Pet food label modernization: what's changing on US bags

In 2023, members of the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) approved updated model regulations for pet food labels, known as Pet Food Label Modernization. The changes are designed to make US pet food labels easier to read and more consistent, most visibly by adding a nutrition facts box similar to the one on human food.

Bags on store shelves will change gradually. AAFCO writes model regulations; they take effect as individual states adopt them, and manufacturers are given time to update their packaging.

What’s changing

The main changes described in the modernization work are:

• A “Pet Nutrition Facts” box that brings calories, nutrients and ingredients together in one standard format, similar in layout to the nutrition facts panel on human food.
• A clearer intended-use statement that tells you plainly what the food is for, such as a complete diet for adult dogs, or a treat.
• Optional storage and handling instructions, with standard wording and icons.

Ingredient naming rules, such as how much beef a “beef dinner” must contain, and the nutritional adequacy statement remain part of the label.

Why it reaches shelves slowly

AAFCO is not a government agency. Its model regulations become law only when a state adopts them into its own rules. States move at different speeds, and manufacturers need time to redesign packaging across hundreds of products. For a while, you’ll see old-style and new-style labels side by side, sometimes from the same brand.

We’ve left out specific deadlines in this article because they depend on state adoption. Check AAFCO’s own pages for the current status.

Why the change was needed

Today’s US label spreads the information an owner needs across several places: the guaranteed analysis in one box, the calorie statement in another, the ingredient list elsewhere and the nutritional adequacy statement often in small print. The values also come in different units. Putting them in one standard box, in the same order on every product, makes it easier to compare two foods in the aisle without a calculator.

What it means for you

When you see the new box, the information you need for feeding will be easier to find. Until then, everything in our guide on how to read a dog food label still applies to the bags on the shelf today: the calorie statement, the guaranteed analysis, the ingredient list and the AAFCO statement.

What we’re doing

Our database stores the same core values whichever label format a manufacturer uses: ingredients, guaranteed analysis, calories and the nutritional adequacy statement. As manufacturers move to the new format, we’ll record the label version along with the check date, so you can see which one our data came from.