Final draft of the AAFCO Model Regulations for Pet Food and Specialty Pet Food — Pet Food Committee + Model Bills and Regulations Committee joint final. Draft date: 2023-04-03 (source PDF header: 20230403 final).
Key Changes from the 2022-09-28 First Draft
- PF74 → PF4 (numbering fixed): "Intended Use Statement and Nutritional Adequacy Claims" renumbered to PF4. The "74" in the previous draft was a typo for "7.4" / "PF7 subsection 4" that got corrected to the standard PF4 numbering.
- New definition (d) "Familiar Household Unit" added: "means a typical feeding unit in volume or count (e.g., can, measuring cup, treat, or piece)" — this is the new concept that supports the per-unit calorie / nutrient disclosure requirement of PFLM.
- PF2(7) revised to "Name and address of the manufacturer or distributor as stipulated in Regulation PF11" (was PF9 in the 2022-09-28 draft).
- PF2(8) added: "Handling and Storage Instructions may be displayed as stipulated in PF12."
- PF8 retained as Feeding Directions (no change from draft).
- PF9 renamed to "Determination of Calorie Content for Dog and Cat Foods" (was generic "Determination of Calorie Content" in the 2022-09-28 draft — narrowed scope to dog and cat foods).
PF1 Definitions (12 definitions, alphabetical)
- (a) All Life Stages
- (b) Daily Food
- (c) Family
- (d) Familiar Household Unit ← NEW
- (e) Food Mixer
- (f) Food Supplement
- (g) Immediate Container
- (h) Ingredient Statement
- (i) Pet Nutrition Facts
- (j) Principal Display Panel
- (k) Specialty Pet Nutrition Facts
- (l) Veterinary Diet
Context
This 2023-04-03 final draft was the operative version that the 2023 AAFCO Annual Meeting (Baltimore, MD, July 31 – August 2, 2023) formally approved as Appendix A of the agenda book (5._2023_AAFCO_Agenda_Book.pdf, 4.6 MB, 4132 lines). It was then embedded in the 2024 AAFCO Official Publication as the modern pet food regulation set.
PFLM — What It Changes
The Pet Food Label Modernization project is the multi-year reform that:
- Replaces the "Guaranteed Analysis" panel with a new "Pet Nutrition Facts" box (PF5).
- Adds per-calorie nutrient disclosure (similar to human nutrition facts).
- Requires Familiar Household Unit labeling (e.g., "per treat" or "per cup") for accurate feeding direction.
- Standardizes the "complete and balanced" / "for a specific life stage" claim format under PF4.
- Calorie content statement required in kcal per familiar household unit (PF9).
Source: pdf-raw/aafco/9._FINAL_PFC_MBRC_for_Pet_Food_and_Specialty_Pet_Food.pdf (downloaded via Tokyo xray VPS 206.237.120.227 from aafco.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/; SHA-256 byte-for-byte verified).