US petfood treat definitions

Per the AAFCO Model Regulations for Pet Food and Specialty Pet Food (2024; local parse pdf-parsed/aafco_2024_model_reg.txt): (1) "[Species] Treat" is defined as a food product for pets or specialty pets "provided occasionally for enjoyment, training, entertainment, or other purposes, and not generally intended or represented to be a complete food or nutritional supplement". (2) "Daily Food" means a specialty pet food product other than a treat, food mixer or food supplement, for specialty pet species with no recognized nutritional authority. (3) Feeding directions (Regulation PF8(b)): "Dog or cat food, including treats and food mixers, labeled as complete and balanced for any or all life stages ... shall list feeding directions on the product label", expressed per familiar household unit per weight of dog (or cat), with feeding frequency. (4) The parsed model regulation contains NO "less than 20% of daily caloric intake" treat definition and NO choking-hazard standard ("choking" does not appear in the text); state-specific treat rules (California meat-source naming, New York rawhide warnings, Illinois jerky country-of-origin) have no source text in the project — flagged unverifiable. [Audit 2026-07-19: REWRITTEN — previous "20% of daily caloric intake" definition, "2024 AAFCO choking hazard standard" and state-specific rules were not found in any project source.]