Turn over a bag of pet food and you will often find a long list of numbers, percentages and marketing claims.
Understanding the information on the label helps you assess whether the product offers suitable nutrition or relies heavily on packaging claims.
In South Africa, pet food labels are regulated under Act 36 of 1947. The legislation also regulates livestock feed and is enforced by the Department of Agriculture.
A pet food product that does not comply with these requirements should not be on sale.
Check for a V-registration number
Look for the wording “Act 36 of 1947, Registration No: VXXXXX” on the back or bottom of the packaging.
The V-registration number shows that the product is registered with the Department of Agriculture and that its formulation has been submitted for approval.
Read the ingredients in order
Ingredients must appear in descending order according to their weight before processing.
This means the ingredient present in the highest quantity appears first. The first five ingredients make up most of the food.
Ingredients are weighed while wet. Fresh chicken, for example, contains 70% moisture and may appear higher on the list than chicken meal.
Once cooked into kibble, the fresh chicken may contribute less protein than its position on the ingredient list suggests.
Understand the guaranteed analysis
The guaranteed analysis provides a nutritional snapshot of the food using percentages.
The label must show:
- Minimum crude protein
- Minimum crude fat
- Maximum crude fibre
- Maximum moisture
- Minimum or maximum calcium, phosphorus and other minerals where claimed
These figures do not show the exact amount contained in every bag.
They indicate the minimum or maximum nutritional values guaranteed by the manufacturer.
Check the feeding guidelines
A compliant pet food label must clearly state which species and life stage the product is intended for.
For example, the packaging might describe the product as “Complete food for adult dogs.”
The label should also include:
- A feeding guide based on weight or age, shown in grams per day
- A best-before date
- A batch number
- The name and South African address of the manufacturer or importer
- The product’s net weight
What ‘complete’ and ‘complementary’ mean
A product labelled “complete” meets all the nutritional needs of the specified life stage.
A “complementary” food is not a complete meal and must be served with something else.
Checking these details helps you look beyond the claims on the front of the packaging and understand what the product provides.
Leave a comment