Page 168 - Raw Diet References Book 2019

Proposed Revisions Edited per Comments for 2014 Official Publication 1

AAFCO METHODS FOR SUBSTANTIATING
NUTRITIONAL ADEQUACY OF DOG AND CAT FOODS

This section contains the minimum testing methods for the substantiation of
nutritional adequacy claims, calorie content claims, and procedures for
establishing pet food product families referenced in AAFCO Model Pet Food and
Specialty Pet Food Regulations PF2, 4, 7, 8, 9 and/or 10. These methods represent
minimum requirements. Companies may choose, or may need, to perform
additional testing to substantiate their claims.

AAFCO Dog and Cat Food Nutrient Profiles

Introduction

The original Canine and Feline Nutrition Expert Subcommittees convened in 1990
were charged by the chair of the AAFCO Pet Food Committee to establish practical
nutrient profiles for both dog and cat foods based on commonly used ingredients.
These subcommittees established the "AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles" and the
"AAFCO Cat Food Nutrient Profiles" that appeared in the Official Publication of the
AAFCO in 1992 and 1993, respectively. The profiles were reviewed in 1994/95 and
updates to the maximum concentrations for vitamin A in dog foods were implemented
in 1996.
The National Research Council (NRC) in 2006 updated its published Nutrient
Requirements of Dogs and Nutrient Requirements of Cats in a single publication that
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combined recommendations for both species. In 2007 the AAFCO Pet Food
Committee again formed Canine and Feline Nutrition Expert Subcommittees and
charged these subcommittees with the task of revising the AAFCO Nutrient Profiles in
consideration of the information in the 2006 NRC Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and
Cats (2006 NRC). In addition, the subcommittees considered information in the NRC
Mineral Tolerance of Animals Second Revised Edition, 2005 (2005 Mineral Tolerance
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of Animals). Finally, the subcommittees also reviewed and considered the
recommended nutrient concentrations for dog and cat food products as published in
February 2008 by the European Pet Food Industry Federation (Federation Europeenne
de l’Industrie des Alimentis pour Animaux Familiers (FEDIAF)), titled F.E.D.I.A.F.
Nutritional Guidelines for Complete and Complementary Pet Food for Cats and Dogs,
(FEDIAF Guidelines) that are roughly the European-equivalent to the AAFCO Dog
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and Cat Food Nutrient Profiles.
The AAFCO Dog and Cat Food Nutrient Profiles were designed to establish
practical minimum and some maximum nutrient concentrations for dog and cat foods,
formulated from commonly used, non-purified, complex ingredients. The
concentrations differ from minimum nutrient requirements traditionally developed by
the NRC Committee on Animal Nutrition. Many of the NRC minimum nutrient
requirements are based on research with purified diets and/or highly bioavailable
nutrient sources that are not practical to use in commercial dog and cat foods.
Therefore, unlike the previous NRC publications Nutrient Requirements of Dogs in
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1985 and Nutrient Requirements of Cats in 1986, the Nutrient Requirements of Dogs
and Cats in 2006 contained two additional listings of nutrient concentrations for
adequate intake and recommended allowance (RA) in addition to minimum
requirements. The concentrations for RA’s of nutrients in the 2006 NRC are at least
equal to, or greater than, concentrations for adequate intakes and minimum
requirements, respectively, and are defined as “the concentration or amount of a
nutrient in a diet formulated to support a given physiological state.” When appropriate,