Food Regulation

Question 1

Is pet food regulated?

Answer 1

YES
by the FDA, state feed control officials, etc.

Question 2

________ is the primary regulatory body for pet food

Answer 2

FDA

Question 3

T/F: food and supplements are regulated differently than drugs. There is no pre-market approval, but drug/treatment claims are not allowed to be made.

Answer 3

true

Question 4

Food/Feed/Supplement ingredients must be either:
- FDA-approved food additives
- Generally-Recognized as Safe
- ______________________________

Answer 4

• AAFCO-defined ingredients

Question 5

T/F: AAFCO is a regulatory body

Answer 5

false - they are not. their members are regulators from the state and FDA, but they are NOT a regulatory body themselves.

Question 6

T/F: the state feed control official can require product registration and/or company licensure

Answer 6

true

Question 7

If there is a violation of a product that is within circulation, what does the FDA do?

Answer 7

asks the manufacturer to remedy the violation

if unanswered, send warning
if unsatisfied, seize product
if unsatisfied, destroy product

Question 8

T/F: the FDA can request or order a pet food recall

Answer 8

true

Question 9

T/F: the state is not allowed to seize a product or issue crimimal penalities/fines if there is a violation of a product within circulation. Only the FDA can.

Answer 9

false – the state can!

Question 10

T/F: most FDA pet food recalls are made voluntary

Answer 10

true and most are often NOT associated with illness.

Question 11

What is guaranteed analysis?

Answer 11

% as fed (counts water)
this is not the same as typical analysis which is more precise.

Question 12

What is the AAFCO statement?

Answer 12

Animal feeding tests using AAFCO procedures substantiate [diet name] provides complete and balanced nutrition for maintenance of adult dogs/cat, growing puppies/kittens, and/or gestating or lactating adult female dogs/cats

or

[diet name] is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO [dog or cat] food nutrient profiles for [adult maintenance, growth, reproduction, and/or all life stages]

Question 13

T/F: AAFCO does not approve or mandate any guidelines, they just set them for the states to adopt.

Answer 13

true

Question 14

T/F: there are no AAFCO formulations that meet the nutritional levels specifically for seniors/geriatrics

Answer 14

true
only 2 categories – adult maintenance, and growth/repro

Question 15

What is meant when a label says “______Dinner/Platter/Entree/Formula/ Recipe”

Answer 15

that 25% of the product contains that ingredient
(for ex. chicken dinner = 25% chicken)

Question 16

What is meant when a label says “with”?

Answer 16

that ingredient is 3% of the product
(for ex. chicken dinner with rice = 25% chicken, 3% rice)

Question 17

What is meant when a label says “flavor”?

Answer 17

the ingredient or characterizing flavor can be created with meal, by-products, or digests.

Question 18

What is meant when a label states “Lite/Low calorie”?

Answer 18

< 3100 kcal ME/kg kibble

Question 19

What are some terms with NO regulatory meaning?

Answer 19

1. ancestral
2. biologically appropriate
3. physiologically tubed
4. holistic
5. gourmet
6. premium

Question 20

How are ingredients listed on food labels (in order)?

Answer 20

in descending order by “as fed” weight.

Question 21

What does is mean when a food is labeled as “natural”?

Answer 21

The ingredients are derived solely from plant, animal, or mined sources in its unprocessed state or having been subject to physical processing, heat processing, rendering, purificaiton, extraction, hydrolysis, enzymolysis, or fermentation, but does NOT contain any additives or processing aids that are chemically synthetic except in amounts as might occur unavoidable in good manufacturing practices.

Question 22

T/F: there is no evidence that grain-free diets are superior

Answer 22

true except in isolated cases where patients seem to do better on these diets for medical reasons.

Question 23

why should you avoid vegetarian diets for cats?

Answer 23

they are obligate carnivores

Question 24

why are raw-meat diets less safe?

Answer 24

they are more likely to be contaminated with pathogens such as salmonella and listeria which are zoonotic.