Plenty of feed companies state that they follow AAFCO and FEDIAF, plastering these strange acronyms all over their websites; “formulated while following FEDIAF guidelines” or whatever. As an average pet owner what does this mean? And why should I care?
AAFCO and FEDIAF what are they really?
AAFCO and FEDIAF are organizations that both aim to ensure that complete and balanced pet food meets pets’ nutritional needs. This means creating GUIDELINES for the minimum, recommended, and optimal levels of vitamins, minerals, proteins, and fats, within your feed. AAFCO is primarily based in the U.S. and FEDIAF is simply the European counterpart.
But as KEOS follows FEDIAF guidelines, we will concentrate more on FEDIAF in this article.
FEDIAF in details
FEDIAF (European Pet Food Industry Federation) is the association representing the European pet food industry. With the vision "Pet food that contributes to the health and well-being of pets," FEDIAF promotes the development of safe, nutritious pet food products that meet the physiological needs of dogs and cats. The FEDIAF Nutritional Guidelines are academic nutritional guidelines based on scientific research on the nutritional requirements of dogs and cats at different physiological stages. These guidelines serve as a fundamental reference in the development, review, and evaluation of complete food formulations.
Okay, but what’s their source?
How do I trust these guidelines?
The information to create these guidelines can’t appear out of thin air, otherwise those guidelines would be of dubious quality at best. However, AAFCO and FEDIAF guidelines are based on the National Research Council (NRC) nutritional guidelines which are a culmination of heap loads of high quality sourced research and data.
However, as AAFCO and FEDIAF build upon the National Research Council (NRC) nutritional guidelines, these guidelines are a lot more detailed and specific.
HOWEVER, while these guidelines provide a strong scientific foundation, it is also important to note that not all products that reference FEDIAF necessarily meet every aspect of its recommendations.
ex.
Nutrient levels may fall below the suggested minimums.
For this reason, having access to clearer and more detailed nutritional information can help pet owners make more informed decisions and better identify products that truly align with established standards.
And why should you care?
Organization that, guideline this, how in any way does my pet Mr. Pibbles benefit from any of this?
As mentioned previously, these guidelines dictate the recommended and healthy amount of nutritive substances going into your feed, thereby contributing to the health and wellbeing of your pets. This means that throughout the long-term usage of any pet feed following AFFCO or FEDIAF, pet owners can be reassured it was crafted with Mr. Pibbles’ health’s best interest in mind.
To accurately portray the benefits of feed following FEDIAF guidelines, we have attached a table of all the key ingredients KEOS petfood uses and the FEDIAF guidelines for them:
This guideline forms the basis for all our products here at KEOS and is an example of why we are a high quality and trustworthy feed company.
KEOS’ core value at heart is providing healthy nutritious foods to your pets. Which is why we align with FEDIAF guidelines. Because to us, your pet’s nutrition isn’t merely a nice-to-have by-product, it is our mission.
KEOS promises to care for all your furry companions by delivering; Simply good kibbles.
