Study on the labels of selected cat and dog foods from Türkiye

Abstract

At first look, the label contains details about the contents and properties of the cat and dog foods. Label information must be included in accordance with national and international requirements. The sufficiency of cat and dog food labelling in Türkiye has not before been evaluated. In this study, the labelling information for 215 chosen cat and dog foods (164 cats and 51 dogs) available in Türkiye was analysed using Turkish national legislation and the Federation of the European Pet Food Industry standards. It was determined that all food labelling information was compliant with Turkish feed legislation. In comparison, only 67.1% of cat and 78% of dog diets included the metabolised energy value on the package. Cat foods have a website at 60.8%, whereas dog foods have 81.7%. It is found that the cat and dog food labels totally comply with Turkish legislation rules. On the other hand, more information may be valuable in enlightening customers. The recommended amount of food per day was unclear in numerous products, which is an area of improvement. In future studies, competencies of the daily nutrition advice information on the labels can be evaluated.