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Pet Food Labels Are Legally Regulated

By Amy E. Feldman

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - If your pet food says "beef for dogs" does it contain:

(a) 95% beef
(b) 25% beef
(c) 3% beef

The Associated Press recently reported that last year, Americans spent $21.6 billion on pet food, with a trend toward pet food marketed as "natural" or "holistic", obviously marketed for people who think it's healthier (if my dog could read, she'd choose the one labeled "smells like poop").

People often buy more expensive pet food because they don't understand what the label really means. The name of the food itself is legally regulated and is more telling than you realize.

Products consisting primarily of meat, poultry, or fish, that have simple names like "Tuna cat food" or "Beef for dogs" must have at least 95% of the listed ingredient. So the answer is (a). But when a manufacturer adds a word in the middle, like "Beef Dinner for dogs" or "Chicken Formula Cat Food", it means the product has at least 25% of the named ingredient but less than 95%. And then, the word "With" as in "Dog Food WITH Lamb" means that there's 3% of the named ingredient.

That's a big difference for your little friend.

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