commercial pet foods Flashcards
1
Q
pet food labels
A
- proper formulation & legal labels are company’s responsibility
- also their responsibility to formulate a diet that is nutritious & appropriate
- label is a legal document
2
Q
role of FDA
A
- regulated at national level
- some labeling rules but mostly laws ensure safety
- produced under sanitary conditions, contain no harmful substances, & truthfully labeled
- sterility of canned foods
- no health claims (not allowed to make drug claims e.g. treats/cure disease)
- companies use softer language (e.g. supports healthy skin rather than treats allergies)
- can request or enforce recalls
3
Q
association of animal feed control officials (AAFCO)
A
- advisory body at the state level (not a regulatory body)
- develops model feed laws adopted by states
- compliance is monitored & enforced by state feed control officials
- in Ca: CDFA
- model feed laws include:
- ingredient definitions
- protocols for establishing nutritional adequacy
- digestibility
- energy content
- label requirements
- manufactures have the responsibility to comply & produce nutritionally adequate, properly labeled, & wholesome products
- does not monitor, approve, or certify pet foods
4
Q
marketing terms w/out regulatory definitions
A
- aka romance claims by AAFCO → meant to woo the customer
- premium
- super premium
- holistic
- gourmet
- artisan
- intended uses such as senior, active, performance → nutritional profiles & how they might differ from regular adult food dependent on companies philosophies
- no meaning
5
Q
“natural”
A
- no part of diet can be produced via synthetic chemical processes
- related to process only, not nutritional value, quality, or safety
-
many essential nutrients are purified using chemical means to stabilize & ensure bioavailability
- unfamiliar names e.g. ”ferrous sulfate” or “pyridoxine hydrochloride”
- natural forms are typically more expensive, may be less stable, less available, or more dangerous
- chemical preservatives more efficient than natural preservatives
- vit & mineral commonly synthesized or undergo some kind of unnatural process in order to stabilize ∴ not natural, “added”
6
Q
“human grade”
A
- relates to process, not quality or nutritional value
- every part of the diet and finished product has to be handled, processed, & stored in compliance w/ rules for human foods
- used as marketing term to imply superiority
-
sustainability & critical role of byproducts (often eaten by humans)
- livestock are not raised to feed pets, we just divert some of the nutritious fractions that people cant or wont eat to pet food → ethical, sustainable, & healthy
- parts of animal carcasses that people refuse to eat that have nutrients being wasted due to icky perception (byproducts)
7
Q
required items for pet food labels
A
- brand & product name → if ingredient is in name, specific percentage of diet must include that ingredient
- species designation
- guaranteed analysis
- ingredient list
- nutritional adequacy statement → tells you diet is balanced
- feeding guidelines
- manufacturer or distributor info → who to call if you have questions or problems
- calorie content
8
Q
new AAFCO guidance (2024)
A
- trying to make closer to human nutritional labels
- standard measuring cup
- calories per cup
- calories from protein, fat, & carbs
- nutritional adequacy statement in specific location under guaranteed analysis
- guaranteed analysis
- can be calculated or analyzed
- moisture, CP, EE, CF
- total carbs (including dietary fiber) → will make it easier to compare diets to each other
- can include starch & sugars (if they don’t include just subtract dietary fiber from carbs)
- additional nutrient claims are optional
9
Q
ingredient list
A
- specific legal definitions for ingredients → standardization across diff companies
- e.g. “chicken” = flesh & skin +/- bone
- ∴ can be main source of diet in Ca & fat and not protein
- big disconnect between consumers’ expectation of what an ingredient is & what the official definition says
- e.g. “chicken” = flesh & skin +/- bone
- listen in decreasing order by weight
- cannot tell which ingredient is providing which % of nutrient
- no info about quality or digestibility of ingredients → not allowed to put quality designators
- subject to marketing (e.g. blueberries are “superfood”)
- include ingredient names w/ health payload in amounts that are insignificant but consumers don’t know → have implied nutritional benefits
- not possible to determine which ingredients provide proportions of nutrients → cannot estimate quality or meat content from labels
- not that important or informational
- animals need nutrients, not ingredients
10
Q
L-carnitine
A
shuttle that lives in mitochondrial membrane that helps bring fatty acids into mitochondria to be turned into energy → helps improve fat utilization for energy
11
Q
byproducts in the pet food industry
A
- fear-mongering, misinformation, & lying about byproducts
-
byproduct = derivative made from another product
- meat byproduct = “non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered animals…includes lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, liver….does not include horns, teeth, & hoofs”
- often presented as unappealing & harmful = propaganda
- provide valuable vit, minerals, & other nutrients e.g. taurine
- envir-friendly
- “food” & “not food” are socially, culturally, & generationally specific & not. based on nutritional value or safety
- easier to balance diet
12
Q
nutritional adequacy statement (”AAFCO statement”)
A
- AAFCO requires “statement of validation of nutritional adequacy” for appropriate life stages
- most informative part of the label
- tells you 3 things:
- does the diet carry a complete & balanced claim/diet
- which species & life stage is supported
- how the complete & balanced claim is substantiated
- requires trust that companies know what they’re doing & are being truthful in relaying info
13
Q
marketing is directed to specific consumers
A
- focus on pet-owner bond
- e.g. hills science pets always have a collar
- promotion of dogs & cats as wild animals
- terms like “wild, wilderness, instinct, prey” reinforce idea that pets are hunters
- imagery & terms evoke clinical or scientific ideas
- veterinarian promoted as expert
14
Q
best diet is diff for everyone
A
- select a diet made by a company that employs qualified veterinary nutritionists
- must meet the needs of the specific animal (life stage, species, etc.)
- select a company that invests in research
- select a larger, experienced company
15
Q
people foods to avoid
A
- chocolate
- coffee/caffeinated drinks
- grapes/raisins
- garlic/onion
- alcohol
- dairy
- raw bread dough
- xylitol (found in gum/candy, toothpaste, some peanut butter)
- sugar (cats)
- macadamia nuts (dogs)
- jerkey treats
- linked to kidney damage in dogs
- cause is being investigated
- raw animal products
