FDA petfood labeling FPLA

FDA enforces the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act (FPLA) for pet food together with 21 CFR 501: FPLA basics require (1) a statement of identity (501.3), (2) a net quantity of contents declaration (501.105 where exemptions apply), and (3) the name and place of business of the manufacturer, packer or distributor (501.5); part 501 further covers the principal display panel (501.1), information panel (501.2), ingredient designation (501.4), prominence of required statements (501.15), warning statements (501.17), misbranding (501.18) and declaration of spices, flavorings, colorings and preservatives (501.22). Guaranteed analysis, nutritional adequacy and feeding-direction details come from the AAFCO Model Regulations adopted by the states, not from the CFR. Label modernization is also an AAFCO process, not a 2023 FDA guidance: AAFCO began the Pet Food Label Modernization (PFLM) project in 2015 to align pet food labels more closely with human food labeling, producing the 2024 Model Regulations' Pet Nutrition Facts box (calories per familiar household unit under PF5/PF9) — FDA has not adopted an equivalent federal format. FDA does not require bilingual labeling (unlike Canada), which simplifies US labels but leaves import relabeling (e.g., Spanish stickers for Mexico per NOM-051) to destination-country rules.