About Dog Food Packaging Bags

 On the packaging of dog food, we can read a lot of information about the product -- the name, the list of ingredients, the net content, the place of origin, the manufacturer's information, the bar code, and so on -- and it's not written in any way you want.

At least in the US, pet food packaging is subject to strict regulations, with every word used carefully to ensure it truly reflects a range of product features. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the American Feed Management Association (AAFCO) set the rules. So, when choosing dog food, a careful reading of the dog food packaging bags can help you see the essence of the product more clearly.

1. Declaration of net content

Net content refers to the actual weight of the product in the dog food packaging bags. Knowing the net content of the product can better help consumers judge the actual price of the product. The price per unit weight of the product itself does not reflect the price per unit weight, because packaging can cause some visual errors. Carefully calculating the cost per kilogram or pound of the product can help consumers determine the actual value of the product.

2. Name and address of manufacturer

"This product is manufactured by ......" is a statement of responsibility that identifies product safety, quality, and origin information. If the label says "Made for ......" or "Distributed by ......", then the food is manufactured by an outsourcer.

Not all labels will specify the manufacturer's full mailing address, but by law it must at least give a city directory or telephone directory. Many manufacturers will proactively display a phone number for customers to check for information. If the consumer has questions or complaints about the product, he/she can follow the guidelines of this information to contact the party responsible for the product.

3. Feeding Guide

Feeding guidelines are guidelines for the amount of food to be fed to specific dogs, usually in the form of "daily feeding per gram/ body weight per kilogram". On some smaller dog food packages, this sentence may be the entire content of the feeding guidelines.The larger surface area of bagged dog food packaging may give a more detailed description. The feeding guide is a recommendation, not an absolute standard, and the amount it mentions to feed is only to meet the minimum daily nutritional needs of the dog.

4. Energy Statement

Different types of pet food provide different amounts of energy. Different manufacturers use different standards when setting feeding guidelines, which makes it difficult to generalize how much energy pets get from food each day. AAFCO regulations require manufacturers to specify the energy content.

5. Product Name

Product name is the first way we learn about a product. Businesses know this, so they choose positive words or terms to highlight certain aspects of their product names. For example, emphasize a certain ingredient of the product or the breed of dog corresponding to the product, etc. According to the FDA, there are 95% rules, 25% rules, 3% rules and taste rules for dog food packaging.

The first is known as the "95% rule," which applies to products (usually canned) made from pure meat, poultry or fish. The names of these products are usually straightforward and simple, such as "beef for dogs" or "salmon cat food", etc. A product so named must ensure that the mentioned ingredients account for 95% of the total weight of the product (without water). While the top-ranked ingredient should account for more than another ingredient.

The second rule, known as the 25% rule, applies to the vast majority of canned and dry foods. The name of the product should include ingredients that account for between 25% and 95% of the total weight of the product (without water). At the same time, the product name should have some specific descriptive words.However, if a product contains a quarter of beef, it can be called "beef regular dog food", but this does not mean that beef is the highest ingredient in the dog food. Under the "25% rule", dog food's named ingredient is not necessarily its main ingredient, so be sure to check the ingredients list carefully before you buy.

The third category is known as the 3% rule. This only applies when the dog food packaging highlights an ingredient that the manufacturer wants to highlight, but the ingredient content is not sufficient to meet the "25% rule". We may see the label "Contains Cheese" on the packaging of "Beef Regular Dog Food", which means that the product contains at least 3% cheese.

The fourth can be called "rules of taste." There is no strict percentage limit to the naming method, the only requirement is that the dog food must pass a taste test. The tests are supervised by AAFCO and require no machinery, but are performed by specially trained dogs.These dogs are trained to be sensitive only to certain flavors of food, so their choices determine the "taste" of the product.

6. The ingredient list

According to the rules, all ingredients in dog food must be labeled from high to low, including the amount of water in each ingredient. This list is the ingredient list of dog food .So, when you want to know what ingredients are the most common in your dog food, it's the ingredient list that you should pay attention to, which is why we recommend that you read the ingredient list carefully before buying dog food.