trend to reduce the number of ingredients used in a food product, and to have the ingredient names be more pronounceable for the average consumer reading the label,” said Schmidt. He said it “does not relate to the safety of a product as any ingredient or color added to food must be deemed safe by the Food and Drug Administration before it is added to a food product.”

To see the full interview, please visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uy3fivoPV1Q.

Vet offers consumer tips for reading pet food ingredient labels

In a recent Huffington Post blog, Donna Solomon, a veterinarian at the Animal Medical Center of Chicago, Illinois, USA, says she believes the best pet owners are those that are well-informed about pet care and pet nutrition, so she offers some consumer tips for reading petfood labels. 


Solomon says that, according to regulations, if a product name includes a meat, poultry or fish ingredient with no descriptor words after it, like "nugget" or "dinner," that ingredient must represent 95 percent of the pet food's total product weight, not including water, or, the ingredient must represent 70 percent of the product weight if it includes water. For example, a diet labeled as "Lobster and Salmon" must contain a greater weight percentage of lobster than salmon, and the combination of the weight percentage of lobster and salmon in the food must equal 95 percent of the product's total weight, excluding water. 


Furthermore, the ingredient name label must be written in descending order of percentage of the product's weight. However, she cautions that this regulation does not apply to grains and vegetables, so a diet labeled as "Rice and Lamb" would be mislabeled if it did not contain at least 95 percent lamb.


A product whose name contains the word "dinner" or similar terms on the label implies that at least 25 percent of the named ingredient is included in the diet, but not at a level greater than 95 percent of the diet by weight, not including water. If the "dinner" does include water, then the named ingredient must make up 10 percent of the product's weight. 


Solomon says that it is important to read the pet food label especially in these cases if your dog has allergies, because the food may also contain other meats or ingredients. If more than one ingredient is named in the "dinner," like "Chicken and Turkey Dinner," both products must again make up at least 25 percent of the product's weight, with the ingredient listed second included at a minimum of greater than 3 percent of the product's weight. Unlike the 95 percent rule, this 3 percent rule applies not only to meats, but also to grains, vegetables, and other ingredients, such as foods "with cheese" or "with blueberries." 


Additionally, Solomon says that a "flavor" rule requires a portion of the flavoring ingredient to be included in the diet, which is not specified by a certain percentage, but, rather the rule requires that the food must contain an amount sufficient enough to be detected by a pet. This "flavor" rule is tested with the use of specifically trained dogs that signal specific flavors. She also says that the flavor ingredient is not required to come from the actual product, such as a real chicken, but instead can be a combination of many ingredients that mimic the real taste. 

Strategic plan guides Center for Veterinary Medicine on pet food safety under FSMA

The US Food and Drug Administration published the final draft of its “Food and Veterinary Medicine Program Strategic Plan 2012-2016,” which guides the administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine on pet food safety under the Food Safety Modernization Act.
The administration's strategic plan aims to implement legislative mandates of the Food Safety Modernization Act, in which Congress requires the Food and Drug Administration to create a new food safety system. 
“This plan illustrates the breadth and complexity of the work we do and calls out the initiatives that the leadership team considers most important to our success,” said Michael Taylor, Food and Drug Administration deputy commissioner for foods.
The plan includes a “cross-cutting” goal of improving effectiveness and efficiency across all levels of the Food and Veterinary Medicine program as well as seven specific goals related to food safety. Among specific goals of the strategic plan, the administration will implement updated standards for pet food labeling, including nutrition and ingredient information, and implement standards for animal feed ingredients.

Petfood industry critic challenges FDA consumer education video

A recently released video from the US Food and Drug Administration aimed at educating consumers about petfood is now being challenged by a petfood industry critic, who posted her own video challenging the US Food and Drug Administration’s claims. 
The six-minute video from the US Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, “FDA and Pet Food,” informs consumers of the information required by law to be included on pet food packaging, such as a pet food ingredients list that uses the “common or usual” name for each ingredient.
“The rules for listing and naming ingredients allow purchasers to know what was used to make the product and to compare ingredients in one brand of food to another,” video narrator and Center for Veterinary Medicine veterinarian, Bill Burkholder, says.

However, petfood industry critic Susan Thixton's five-minute “Response to FDA Pet Food Video” on her website criticizes the Food and Drug Administration video, saying it is “full of misleading statements”about information such as pet food ingredients and their names. Thixton says in her video that “a consumer must become their own private detective to learn the truth about what they’re feeding their pet.”
The Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine did not comment on the video. Kurt Gallagher, spokesman for the Pet Food Institute, said Thixton’s video was “rife with inaccuracies and misrepresentations.”
“Petfood is the most highly regulated food product, with the exception of infant formula,” Gallagher said.

Pet Food Alliance encourages vets to discuss pet diets with owners

At a recent meeting, representatives of the Pet Food Alliance discussed what the group is trying to accomplish five years after the widespread pet food recall in 2007, says a recent article from the Chicago Tribune. 
Following the recall, the Alliance is working to encourage veterinarians to discuss pet diets and pet nutrition with clients and to set nutrition guidelines. Dr. Kate Knutson of the Alliance said the the group is also working to educate consumers on how to properly read petfood labels and what they mean. 
For the first time, the Alliance's opening remarks and scientific sessions at the meeting were streamed in real time on the Internet. The Allliance says it hopes to stream more sessions online next year, and will also integrate the Blog Paws conference of pet bloggers into the meeting. 

Vet discusses pet food myths, proper pet nutrition

Tufts University's most-recent lecture in its weekly series featured Dr. Lisa Freeman, a professor from the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, presenting and discussing her research on companion animal nutrition. 
The lecture, part of the "A Taste of Tufts: A Sampling of Faculty Research" series, focused on exposing pet nutrition myths and educating pet owners on how to select an optimal diet for their pet.  
In her lecture, Freeman emphasized that, contrary to the beliefs of some, the pet food industry is regulated by the Association of American Feed Control Officials, which establishes the petfood regulations that set standards for individual states and nutrient profiles for petfood. 
"The key is that a pet food label is an advertisement as well, and it has to appeal to us as consumers," Freeman said. "Unfortunately, when I talk to owners, what they base their decision on is the advertisement, not the legal part."
Freeman polled her audience during the lecture about the most important information on the petfood label. While the majority of the audience said that the pet food ingredients list was most important, Freeman said this is not true.  
"The … most important thing is the manufacturer," she said. According to her, a pet food manufacturer must employ at least one full−time, qualified nutritionist, a research and development department, self−operated plants and internal quality control standards.
"You would be shocked at how many of these pet food companies do not have a nutritionist," Freeman said. "I also don't want them to be spending all of their money on marketing. I want research and development [so they] continue to enhance their own foods, to enhance our knowledge collectively about nutrition."
The second−most important fact on the petfood label, Freeman said, is the nutritional adequacy statement, which reveals three key pieces of information following  Association of American Feed Control Officials guidelines: whether or not the pet food is complete and balanced, how the company knows that it is complete and balanced, and the animal's intended life stage of the food.
"If you're feeding this to your pet, you want it to meet all the nutrient needs for that animal," Freeman said. "The best way to decide that is with feeding trials. AAFCO has regulations, and they make sure that animals fed these foods actually stay healthy on these foods. And finally, the intended lifestage — who it's marketed for can be really different from who it meets the requirements for. That one little statement tells you a tremendous amount of information."
Freeman said the ingredient list is important because some pet food manufacturers include ingredients that are beneficial to humans, who are purchasing the food, but are not necessarily beneficial to the animal consuming it. She gave an example in which a petfood manufacturer listed flaxseed as an ingredient in cat food, which is metabolizable in humans, but not in cats.
"They used it for us, because we see flaxseed and think it's great. That is marketing to us," Freeman said. "People get really deceived by the ingredient list. But that's how I use it — to look for red flags that say they don't know very much."
Freeman concluded the lecture by addressing several other pet nutrition myths. She said that animal by-products are not necessarily poor-quality meats and that terms like "human-grade," "premium" and "holistic" are also used as marketing terms but are not defined by AAFCO, like the term "natural" is. 
"It's a really important issue because there is so much confusion out there," Freeman said. "[Pet owners] should find out the basics, talk to their veterinarian and be careful about what they read on the Internet. There's good and bad information, and it's often really difficult to discern which is which."

Chinese pet food found to be mislabeled by Taipei city officials

The Taipei City Government yesterday ordered four pet food products to be taken off store shelves because of incorrect labeling, according to the Taipei Times.
City officials inspected 140 pet food products, of which four were found to be falsely labeled. According to city officials, Belicom’s tuna and beef cat food, Dobi’s beef, chicken and potato dog food; Ever Red’s beef dog food; and Maxwell’s beef dog food were improperly labeled because none of the products any trace of beef, a violation of the Commodity Labeling Act that is punishable by fines up to NT$300,000 (US$9,000). Yeh Ching-yuan, director of the city government’s Law and Regulation Commission, said petfood manufacturers would be told to make changes to the labels, and retailers would be asked to take the falsely labeled products off store shelves. 

Veterinarian clarifies natural, organic pet food label terms

Pet food ingredient labels can be confusing to pet owners because certain terms have no legal definition. Ernest Ward, veterinarian and founder of the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, says pet owners need to do their research when selecting what to feed their dog or cat.

Ward says there is no official definition for the term "natural," which could mean anything that is not synthetic but does not guarantee the product's quality or nutritional value. Another term often found on petfood labels is "organic." This refers to how plants were grown or animals were raised. The US Department of Agriculture's National Organic Program provides standards for human organic foods, which require at least 95% of ingredients be in compliance to have the USDA seal on the package; this applies to pet foods, too. Pet food consumers may also look for this seal on the labels of organic petfoods. The label "grain-free" on pet food packages means that they do not contain grain, wheat, corn or animal by-products.
Consumers must also understand how pet food is regulated, Ward says. The Association of American Feed Control Officials establishes nutritional standards for pet food, while the US Food and Drug Administration regulates petfood and its labeling.
Ward says pet owners should look for pet foods that contain the highest amount of protein that is minimally processed. When pet food ingredients are heated, Ward explains, much of the food's nutritional value is lost, and pet foods with a high amount of carbohydrates do not offer much nutritional value, either.

2011 AAFCO Pet Food Labeling Workshop to be held in Florida

The 2011 Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) Pet Food Labeling Workshop will be held on January 17 in St. Pete's Beach, Florida, USA.
The event is relevant to anyone who makes treats, is a food control official, is a petfood marketer, handles petfood label compliance or writes copy for catalogues, labels or the Internet. Registration is due by January 1, 2011 and is limited to 200 attendees.

‘Feed Your Pet Right’ authors claim petfood labels are not truthful

Marion Nestle and Malden C. Nesheim, authors of the new book Feed Your Pet Right, said that organic petfood is largely a marketing term that isn’t verified and also claimed that premium petfoods contain mostly the same stuff as basic supermarket brands, according to a book blog.
Nestle, a public health professor and author of other books, said the labels are confusing and the organic label is a misnomer.
Neither provided specific information to support their claims.

RSPCA label receives approval

The Australian Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ (RSPCA) label received approval from consumer watchdog Choice as part of its review of food labels.
A Choice panel scrutinized the claims behind 10 of Australia's most recognized health and sustainability logos. RSPCA’s Approved Farming sticker, which indicates that the food product was responsibly and ethically sourced from sustainable outlets, was among those reviewed and was considered positively received by the panel.