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Commercial Pet Foods 165

“More Is Better” human standard may display the USDA organic seal if the con-
VetBooks.ir A variant on the presence of an ingredient theme is “more is tents of the package meet the following:
1. 100% Organic-may carry new USDA Organic Seal.
better.” For example, some pet owners believe a “high-protein”
2. Organic-at least 95% of content is organic by weight
content in a pet food benefits exercise and is necessary for hard-
working dogs. In reality, prolonged hard work only slightly (excluding water and salt) and may carry the new USDA
increases the essential amino acid requirements of dogs. More Organic Seal.
energy-not more protein-is the primary need in athletics 3. Made With Organic-at least 70% of content is organic
(Chapter 18). Therefore, specific-purpose foods for dogs with and the front product panel may display the phrase “Made
increased work levels should be energy dense and highly with Organic” followed by up to three specific ingredients
digestible and should contain adequate but not excessive levels or classes of ingredients. (These products may not display
of a high-quality protein. “Enough is best” is a better concept the new USDA Organic Seal.).
than “more is better.” 4. Less than 70% of content is organic and may list only
those ingredients that are organic on the ingredient panel
Product Name with no mention of organic elsewhere on the label. (These
The product or brand name can become a marketing tool when products may not display the new USDA Organic Seal.).
it is amusing, easy to remember or authoritative. Brand names The term “holistic” has been applied to a wide range of pet
such as Happy Cat, Cycle 3, Bow-Wow, Eukanuba, Vet’s, Vet’s foods with a variety of ingredients and characteristics.
Choice, James Well-Beloved, Prescription Diet and Dr. Ballard’s However, the term is not legally defined or regulated within
are examples. Product and brand names can also help identify applicable pet food regulations and is, therefore, essentially
and appropriately reinforce the food’s application. Kitten Chow, meaningless. In fact, some regulators consider the term mis-
and Science Diet Adult Feline are examples. leading in that it may falsely imply therapeutic benefit.

Natural/Organic/“Holistic” Foods
In 2000, the Association of American Feed Control Officials PET FOOD SEGMENTS
(AAFCO) defined “natural” as: “A food or ingredient derived
solely from plant, animal or mined sources, either in its Pet food brands have proliferated, each attempting to carve out
unprocessed state or having been subject to physical processing, a new “segment” in the market (Figure 8-6).The following dis-
heat processing, rendering, purification, extraction, hydrolysis, cussion will provide a broad overview of the various segments,
enzymolysis, or fermentation, but not having been produced by as well as, general definitions of the product types that fall into
or subject to a chemically synthetic process and not containing each segment.
any additives or processing aids that are chemically synthetic
except in amounts which might occur unavoidably in good Grocery Brands
manufacturing practices” (AAFCO, 2007). This definition Traditionally, pet foods were sold in grocery stores, and the
excludes the use of any synthetic preservatives, flavors and col- brands sold there were called “grocery” brands. Grocery
ors in products labeled as “natural.” However, because most brands are national in scope. Many are well-recognized
added trace nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and taurine are “household words” with high exposure levels due to large-
chemically synthetic, AAFCO guidelines do allow use of trace scale advertising and wide distribution. Grocery outlets are
nutrients in “complete and balanced” pet foods with a dis- the primary source of commercially prepared pet foods glob-
claimer, e.g.,“natural ingredients with added vitamins and min- ally. Most grocery brands are “all-purpose” foods, balanced for
erals” (Box 9-1). growth/lactation. However, there has been a trend toward
Research has identified several factors that consumers seek specific-purpose foods (lifestage and special needs) among
in natural pet foods.To pet owners, a natural pet food is nutri- traditional grocery dry brands.
b
tious and free of artificial preservatives and colors. The The usual marketing theme for this segment combines a
absence of artificial preservatives appears to be the most warm, friendly image with high palatability, flavor variety and
important feature of natural pet foods to pet owners in the moderate pricing. Palatability receives overwhelming attention
United States. b in grocery brands through advertising that associates eating
“Organic” is not the same as “natural.” Rather, the term char- with gusto and rapid, voracious ingestion of food with pet sat-
acterizes the procedure by which the ingredients are grown, isfaction. In this context, pet owners feel that they are being
harvested and processed. For example, “organic beef” must be “good” to their pets by providing a food that is enthusiastically
from cattle raised under certain conditions and without use of consumed. “Gourmet” foods are a marketing sub-niche that
many drugs such as hormones and antibiotics. Sales of “organ- further escalates the palatability message to accommodate
ic” pet foods meeting the requirements of USDA Rule CFR “finicky” tastes.
part 205, which took effect October 21, 2002, are still very lim- “Premium” grocery brands are a relatively new set of brands
ited. As of June 2006, the USDA is still deliberating if and how sold in grocery outlets with a more nutritional focus. These
the rules originally developed for human and livestock foods foods are almost always specific-purpose foods with limited fla-
will apply to pet foods. At this time, pet foods meeting the vor offerings and a higher price.