Field Guide · Glossary
AAFCO
Food and labelsThe Association of American Feed Control Officials, the body that writes the model pet food regulations most US states adopt into their own law.
How it works
It is a voluntary membership association of state and federal officials rather than a government agency. What it produces is model language: ingredient definitions, nutrient profiles, and the wording labels must use. Individual states then adopt that language into their own feed law and enforce it themselves. That two-step structure is the source of most of the confusion about what AAFCO does, because the organization whose name appears on the bag is not the organization with any power over it.
What it looks like
A bag states that the food is formulated to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for adult maintenance. That sentence refers to a published profile the manufacturer checked their recipe against. No AAFCO employee saw the food.
Commonly confused with
- Nutritional adequacy statement
- AAFCO is the body that defines the wording. The nutritional adequacy statement is the specific sentence on the bag written in that wording, saying whether the food is complete and balanced.
Related terms