Pet Food Regulation

Question 1

T/F: Pet food is regulated

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Who regulates pet food?

Answer 2

FDA and State Feed Control officials

Question 3

Why does it seem like pet food isn’t regulated?

Answer 3

Surveillance limitations

Question 4

T/F: AAFCO is a regulatory body

Answer 4

False

Question 5

What happens if a product is found to be in violation?

Answer 5

FDA asks manufacturer to fix it
If unanswered, FDA sends warning letter
If unsatisfied, FDA can seize a violative product and destroy it

Question 6

T/F: most pet food recalls are court ordered and associated with illness

Answer 6

False - Most are VOLUNTARY and NOT associated with illness

Question 7

What are the FDA guidelines for labeling food products?

Answer 7

Identity
Net content
Ingredient list
Manufacturer/distributor name and address

Question 8

In what units is the guaranteed analysis labeled in?

Answer 8

% as fed - must account for water

Question 9

What is the difference between a guaranteed analysis label and typical analysis label?

Answer 9

GA - % as fed
TA - nutrient unit/Mcal or unit/100kcal

Question 10

T/F: AAFCO sets guidelines for states to adopt

Answer 10

True - AAFCO does not approve or mandate

Question 11

If a food product is labeled dinner/platter/entree/formula/recipe, the food must consist of at least ______%

Answer 11

25%

Ex. Chicken dinner must consist of at least 25% chicken

Question 12

What does the term “with” indicate on a food label?

Answer 12

3% of the product

Question 13

What is meant by “flavor” on a food label?

Answer 13

Ingredient or characterizing flavor

Question 14

Lite/low calorie foods are ________ kcal ME/kg kibble

Answer 14

<3100

Question 15

T/F: Ancestral, biologically appropriate, physiologically tuned, holistic, gourmet, and premium are applied to highly regulated foods

Answer 15

False - these terms have no regulatory meaning other than usually increased cost

Question 16

How are ingredients listed?

Answer 16

Descending order by weight as fed

Question 17

How does AAFCO define meat?

Answer 17

Striated skeletal/tongue/diaphragm/heart/esophageal muscle derived from slaughter (for human consumption) animals

Question 18

How does AAFCO define byproducts?

Answer 18

Non-rendered organs from slaughtered animals

Question 19

How does meat meal differ from byproducts?

Answer 19

By products are non-rendered while meat meal is rendered (fat removed, lighter, concentrated protein)

Question 20

In what ways do dogs differ from wolves?

Answer 20

Behaviorally
Morphologically
Starch adaptation

Question 21

T/F: “fresh food” has no true definition, but might have a higher digestibility than some kibble

Answer 21

True - no official definition, just another commercial wet food that isn’t canned (just costs more)

Question 22

_________ diets are an option for dogs but NOT cats

Answer 22

Vegetarian

Question 23

What are some things to look for in commercial raw meat-based diets?

Answer 23

High pressure processing + probiotics + testing final product for pathogens

Manufactured by a team who is properly trained and test protocol efficacy