US officials support AAFCO’s new pet food labeling regulations

The Association of American Control Officials (AAFCO) received unanimous support for the Model Regulations for Pet Food and Specialty Pet Food, setting new standards for all manufacturers and distributors of pet food products distributed in the US.

NASDA, a nonprofit entity representing commissioners, secretaries, and directors from the departments of agriculture across all US states and territories, encouraged state feed regulatory programs to adopt these regulatory revisions in a bid to bring changes to pet food labels “swiftly and uniformly.”

“Pet food labels, like any other food label, should be clear and easy to understand so pet owners can make informed decisions about what they feed their pets,” says NASDA President Blayne Arthur.

The vote took place during NASDA’s Winter Policy Conference in Washington a few weeks ago

Language harmonization

The AAFCO Board of Directors also charged the Pet Food Committee to review the language of the regulation to ensure that it was still “consistent” and “harmonized.”

“1 state in particular recently took an interpretation of the text to require pet treats to be labeled with net weight as well as count, which is not in line with the view of many other states,” tells GlobalPETS Austin Therrell, AAFCO’s executive director. 

6-year transition period

This is the first major update in more than 40 years and is aimed at ensuring clarity and consistency in label design to make consumers’ buying decisions easier.

The AAFCO established a 6-year discretionary period, beginning in December 2024, to support a “seamless transition” for the industry.

NASDA also encourages feed regulatory programs to collaborate with pet food distributors and manufacturers to adhere to a 6-year transition grace period, which AAFCO proposed to ease the transition while incorporating updated guidelines into individual state laws. 

It must be noted that AAFCO and NASDA encourage state regulators to allow the distribution and sale of pet food that complies with both the new proposed regulation as well as existing state regulations.