Have you ever wondered whether the pet food you buy for your beloved cats or dogs really contains what it says on the label? Or, what exactly the ingredients are made of?
To help pet owners understand better pet food labels, the Consumer Council has compiled a report with useful tips and guidance in the choice of cat and dog food.
The problem is that pet food nutritional labels are not regulated in Hong Kong unlike in some countries such as the US, UK and Australia.
So, it is not unlikely that the labels may say one thing in English but quite another in Chinese.
For instance, a product was found with inconsistent description: in English it is called "beef flavour" dog food but in Chinese "牛肉狗糧" (meaning beef canned food). The Chinese name is clearly misleading.
In the absence of regulation here, pet owners should be wary of commercial pet foods with misleading names and claims in the market.
In the US, the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) has laid down rules to dictate the product name of pet food based on the percentage of ingredients used.
Products labeled "with" a certain ingredient (e.g. dog food with beef, cat food with chicken, or with cheese) must contain at least 3% of the ingredient. However, meat or meat by-product in products named "flavour" may be of less than 3% of the final product.
Ingredients in what is described as "entrée", "platter", or "formula" should comprise at least 25% of the named ingredients.
If the products are labeled as "Beef for Dogs", "Tuna Cat Food", the primary ingredient must make up at least 95% of the product.
In reading pet food labels, consumers should check the ingredient list (usually in order of weight) and daily feeding guideline, to ascertain the real ingredient (e.g. meat or meat by-products, types of meat used) and estimate the proportion needed for your pet for a healthy diet.
More useful tips for the loving and responsible pet owners: sharing your own food, feeding too much treats, or feeding without following the daily feeding guideline of a product may be the cause of obesity or overweight of your pets.
If you prefer to prepare home-made meal for your beloved pets, you should be aware that the cooking method, the ingredients and seasoning, and the feeding amount may affect your pets' health.
Solely feeding your pets with home-cooked meal may not necessarily be able to provide a complete and balanced diet for your pets.
A veterinarian has also reported many cases of diarrhoea caused by feeding pets with home-made meal.
If you want to feed your pets by mixing canned and dry food, care should be taken to adjust the amount of pet food to prevent obesity.
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