AAFCO nutrient profiles explained: how to read them, what changed and how they compare with FEDIAF

01The short answer

AAFCO nutrient profiles set the minimum, and for some nutrients maximum, levels a dog or cat food must meet to be labelled complete and balanced for a life stage. AAFCO does not approve products: its model regulations bind a company only where a state adopts them ¹. Europe works to the FEDIAF Nutritional Guidelines, industry recommendations expressed per 100 g dry matter, per 1000 kcal ME and per MJ ME ³.

Neither is “stricter” overall: compare them nutrient by nutrient, on the same energy basis, for the same species and life stage.

02What AAFCO nutrient profiles are

AAFCO says it “does not regulate, approve, certify or endorse animal feed or pet food in any way” and does not review individual labels. Its members approve model regulations that states may adopt; adopting states review labels, and federal label rules sit in 21 CFR ¹.

Table 1. AAFCO label requirements linked to the profiles. The profile tables themselves are in the AAFCO Official Publication.

03Species and life stages

Dogs and cats are never interchangeable. Cats need more arginine and need dietary taurine. In FEDIAF 2025, adult arginine is 1.30 g per 1000 kcal for dogs (110 kcal/kg^0.75 column) and 2.50 g for cats (100 kcal/kg^0.67 column). Dry cat food should contain 0.10% DM taurine, and heat-processed wet food about twice as much, 0.20% to 0.27% depending on the column, because taurine is less bioavailable in canned food ³. Across 54 studies, taurine was the most common shortfall in cat foods ⁶, and a 2026 Korean survey found 11.8% of kitten foods below the national taurine recommendation but no adult cat food ⁵.

Growth and reproduction versus adult maintenance. Neither AAFCO nor NRC defines a senior life stage, so senior diets are formulated to adult maintenance. FEDIAF’s senior-dog advice is a separate, qualitative paper, and US researchers found the industry does not apply it consistently ⁴. Growth calcium is where mistakes cost most. AAFCO’s range for large-breed puppies is 3.0 to 4.5 g per 1000 kcal; only 40% of 61 US adult and senior diets fell inside it ⁴. In the Korean survey, 32% of 50 puppy foods were below the AAFCO calcium minimum and 54% below the phosphorus minimum ⁵. See our calcium and phosphorus guide.

04How to read a profile

Minimums, maximums and units

Check the unit first, then test each nutrient against both its minimum and its maximum. Maximums catch real failures: of 11 non-compliant diets in a 2025 US survey, six exceeded the calcium maximum of 6.25 g per 1000 kcal ⁴. Across 54 studies of commercial pet foods, the commonest deficiencies were calcium, phosphorus and zinc, and the commonest excesses calcium, phosphorus and copper ⁶.

Dry matter versus energy basis

A value on a dry-matter basis does not transfer between foods of different energy density; a value per 1000 kcal ME does. FEDIAF converts at 4.0 kcal ME per g DM and says foods with other densities need correcting ³. A nutrient at 1.0 g per 100 g DM equals 10 ÷ energy density, in g per 1000 kcal.

Whether ME was measured or estimated should be stated in the file; our energy calculation guide shows the methods.

05What changed in 2023

AAFCO’s label modernisation summary is version 1, dated 31 July 2023. The changes concern labels: a boxed Pet Nutrition Facts panel, the adequacy statement placed inside it, dietary fiber in place of crude fiber, and a calculated total carbohydrate maximum ². Each state decides whether and when to adopt ¹. The sources we reviewed describe no change to the profile values themselves, so check any profile-level revision in the current Official Publication. For the label detail, see AAFCO label modernisation.

Declared values need checking too:

06AAFCO vs FEDIAF

Table 2. AAFCO and FEDIAF compared on structure and basis, not stringency. Guires PNL synthesis of the cited sources.

FEDIAF describes its recommended minimums as including a safety margin, and as “not minimum requirements or optimal intake levels” ³.

Table 3. Where the numbers meet and where they split. The 95 kcal column is for less active dogs with lower energy intake.

For an average adult dog the minimums match. For a less active dog, FEDIAF asks for more of each nutrient per 1000 kcal, because the dog eats fewer calories. A recipe that just passes AAFCO can therefore fail FEDIAF’s low-energy column.

07Formulating to both standards

The full method is in how to formulate a complete and balanced dog food, and the protein minimums by life stage are graded in how much protein does a dog need.

08Questions brands ask

Sources

1. AAFCO. Labeling and labeling requirements (startup resources). Source ↗
2. AAFCO (2023). Pet and specialty pet nutrition facts: major label changes, version 1, 31 July 2023. Source ↗
3. FEDIAF (2025). Nutritional Guidelines for Complete and Complementary Pet Food for Cats and Dogs. Source ↗
4. German K, Melgoza C, Torres-Henderson C (2025). Exploratory analysis of nutrient composition of adult and senior dog diets. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 12:1717409. Source ↗
5. Cho H-W, Lee MY, Lee W-D, Lee S-Y, Kim KH, So K-M (2026). Nutritional evaluation of commercial dog and cat foods based on key nutrient requirements. Animals 16(6):909. Source ↗
6. Mace JL, Nicholles B, Knight A (2026). How nutritionally sound is commercially available vegan pet food relative to meat-based pet food? A systematic review. Animals 16(14):2232. Source ↗
7. Vecchiato CG, Schwaiger K, Biagi G, Dobenecker B (2022). From nutritional adequacy to hygiene quality: a detailed assessment of commercial raw pet-food for dogs and cats. Animals 12(18):2395. Source ↗
8. AAFCO (2014). Revised AAFCO Dog and Cat Food Nutrient Profiles. Pet Food Committee Report, Appendix A. Source ↗

Evidence reviewed by the Guires Pet Nutrition Lab scientific team. This article is general information for product developers and is not legal or veterinary advice.