What does it mean on a pet food label that a product has been tested using animal feeding trials?
Pet food companies often test their products to meet the nutritional requirements established by the Association of American Feed Control Officials. If a pet food label bears the statement, "Animal feeding tests using AAFCO procedures substantiate that (name of product) provides complete and balanced nutrition," it means that the food has been fed to six to eight animals for a trial period of 26 weeks, and that the test animals have not shown any clinical or pathological signs of nutritional deficiency. Animals are examined by veterinarians before and after the test.
Critics of animal feed trial labels claim that the standards used by AAFCO are too lax and that many of the pet foods that bear this label are not suitable for long-term feeding of pets.
Answer There are two ways a pet food company can test the nutrition of its products. One method is the use of standardized animal feeding trials, designed by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), to make sure their products meet the complex nutritional requirements of dogs and cats. The animals in these tests are fed the food for six months and are closely monitored to make sure they stay healthy. A product using this test will have language similar to the following on the label – “Animal feeding tests using AAFCO procedures substantiate that Nancy’s Food for Dogs provides complete and balanced nutrition for all life stages.
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