What to Look for in the New Pet Food Nutrition Facts Box

Pet food labels carry a lot of useful information, but finding and comparing it has not always been simple. The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) has introduced a newly formatted Nutrition Facts box designed to make key details easier for pet parents to find and understand.

The new format may look familiar. It brings important nutrition information together in a box similar to the Nutrition Facts panel found on food made for people. Instead of searching across different parts of a package, you can look in one place for the nutrition facts, added calorie information, and the nutritional adequacy statement.

What will you see?

As you read the new box, watch for these changes:

• Calories in familiar serving amounts. Calorie content is shown using familiar household measurements such as a cup or piece, depending on the product.
• A clearer calorie breakdown. The label shows how many calories come from protein, fat, and carbohydrates, helping you understand where the energy in each serving comes from.
• Nutrients shown in two ways. Guaranteed nutrients appear as both percentages and common household measurements, giving you another practical way to read the serving information.
• Dietary fiber instead of crude fiber. Crude fiber is replaced by a dietary fiber guarantee, which AAFCO describes as the more nutritionally relevant measurement.
• Total carbohydrates. The updated box includes a guaranteed amount for total carbohydrates.

What about specialty pets?

Foods for specialty pets—including hamsters, gerbils, and ferrets—use a similar format with a few differences. Their panel is titled “Specialty Pet Nutrition Facts,” and a calorie statement is not required.

A simpler way to compare labels

The biggest change is not just one new number. It is the way the information is organized. By bringing serving-based calories, nutrient guarantees, and adequacy information into one clearly marked area, the new format gives pet parents a more straightforward way to understand and compare the foods they choose.