http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2001/301_pet.htmlMaking Sense of 'Light' and 'Lean' in Pet Food
May-June 2001
The calorie and fat contents listed below are the maximum limits allowed in dog and cat food labeled "light" or "lean." These definitions are established by the Association of American Feed Control Officials and authorized by the FDA. Comparisons between products in different categories of moisture content are considered misleading.
Dry Foods (< 20 percent water) Semi-moist Foods(20-65 percent water) Moist Foods (> 65 percent water)
Light, lite or low calorie Dogs: 1,409 calories per pound Cats: 1,477 calories per pound Dogs: 1,136 calories per pound Cats: 1,205 calories per pound Dogs: 409 calories per poundCats: 432 calories per pound
Lean or low fat Dogs: 9 percent fat Cats: 10 percent fat Dogs: 7 percent fat Cats: 8 percent fat Dogs: 4 percent fat Cats: 5 percent fat
http://www.petcaretips.net/reading-pet-food-label.htmlA Cook College Pet Seminar, April 10, 1994
By David A. Dzanis, DVM, Ph.D., DACVN
Center for Veterinary Medicine
Calorie statement:
Until recently, calorie statements were not allowed on pet food labels. New AAFCO regulations were developed to allow manufacturers to substantiate calorie content and include a voluntary statement.
If a calorie statement is made on the label, it must be expressed on a "kilocalories per kilogram" basis. Kilocalories are the same as the "Calories" consumers are used to seeing on food labels. A "kilogram" is a unit of metric measurement equal to 2.2 pounds. Manufacturers are also allowed to express the calories in familiar household units along with the required statement (for example, "per cup" or "per pound"). Even without this additional information, however, consumers can make meaningful comparisons between products and pick the product best suited for their animals' needs. As with the guaranteed analysis, to roughly compare the caloric content values between a canned and a dry food, multiply the value for the canned food by four.
If a calorie statement does not appear on the label, the calorie content of a pet food can be roughly estimated by using values given in the guaranteed analysis. To do this, perform the following calculations:
· Step 1: Multiply the percent crude protein times 3.5 and write down the result.
· Step 2: Multiply the percent crude fat times 8.5 and write down the result.
· Step 3: Add the percentages of crude protein, crude fat, crude fiber, moisture and ash, and subtract the total from 100. This gives you the percent nitrogen-free extract (NFE), which is the carbohydrate portion.
· Step 4: Multiply the percent NFE from Step 3 times 3.5 and write down the result.
· Step 5: Add the results from Steps 1, 2, and 4, and multiply the total times 10.
Example: Crude protein 24% x 3.5 = 84
Crude fat 10% x 8.5 = 85
Crude fiber 3%
Moisture 10%
Ash 5%
52%
NFE (100-52=48) 48% x 3.5 = 168
total 337
Calorie content = 337 X 10 = 3370 kcal/kg
Although this calculation will give you a reasonable approximation of calories for most foods, it will likely somewhat underestimate the calorie content of very digestible foods, and overestimate the value of high fiber and low quality foods.
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=labelinfo101Calorie Statement
[...] until recently, calorie statements were not allowed on pet food labels. New AAFCO regulations were developed to allow manufacturers to substantiate calorie content and include a voluntary statement.
If a calorie statement is made on the label, it must be expressed on a "kilocalories per kilogram" basis. Kilocalories are the same as the "Calories" consumers are used to seeing on food labels. A "kilogram" is a unit of metric measurement equal to 2.2 pounds. Manufacturers are also allowed to express the calories in familiar household units along with the required statement (for example, "per cup" or "per can"). Even without this additional information, however, consumers can make meaningful comparisons between products and pick the product best suited for their animals' needs. As with the guaranteed analysis, the calorie statement is made on an "as fed" basis, so corrections for moisture content must be made as described above. [...]
The caloric content of a food gives a good idea about the digestibility of a product, but it should always be taken into consideration along with the guaranteed analysis. Fat provides more than twice the amount of energy per weight unit than protein or carbohydrates, so if a food is slightly higher in fat content, it will automatically provide more energy.
Watch out:
Caloric statements can be found in three different values:
· Gross Energy - The amount of energy in a food product on an "as fed" basis.
· Digestible Energy - The amount of energy available to the dog after the amount lost in feces has been substracted, and
· Metabolizable Energy - The amount of energy available to the dog after the amount lost in feces, urine and gaseous products of digestion has been substracted. This is the most common value used.
It is easily possible to compare "apples and oranges" unless the Metabolizable Energy (ME) of all compared products is taken into consideration.
Example 1:
Manufacturer A lists the following product information:
Gross energy 1,950 Kcal/lb, digestible energy 1,700 Kcal/lb and metabolizable energy 1,550 Kcal/lb.
The competitor B only lists the metabolizable energy content of 1900 Kcal/lb.
Manufacturer B offers the more nutritious food, but manufacturer A distracts from the lower relevant value by providing all 3.
Unless you have a dog who loves eating and tends to overeat, feeding a more concentrated food is the better economic solution and also cuts down on the cleaning up you will have to do, since less waste is excreted.
Example 2:
Two products both list 24% protein, 14% fat, 3% fiber and 10% moisture.
Product A contains 2,700 Kcal/kg metabolizable energy, product B contains 3,600 Kcal/kg.
Product B is clearly the better quality food with more digestible ingredients, you need to feed much less of it per day compared to product A to supply the same amount of energy.
Another detail you need to know is that the amount of Kcal per cup isn't really a good basis of comparison, since a cup is a measurement for volume, not for weight. Depending on size and density of the kibble, one cup may hold under 3 ounces(~85 grams) to over 4 ounces (~113 grams) of food. If you can't locate the amount of Kcal per pound or kilogram on a product bag or manufacturer website, email or call to find out.
OKAY-Where do we go from here? In searching different sites some use 'lite'/'lean'/'light'/etc. For some reason I cannot find the information on the AAFCO site directly. Does anyone have a membership? Perhaps members can get more information.
Scratch
