What is Changing on Pet Food Labels

What is Changing on Pet Food Labels Over the next few years, the North American pet food industry is rolling out a modernized nutrition facts label across all pet food products to drive consumer transparency and understanding. Complete, industry wide implementation of the modernized nutrition facts label is expected by 2030, but consumers should expect to see early examples of these updated labels on pet food products as early as spring 2025. The goal of this label modernization is standardization across all North American pet food products and to more closely align with human food labeling. The updated nutrition label is designed for clarity and to be more informative, making it easier for pet owners and veterinary professionals to review and understand the most relevant nutritional content of pet foods. One of the most impactful updates to the nutrition facts label is the shift from crude fiber to total dietary fiber (TDF) maximum percentage within the product guaranteed analysis, thereby providing a more accurate and meaningful measure of a pets’ dietary fiber intake. A dietary fiber (max) will now appear below the newly defined total carbohydrate (max) as a hanging indent on a pet food nutrition facts label. It is important to understand that while the total dietary fiber content is now declared, the actual amount of fiber in pet food has not changed. Previously, fiber was declared as a fraction of the total fiber content (as ‘crude fiber’); now, it is presented in its entirety (as ‘total dietary fiber’).