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In Australia, the pet food manufacturing industry is not currently governed by any strict standards. This leaves a lot of grey area when it comes to pet food and can cause confusion when trying to make sure you are doing the best for your best friend.
There are, however, two main bodies who outline standards that most pet foods adhere to: Pet Food Industry Association Australia (PFIAA) and The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO).
Complete and balanced
Complete and balanced pet foods are those that contain all the essential vitamins and nutrients needed for your pet during their life stage or for specific needs. Essential nutrients are those that the body cannot produce itself and must be supplied in the diet.
Products that are nutritionally complete and balanced can be used as the sole source of nutrition for your dog and these foods can use this claim on their packaging. Be wary, however, as some foods are produced to be complementary only. This means that they should be fed in addition to a complete and balanced food as they lack vital nutrients.
The Nosh Project: Our proof
We tested products similar to ours currently available in the Australian market and found that none of these met the minimum nutritional requirements for adult maintenance – even though some claimed otherwise.
All Nosh Daily Diet meals are complete and balanced and have been independently tested by Massey University and found to comply with the nutritional levels established by AAFCO for growth or adult maintenance. Massey University is a leading animal nutrition research facility.
We developed our Nourish 27™ essential meal balancer to help achieve a nutritionally complete and balanced diet for pets. This is used in our Nosh Daily Diet meals and we also offer this as an individual product to support pet parents who love to cook for their pet. When preparing one of our make-at-home recipes, Nourish 27™ must be used to ensure a nutritionally complete meal.
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