Iowa Administrative Code
Agency 21 - Agriculture and Land Stewardship Department
Chapter 42 - Pet Food
Rule 21-42.2 - Label Format and Labeling
Current through Register Vol. 47, No. 6, September 18, 2024
(1) The quantity statement and product name must be shown on the principal display panel. All other required information may be placed elsewhere on the label but shall be sufficiently conspicuous as to render it easily read by the average purchaser under ordinary conditions of purchase and sale.
(2) The information which is required to appear in the "Guaranteed Analysis" shall be listed in the following order unless otherwise specified in these rules:
Crude protein (minimum percentage)
Crude fat (minimum percentage)
Crude fiber (maximum percentage)
Moisture (maximum percentage)
Additional guarantees shall follow moisture.
(3) The label of a pet food shall specify the name and address of the manufacturer, packer, or distributor of the pet food. The statement of the place of business shall include the street address, city, state, and ZIP code; however, the street address may be omitted if such street address is shown in a current city directory or telephone directory for the city listed on the label.
(4) If a person manufactures, packages, or distributes a pet food in a place other than the person's principal place of business, the label may state the principal place of business in lieu of the actual place where each package of such pet food was manufactured or packaged or is to be distributed if such statement is not misleading in any particular.
(5) A vignette, graphic, or pictorial representation of a product on a pet food label shall not misrepresent the contents of the package.
(6) The use of the word "proven" in connection with label claims for a pet food is improper unless scientific or other empirical evidence establishing the claim represented as "proven" is available.
(7) No statement shall appear upon the label or labeling of a pet food which makes false or misleading Cornparisons between that pet food and any other pet food.
(8) Personal or Cornmercial endorsements are permitted on pet food labels where said endorsements are factual and not otherwise misleading.
(9) When a pet food is enclosed in any outer container or wrapper which is intended for retail sale, all required label information must appear on such outside container or wrapper
(10) The words "Dog Food," "Cat Food," or similar designations must appear conspicuously upon the principal display panels of the pet food labels.
(11) The label of a pet food shall not contain an unqualified representation or claim, directly or indirectly, that the pet food therein contained or a reCornmended feeding thereof is or meets the requisites of a Cornplete, perfect, scientific or balanced ration for dogs or cats unless such product or feeding:
(12) Labels for products which are Cornpounded for or which are suitable for only a limited purpose (e.g., a product designed for the feeding of puppies) may contain representations that said pet food product or reCornmended feeding thereof is or meets the requisites of a Cornplete, perfect, scientific or balanced ration for dogs or cats only:
(13) Except as specified by 42.3(1), the name of any ingredient which appears on the label other than in the product name shall not be given undue emphasis so as to create the impression that such an ingredient is present in the product in a larger amount than is the fact, shall constitute at least 3 percent of the total ingredients (exclusive of water sufficient for processing) when preceded by the designation "with" or like term, shall be in the same size, style and color print and if the names of more than one such ingredient are shown, they shall appear in the order of their respective predominance by weight in the product.
'To the extent that the product's ingredients provide nutrients in amounts which substantially deviate from those nutrient requirements estimated by such a recognized authority on animal nutrition, or in the event that no estimation has been made by a recognized authority on animal nutrition of the requirements of animals for one or more stages of said animals' lives, the product's represented capabilities in this regard must have been demonstrated by adequate testing.
(14) The label of a dog or cat food (other than one prominently identified as a snack or treat as part of the designation required upon the principal display panel under subrule 42.2(10)) shall bear, on either the principal display panel or the information panel (as those terms are defined in 21 CFR 501.1 and 501.2, respectively), in type of a size reasonably related to the largest type on the panel, a statement of the nutritional adequacy or purpose of the product. Such statement shall consist of one of the following:
(15) The use of claims on pet food labels stating improvement or newness shall be sufficiently substantiated by the manufacturer and limited to six months' production. The use of claims stating preference or Cornparative attribute claims shall be sufficiently substantiated by the manufacturer and limited to one year's production after which the claim must be removed or resubstantiated.
(16) Dog and cat foods labeled as Cornplete and balanced for any or all life stages as provided in 42.2(14)"a" except those pet foods labeled in accordance with paragraph 42.2(14)"d" shall list feeding directions on the product label. These directions shall be expressed in Cornmon terms and shall appear prominently on the label. Feeding directions shall, at a minimum, state "Feed (weight/unit of product) per (weight unit) of dog (or cat)."
(17) A signed affidavit attesting that the product meets the requisites of 42.2(11) or 42.2(12) shall be submitted to the secretary upon request.