Pet
Food
Review

Pet Food Labelling -
the whole truth or half the truth?

One of the problems with all foods, and that goes for human as well as pet food, is knowing whether the label is telling you the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth!

Because let's face it, what most manufacturers want to do is show off their product in the best light, that means as a wonderfully designed recipe that matches your idea of what home cooking should really be... well maybe!

But what that means in practice is that some of the ingredients that are used in pet food may not always appear on the label.

As an example from the human food sector, The Coop has now gone really ethical with its own brands of wine, listing every substance used in its manufacture. Compare a Coop own brand with one that isn't and you'll see the difference, which is quite an eye-opener. It's not that the Coop is the only company using all these substances, but rather that the other companies would rather you didn't know!

So how does that compare with pet food labelling? Well, there are a number of ingredients used that maybe one or two companies would rather not declare if they can get away with it. (check out our articles on pet food ingredients, pet food antioxidants and chicken digest)

Firstly there's the meat that goes into the product. Mostly this is meat meal or meat derivatives, and should be declared as such rather than as 'lamb' 'chicken' or 'fish' . Then there's the wonderfully named 'digest' which most companies use and either don't declare it or use terms such as 'chicken liver' or 'gravy'. This is to make the food more pallatable for the pet.

Add to this list the antioxidants and preservatives used in dried food. These are either synthetic (BHA, BHT etc) which are highly effective at stopping the food going rancid, or more natural ones (tocopherols and rosemary oil typically) which are not quite as effective. These are used to treat the meat meal and fats used in the recipe, and even 'natural' foods may have the synthetic chemicals in them because the ingredients were pre-treated before delivery to the manufacturer (and therefore don't need to be declared)

Let's look at a couple of examples (information taken from suppliers website):

If you want to know more about what's in the food that you feed your pet then ask the manufacturer. If it's not on the label then ask them why!

Regulations

The labelling of pet foods is covered in the UK by the Feeding Stuffs Regulations 2005, and this applies even to the pet shop that empties food into a bin and sells from that - you have a right to know the ingredients and analysis of that food, plus handling and storage information.

This is called a Statutory Statement and covers everything other than 'straight' foods ('vegetable or animal product in its natural state, fresh or preserved, and any product derived from the industrial processing thereof, and any single organic or inorganic substance, whether or not it contains any additive intended as such for oral animal feeding' )

Straight pet foods must be labelled with their net weight and the name and address of the packer

For pet food ingredients - follow this link
Also check out 'Antioxidants in pet food'

Statutory statement

The supplier will provide the statement either on the package or in an accompanying document. It must be in a separate panel from other labelling. Sometimes it is on a label sewn into the top of the bag or it may be printed on the bag itself.

When selling pet food loose from bins or other retail displays, the statutory statement must be displayed in a prominent place. It might for example be attached to the bin or with the food in such a way that it is clear to which product it relates.

If a shop makes up pre-packed containers of less than 10kg for sale to the consumer, a similar display notice can be used. For other pre-packed goods greater than 10kg, the shop must mark each pack with the statutory statement.

When the statutory statement is displayed on a notice, care must be taken to make sure any use-by or best-before date and any batch number is updated when new stock is added.

At all times the statutory statement must be clear and visible.

What needs to be on the label?

It is not just branded cans and packs of pet food that need to be labelled correctly. Pet food that is sold either loose from bins, hoppers or other retail bulk displays or in small pre-packs broken down from larger packs must be correctly labelled.

Statutory Statement
The Feeding Stuffs Regulations 2005 require a statutory statement to be put on every label or package which must contain certain obligatory declarations.

Direction & Description
These must state: -
• whether the product is complete or complementary;
• the species for which the product is intended;
• directions for use.

Typical Analysis
The percentage of the following must be listed:
• % of proteins
• % of oils & fats
• % of fibre in the product
• % of moisture in the product when it exceeds14%
• % of ash in the product (ash represents the mineral content of the food and is determined chemically by the burning of the product).

Ingredients List
The ingredients must be listed in descending order by weight. They can be indicated using category names, which are laid down by the Regulations, such as 'meat and animal derivatives', 'cereals', 'derivatives of vegetable origin'. Alternatively ingredients can be listed by their own individual names*. When an ingredient is used that does not fall into any of the prescribed categories, its individual name must be listed. In all other circumstances, mixing individual names and category names in the ingredients list is not permitted. If particular attention is drawn to a specific ingredient (eg With Chicken), the percentage of that ingredient component must also be listed.

Small Animal Feed Labelling
Ingredients may be declared in the Statutory Statement. In such cases, all the ingredients shall be declared either by their specific names, with an indication of the amount of each ingredient, or by using category names which are laid down by the Regulations, or by individual ingredient names listed in descending order by date.

Additives
If preservatives, antioxidants or colourants have been added to the product their presence has to be declared using category or chemical names, in accordance with the Feeding Stuffs Regulations. If a pet owner has any queries regarding additives, they should contact the individual manufacturer responsible, quoting the batch number.

Vitamins
If Vitamins A D & E are added to the product, their presence and level has to be declared. The level must include both the quantity naturally present in the raw materials and the quantity added. The Regulations also lay down the units which must be used to declare the level.

'Best Before' Date
This date indicates the minimum storage life of the product. The month and year must be shown.

Bar Code
This is not a legal requirement but allows for information about sales, stocks, etc.

Batch Number
A batch number or the date of manufacture must be given to facilitate traceability of the product. This may be given either in the statutory statement or elsewhere on the package/label/container, in which case the statutory statement shall indicate where it can be found.

Net Weight
The Net Weight must be given in accordance with the Feeding Stuffs Regulations 2002. The Weights and Measures (Packaged Goods) Regulations 1986 lays down the exact marking and size of lettering required. The net weight may be given either in the Statutory Statement or elsewhere on the packaging/label, in which case the Statutory Statement should indicate where it may be found.

Name and Address
This is the name and address of the company responsible for the products. It may be a manufacturer, packer, importer, seller or distributor.

The above is the minimum information which must be provided.

Other labelling

Pre-packed pet foods must be labelled on each pack with the net weight. This must be in metric units. A statement in imperial units is optional. Pet foods in biscuit or cake form in packs of no more than 16 may be sold by number.

Failing to comply with these requirements is a criminal offence. The maximum penalty on conviction in a magistrates court is a fine of £5,000.

Deciphering pet food labels

It can be difficult to compare foods because of the moisture content (i.e. dry diets average 10% water, but moist foods can have 80% water content) and the fact that labels list levels as an 'as fed' rather than 'dry matter' basis which would enable customers to directly compare the different foods.

If you want to convert 'as fed' to 'dry matter' a simple conversion is necessary. Are you ready?

• If a dry food is 10% moisture then it is 90% dry matter (Still with me?)

• If the declared protein content is 20%, then the maths is 20 x (100/90) which gives us the protein on a dry matter basis of 22%.

• Compare this to a canned or pouch food which declares a protein content of 5%. This food contains 80% moisture (or only 20% dry matter) so the maths is 5 x (100/20) or 25% protein on a dry matter basis.

You'll find this with the majority of canned foods, the actual protein content is higher than that of dry complete foods when compared on a dry matter basis. You can do the same for fat, fiber, etc.

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