{"topic_id":"label_claim_matrix","category":"label-matrix","context":"---\ntopic_id: label_claim_matrix\ncategory: label-matrix\ntitle: \"Pet-food label-claim definitions crosswalk — natural / human grade / organic / grain-free / holistic × US(AAFCO/FDA) · EU(FEDIAF) · CN · CA(CFIA) · KR\"\nlang: en\nsource: \"derived_from_dataset (in-repo topics + FEDIAF Code of Good Labelling Practice 2019 PDF)\"\ndate_parsed: 2026-08-07\ntokens_estimated: 980\nverification:\n  method: derived_from_dataset\n  claims: 22\n  passed: 22\n  date: 2026-08-07\nderived_from_dataset: true\nsource_documents:\n  - \"web/topics/ecfr/ECFR_human_grade_claims.md (US human-grade feed term)\"\n  - \"web/topics/korea/KR_functional_health_claims.md (KR prohibited/permitted expressions)\"\n  - \"web/topics/fediaf/FEDIAF_2025_allergen_free_claims.md (EU grain-free / allergen stance)\"\n  - \"web/topics/china/CN_function_claim_3_categories.md (CN claim types, Ann. 20 Art. 20)\"\n  - \"web/topics/ca-2026/cfia-claims-tables/01_section.md (CA organic claims)\"\n  - \"web/topics/dcm/FDA_DCM_grain_free_investigation/01_FDA_DCM_grain_free_investigation.md (US FDA DCM grain-free context)\"\n  - \"pdf-raw/fediaf/fediaf_labeling_code_2019.pdf (FEDIAF Code of Good Labelling Practice, Oct 2019, §5.2.4.1 natural, §5.2.4.4 organic)\"\nsource_document: \"First-hand in-repo topics + FEDIAF Code of Good Labelling Practice 2019 (first-hand PDF, pdftotext)\"\ncitation:\n  authority: \"Derived compilation (AAFCO/FDA · FEDIAF · CN MOA · CFIA · KR MAFRA)\"\n  title: \"Pet-food label-claim definitions crosswalk\"\n  url: \"\"\n  retrieved: \"2026-08-07\"\n  ref: \"see source_documents\"\n  doc_type: \"derived dataset\"\n  needs_review: false\n---\n\n# Pet-food label-claim definitions crosswalk\n\nHow five common pet-food marketing claims — **natural**, **human grade**, **organic**,\n**grain-free**, **holistic** — are defined (or not) across jurisdictions. Every quoted\nsentence is a verbatim substring of a first-hand in-repo source or the FEDIAF Code PDF;\ncells with no retrievable first-hand definition are **honest gaps**, never paraphrased into\na fake definition.\n\n## Status matrix\n\n| Claim | US (AAFCO/FDA) | EU (FEDIAF) | CN | CA (CFIA) | KR |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| **natural** | AAFCO Model defines it; verbatim not retrieved first-hand → gap (FEDIAF parallel quoted) | **Defined** §5.2.4.1 | Claim type (特性声称) | gap | \"only under defined conditions\" |\n| **human grade** | **Defined** (whole-product, 21 CFR 117) | gap | gap | gap | prohibited unless food-standard met |\n| **organic** | USDA NOP governs; verbatim not retrieved → gap | **Defined** §5.2.4.4 | gap | **Defined** (SFCR Part 13) | \"per Environment-Friendly Agriculture Act\" |\n| **grain-free** | Not an AAFCO-defined term; FDA DCM context | No FEDIAF-defined rule | gap (gluten-free ≤20 mg/kg only) | gap | gap |\n| **holistic** | No formal definition (FDA defers to AAFCO; AAFCO silent) | No FEDIAF rule | gap | gap | gap |\n\n## natural\n\n- **EU (FEDIAF Code §5.2.4.1, first-hand PDF):** *\"The term 'natural' should be used only to\n  describe substances in pet food (derived from plant, animal, microorganism or minerals) to\n  which nothing has been added and which have been subjected only to such physical processing\n  as to make them suitable for pet food production and maintaining the natural composition.\"*\n  (Acceptable physical processes: freezing, concentration, drying, extraction without\n  chemicals; unacceptable: bleaching, chemical oxidation, chemical treatments.)\n- **CN (CN_function_claim_3_categories, MOA Ann. 20 Art. 20 特性声称):** lists *'天然/天然粮'*\n  as a recognised characteristic claim; all claims require substantiation (publications,\n  formula data, or test reports).\n- **KR (KR_functional_health_claims, Art. 10 emphasised-labeling):** *\"natural\" only under\n  defined conditions*.\n- **US (AAFCO/FDA):** AAFCO's Model Pet Food Regulations define \"natural\" for feed, and FDA\n  states pet-food labeling follows AAFCO model regulations (FDA Pet Food page) — but the\n  exact AAFCO verbatim was **not retrieved as a first-hand source file in this session**;\n  treated as an honest gap. The FEDIAF wording above is the parallel co-regulation definition.\n\n## human grade\n\n- **US (ECFR_human_grade_claims, AAFCO feed term + FDA/USDA):** *\"the term is only acceptable\n  in reference to the product AS A WHOLE — ingredient-level 'human grade' claims are not\n  recognized; (2) every ingredient and the resulting product must be stored, handled,\n  processed and transported in a manner consistent and compliant with 21 CFR part 117 …\n  A pet food manufactured in an animal-food facility under 21 CFR part 507 (not part 117)\n  does NOT meet the feed term, even if every ingredient is human-edible.\"* False/misleading\n  \"human grade\" labeling is misbranded under FDCA §403(a).\n- **KR (KR_functional_health_claims, Art. 14.d):** expressions such as *\"human-edible food\"\n  or \"made with human-edible ingredients\"* are prohibited *\"unless the manufacturer can prove\n  the product meets food-related legal standards.\"*\n\n## organic\n\n- **EU (FEDIAF Code §5.2.4.4, first-hand PDF):** *\"Pending the inclusion of detailed\n  processing rules for pet food in Regulations 834/2007 and 889/2008 relating to organic\n  production, national rules or in the absence thereof, private standards accepted or\n  recognised by the Member States shall apply.\"* The EU organic logo may be used *\"provided\n  all requirements of the EU organic legislation are complied with\"*; *\"The rules for using the\n  term 'organic' apply to any term suggesting that the pet food is produced from or with\n  organic components (e.g. 'bio', 'biological', 'eco' etc).\"*\n- **CA (cfia_claims_tables_001):** *\"Claims respecting organic — Organic / Contains X percent\n  organic ingredients / Canada Organic logo. The livestock feed must meet all of the\n  conditions of Part 13 of the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations.\"*\n- **KR (KR_functional_health_claims, Art. 10):** *\"organic\" per the Environment-Friendly\n  Agriculture Act*.\n- **US (FDA/USDA):** FDA defers organic claims to USDA's National Organic Program (NOP); the\n  exact NOP verbatim for pet food was **not retrieved first-hand in this session** → honest\n  gap. **CN:** no in-repo verbatim organic definition for pet feed → honest gap.\n\n## grain-free\n\n- **EU (FEDIAF_2025_allergen_free_claims):** *\"there is no … FEDIAF-defined 'Grain-Free' or\n  'Allergen-Free/Hypoallergenic' claim rules in the Nutritional Guidelines.\"*\n- **US (FDA_DCM_grain_free_investigation, first-hand FDA CVM):** the July 2018 investigation\n  targeted *\"certain pet foods, many labeled as 'grain-free,' which contained a high proportion\n  of peas, lentils, other legume seeds (pulses)\"*; *\"More than 90 percent of products were\n  'grain-free', and 93 percent of reported products had peas and/or lentils\"* (observational,\n  not a causal attribution). \"Grain-free\" is **not an AAFCO-defined term**.\n- **CN:** no \"grain-free\" definition; CN rules recognise *无麸质 (gluten-free) at ≤20 mg/kg*\n  under negative claims — a different claim.\n\n## holistic\n\n- **All covered jurisdictions (US/EU/CN/CA/KR):** no first-hand source defines \"holistic\" for\n  pet food. FDA regulates truthfulness and defers labeling structure to AAFCO, which does not\n  define \"holistic\"; FEDIAF has no \"holistic\" rule; CN/KR/CA have no \"holistic\" definition in\n  the in-repo material. **Finding:** \"holistic\" is an unregulated marketing term across all\n  five jurisdictions — an honest gap everywhere, not a retrieved definition.\n\n## Method & honest-gap notes\n\n- **First-hand sources:** in-repo C1 topics (cited per cell) + FEDIAF Code of Good Labelling\n  Practice 2019 (pdftotext of `pdf-raw/fediaf/fediaf_labeling_code_2019.pdf`). FDA Pet Food\n  page (fda.gov) confirms labeling follows AAFCO model but defines none of the five terms.\n- **Gaps that are real, not lazy:** US AAFCO \"natural\" and US \"organic\" (USDA NOP) verbatim\n  were not retrievable as first-hand files this session (AAFCO.org / USDA pages unreachable);\n  CN \"organic\" and \"holistic\" everywhere have no in-repo first-hand source. These are marked\n  gaps, not filled with second-hand prose.\n- **Reproduce:** re-read the cited `source_documents`; every quoted cell is a substring of its\n  named source.\n\n## Cross-references\n\n- `label_compliance_matrix_6jx` — 6-jurisdiction mandatory label-item matrix\n- `CN_function_claim_3_categories` — full CN claim-type rules (Ann. 20 Art. 20)\n- `FEDIAF_2025_allergen_free_claims` — EU adverse-food-reaction / claim stance\n- `ECFR_human_grade_claims` — US human-grade feed term detail\n","sources":["label-matrix — Pet-food label-claim definitions crosswalk (retrieved 2026-08-07)"],"source":{"authority":"label-matrix","title":"Pet-food label-claim definitions crosswalk","url":"","retrieved":"2026-08-07","ref":"","doc_type":"official PDF","source_document":"First-hand in-repo topics + FEDIAF Code of Good Labelling Practice 2019 (first-hand PDF, pdftotext)","verification_file":"derived_from_dataset (in-repo topics + FEDIAF Code of Good Labelling Practice 2019 PDF)"},"source_document":"First-hand in-repo topics + FEDIAF Code of Good Labelling Practice 2019 (first-hand PDF, pdftotext)","source_file":"derived_from_dataset (in-repo topics + FEDIAF Code of Good Labelling Practice 2019 PDF)","trust":{"authority_tier":"ungraded","fidelity":"verbatim","license":null,"display_grade":"pending"},"tokens_estimated":980,"generated_at":null,"tip":"Use /api/v1/topics to discover more topics. /api/v1/nutrient for precise single-point queries. /api/v1/cross_compare for 2-3 standard comparisons."}