I'll admit something that probably isn't great marketing for a compliance company: for years, I dreaded going to trade shows. Superzoo is a floor full of innovation.There are new proteins, new formats, and exciting new brands. There are founders who are genuinely thrilled about what they've built. And then there's us … the compliance people. Nobody walks a show floor hoping to bump into their regulatory consultant.
The space between what an ingredient feels like and what AAFCO requires you to call it, is where a lot of pet food brands get tripped up. AAFCO doesn't let brands describe ingredients however they like, however evocative or accurate the language might feel.
There are four AAFCO naming standards — the 95%, 25%, 3%, and Flavor rules — that govern exactly how much of a named ingredient must be present in a pet food product based on how that ingredient appears in the product name. And these rules are enforceable.
Imagine seeing your company’s name showing up all over social media, in trade magazines, on government websites, and even earning its own Reddit thread - seems great, right? But what if all that free publicity is due to … salmonella and listeria? 😬
The NASC is genuinely valuable and worth understanding but one of the most common misconceptions we hear from pet food and supplement brands at every stage is that NASC is some kind of government or regulatory body overseeing the industry. It isn't and understanding the difference could save you from a costly compliance gap down the road.