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Every cat food label should bear
an “AAFCO” statement to show
that the food meets the minimum
standards established by the
Association of American Feed
Control Officials (AAFCO). This
is a body of state and federal
feed regulators that works with
the FDA to establish recommended
standards of nutrition and
testing protocols regarding pet
foods.
A manufacturer that shows the
AAFCO statement on its label is
telling you that the food has
been formulated in compliance
with the minimal standards
established by this advisory
group. (This does not constitute
an endorsement of the food by
AAFCO.) There are two AAFCO
standards concerning cat food.
1. Nutritional Content –
If the wording on the label says
“formulated to meet the
nutritional levels established
by AAFCO Food Nutrition
Profiles,” it means that
laboratory tests have
established that the food
contains at least the minimal
nutrients according to the AAFCO
profile and should provide
complete and balanced nutrition
when offered to meet energy
needs. However, this statement
does not tell you anything about
the quality and digestibility of
those nutrients.
2. Animal Feeding Trials
– The wording in the AFFCO
section of the label can also
read like this, “Animal feeding
tests using AAFCO procedures
substantiate that this product
provides complete and balanced
nutrition.” This is a much more
meaningful statement. It means
that the cat food will provide a
pet with complete and balanced
nutrition when offered
regularly. To earn this
statement, a maintenance food
must be fed to animals in tests
done according to AFFCO
standards over a 6-month period.
Other life stages foods have
different time requirements.
A description of the life stage
that the food was developed for
must also be included in the
AAFCO statement. AAFCO describes
several life stage categories:
-
Maintenance
– This covers normal, healthy adults, and tells you
that the food is nutritionally suitable for
maintaining a healthy adult life.
-
Kitten/Pregnant
Female/Lactating Mother – This means that
according to AAFCO, the food’s nutrient profile
meets the needs for pregnancy, nursing and growth. A
food that passes a feeding trial for these three
life stages can carry a claim of “all life stages”
and can be fed to a cat from birth through its adult
life.
Terms such as "senior
diet" are not covered by AAFCO standards. This does not
mean that the manufacturer’s claims for the foods are
false; it simply states that they are not substantiated
by AAFCO.
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