In the last section, I discussed the Guaranteed Analysis found on a dog food label and how to decipher it, based upon what type of food you might have...canned or dry dog food. In this last section, I will discuss the Nutritional Adequacy Statement and the importance of it.

You’ve seen it on the labels...”Complete”, “Balanced”, “For All Lifestages”, among others. But how are these claims substantiated? What rules are in place to regulate such verbage? The answer is set forth, once again, by the AAFCO.

The Nutritional Adequacy Statement is required and is one of the most important aspects of a dog food label. This statement assures us that a product meets all of a dog’s nutritional requirements. So how is a dog food or puppy food substantiated for nutritional adequacy? They must use one of two ways:

Calculations
# The method whereby the dog food contains ingredients formulated to provide levels of nutrients that meet an established profile
# Calculations estimate the amount of nutrients either by an average nutrient content of ingredients or results of laboratory tests using standard chemical analysis.
# If it meets the profile set by the AAFCO, the label will carry a statement as follows: “(Name of product) is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO (Dog) Food Nutrient Profiles for (specific life stage).”

Feeding Trials

* The product (or a similar product made by the same company) has been tested in dogs under strict guidelines and found to provide proper nutrition.
* If it meets the profile set by the AAFCO, the label will carry a statement as follows: “Animal feeding tests using AAFCO procedures substantiate that (name of product) provides complete and balanced nutrition for (specific life stage).”

That’s pretty much it. If you missed the other two sections about pet food labels, here are the links to those sections.

Dog Food Product Name
Guaranteed Analysis