Pet food manufacturers are fond of saying that their operations are highly regulated. It’s true that regulations are in place that, in theory, protect consumers’ dogs against poorly formulated products – but it’s also true that there is little surveillance and enforcement of the regulations. Rarely (and usually only in response to complaints) do regulators test to see if a food meets the guaranteed analysis for macronutrients on its label, and even more rarely, if it meets the standards for vitamins and minerals. So it’s largely up to the market to look after itself.
Retailers can play an important role here – and we wish more retailers would learn how to look through the marketing materials they receive from manufacturers in order to definitely determine the quality of the foods they choose to sell to their customers. We recommend that retailers take products from their freezers and test protein, fat, and moisture, plus one or two additional nutrients of their choice. The cost of such a test is about $150.
The manufacturer should pay for the test if the results show that the moisture is greater than the guaranteed maximum listed on the label, since this is illegal and means that the consumer is paying more for the food than she ought to. The manufacturer should also pay if the fat is more than half again as much as the minimum amount shown on the label (e.g., the label shows 8 percent minimum fat but the actual amount is more than 12 percent, or the label shows 10 percent minimum fat but the actual amount is above 15 percent). While technically legal, this is clearly misleading and could be dangerous for some dogs. Keep manufacturers honest!
