Two Ways to Substantiate a “Complete and Balanced” Claim

A pet food brand can meet AAFCO standards either through laboratory nutrient analysis (confirming the formulation meets the nutrient profile on paper) or through an actual AAFCO feeding trial (feeding the product to real animals and monitoring outcomes).

What a Feeding Trial Actually Demonstrates

A feeding trial provides real-world evidence that animals actually thrive on the specific formulation as made, not just that the numbers add up correctly on paper — a genuinely different, complementary form of substantiation.

Neither Method Is Inherently Superior

Both nutrient analysis and feeding trials are legitimate, AAFCO-recognized methods — an advisor shouldn’t present one as automatically superior to the other, since each has genuine value.

Where to Find This Information on a Label

The AAFCO statement on a product’s label specifies which method was used to substantiate its claim — genuinely useful information for a customer who wants to understand exactly how a product’s claim was verified.