Hey there, pet parents and anyone who’s ever stared at a grocery store shelf for 10 minutes just trying to pick the right wet food for their fur babies. I’m Jake, and for the last 8 years, I’ve run this little wet pet food packaging supply company—so I’m knee-deep in this topic every single day. Let’s talk about something that’s way more important than it sounds: the nutritional labeling on wet pet food packages. Yeah, I know, reading the fine print isn’t as fun as picking out that new tuna flavor your cat will devour, but trust me, it matters a lot more than you think. And since I’m right there with the pet food brands designing every label, I’ve got the lowdown on what’s actually regulated, what’s just fancy marketing, and why sometimes those tiny, hard-to-read lines are non-negotiable. Wet Pet Food Packaging
First off, let’s get one thing straight: this isn’t some wild west out there. Regulations for pet food nutrition labeling are actually pretty strict in most places, especially in the US, EU, and a bunch of other countries. I’ve dealt with clients in both regions, and while the rules have a few small differences, the core stuff’s the same. Let’s start with the US, because that’s where my company’s based, and where I see most of the questions come from. The big player here is the AAFCO—Association of American Feed Control Officials. If you’ve ever seen a “AAFCO Statement” on a pet food label, that’s this group, and they set the minimum standards for what has to be listed. For wet food, which is super high in moisture (like 70-80% usually, way more than dry kibble), AAFCO has specific rules for how you calculate and present nutrition numbers.
Wait, let’s break that down a bit, because this is where a lot of brands mess up, and where as a packaging supplier, we have to make sure every label we print checks every box. For example, if a wet food brand tries to list “crude protein” the same way they do for kibble, that’s a no-go. Because kibble is dry, so if you just list the protein percentage as-is, a wet food might say 10% protein, but that’s way lower in actual usable protein for your dog or cat because of all the water. So AAFCO requires wet food to list two numbers: one “as-fed” (which is the total in the can, including water) and one “dry matter basis” (that’s removing all the water to show the real nutrient content). I can’t tell you how many times a brand will come to us with a draft label that only has the as-fed number, and we have to flag it before we print—because if we don’t, that’s a violation, and they could get fined. The last thing I want is a client getting in trouble over a packaging mistake.
Now, the EU is a little different, but still tight. They use the European Pet Food Industry Federation (FEDIAF) guidelines, plus national laws in each country (like the UK’s rules post-Brexit, which are still pretty aligned with EU stuff). In the EU, wet pet food labels have to include things like metabolizable energy (ME) levels—meaning the amount of energy your pet actually gets from the food, not just the total calories listed. Also, they have to list the percentage of key ingredients, like how much chicken or fish is in the can. For wet food, that’s especially important because customers are picking it for the high meat content, so you can’t just say “meat” and leave it at that. I had a client a couple years back that tried to say “contains meat” without a percentage, and their label got rejected by the UK’s food safety agency. We had to reprint all 50,000 packages, which was a huge hassle for them—so that’s a lesson learned.
But wait, it’s not just federal or national rules. There are also marketing regulations that overlap, especially when brands make health claims. Like, if a wet food says “joint health support” for dogs, they can’t just say that out of nowhere. In the US, that has to be backed by scientific data—same in the EU. AAFCO or FEDIAF has to sign off on that claim, otherwise it’s considered misleading. I once had a small, new pet food brand come to us wanting to put “cures kidney disease” on their wet cat food label. Obviously, that’s not allowed, but even smaller, more subtle claims like “helps with digestion” need proof. As a packaging supplier, we work with our clients’ nutrition teams closely to make sure any claims they want to put on the package have the paperwork to back them up. It’s not just about putting on a pretty label—it’s about making sure it’s legal.
Now, let’s talk about the stuff that’s not regulated, but still super important. Because here’s the thing: most customers don’t know the difference between as-fed and dry matter basis, so brands will use that to their advantage sometimes. Like, a wet food with 10% as-fed protein might sound lower than a competitor’s 12% as-fed, but when you do the dry matter basis, that 10% is actually 45% protein (because there’s 75% water in it), and the 12% is only 40% dry matter protein. But they won’t show that to you on the label, so you have to do the math. As someone who works with these labels every day, I can tell you that the good brands will list both numbers, or at least point you to where to find the dry matter info. The cheap ones? They’ll stick to the as-fed number to make it look better. That’s why I always tell pet parents to check the small print, not just the front of the can.
Another thing I see a lot: ingredient order. On every pet food label (regulated or not, it’s pretty much universal now), ingredients are listed by weight, from highest to lowest. So if the first ingredient is “chicken,” that means there’s more chicken than anything else in the can. But wait—for wet food, that’s still as-fed weight, right? So if the first ingredient is “chicken broth” (which is just water and some chicken flavor), that doesn’t mean the actual chicken meat is the most. A brand might list chicken broth first, then chicken meat second, which is misleading. I had a client explain that to me once—they said they use high-quality broth as a base, but they wanted to make it look like there was more broth than meat. I told them that’s a bad move, both because it’s sneaky and because customers will catch on when their cat only licks the broth and leaves the meat chunks.
Now, let’s talk about how regulations are changing, because that’s been a big thing the last couple years. More and more places are requiring labels to be clearer, especially for specialty diets. Like, if a wet food is grain-free, they can’t just say that without making sure it’s actually free of all grains, and not cross-contaminated with wheat or corn. In the US, the FDA had a whole thing a while back about grain-free diets linked to heart issues in dogs, so now they’re cracking down on brands that market grain-free without proper testing. Our team has had to adjust our packaging templates to include a line about “tested for low grain” or whatever, depending on the claim. Also, there’s been a push for more transparent labeling for allergens—like, if a wet food has dairy or soy, which can cause reactions in pets, more places are requiring those to be highlighted in bold. That makes sense, right? No one wants to accidentally feed their dog something that makes them sick.
Wait, I should also mention something that’s specific to wet pet food, not dry: shelf life labeling. Because wet food is canned or packaged in pouches, it has a shorter shelf life than kibble, right? So regulations in most places require the “best by” or “use by” date to be clearly visible on the package, not hidden on the bottom. I’ve seen brands try to put the date on the top seam of a can, which is super easy to miss, and that’s against the rules. As a packaging company, we make sure all our cans and pouches have the date printed big and bold on the front or the side, so customers can see it at a glance. Also, for raw wet food (like freeze-dried or fresh-frozen), the rules are even stricter about date and storage instructions, because those can go bad faster. We work with brands that do raw food to include specific storage notes, like “keep frozen until use,” which is required by the FDA and other agencies.
Now, let’s get real for a second. I know a lot of people think all this regulation is just red tape, and that brands should be able to put whatever they want on their labels. But from where I stand, it’s actually a good thing. I’ve seen too many small pet owners get scammed by brands that lie about their product’s nutrition. Like, a couple years back, there was a brand selling wet cat food that claimed to have 30% protein, but when independent labs tested it, it was only 15%. They got shut down, but a lot of cats got sick before that happened. The regulations aren’t perfect, but they stop a lot of that from happening. And as a supplier, we’re on the front lines of making sure those rules are followed. We can’t print a label that’s missing required info, or has a false claim. That’s not just bad for business—it’s bad for pets.
But here’s the thing: regulations can only do so much. They can make sure the label is accurate, but they can’t make you read it. So my advice to pet parents, from someone who’s looked at hundreds of thousands of wet pet food labels, is to do three simple things. First, skip the front of the can—all the “gourmet” or “natural” or “super premium” stuff is just marketing, not regulated. Go straight to the nutrition panel. Second, check both the as-fed and dry matter protein and fat numbers, so you know exactly what you’re getting. Third, look at the ingredient list—if there’s a bunch of stuff you can’t pronounce, or ingredients like “meat by-products” that don’t specify what kind, maybe keep looking. Good brands use clear, simple ingredients, and they list them properly on the label.
Now, if you’re a pet food brand reading this, or someone who’s in the market for wet pet food packaging, let me tell you—we get it. You don’t want to deal with all the regulatory stuff, you just want a package that looks good, keeps the food fresh, and follows the rules. That’s what we do. We don’t just print cans or pouches—we work with our clients to make sure their labels are compliant, no matter if they’re in the US, EU, or anywhere else. We know AAFCO, FEDIAF, FDA, all the little rules that trip people up. We’ve had clients come to us after a bad experience with another packaging company that messed up their label and got their product held at customs, and we fix that right away.
At the end of the day, labeling regulations for wet pet food are all about one thing: keeping pets safe and giving owners the honest info they need to pick the right food. As someone who’s been in this industry for years, seeing how these labels work, I can say that when everyone plays by the rules, it’s a win-win. Pets get good food, brands stay legal, and packaging companies like us get to do our job right. If you’re a brand looking for a packaging partner that actually knows the ins and outs of nutritional labeling, feel free to reach out—we can walk through your needs, make sure every label checks every box, and help you get your product on the shelf without any headaches.
Clusters Wait, before I wrap this up, let me just leave you with one last thing. Next time you grab a can of wet food, take 30 seconds to look at the nutrition panel. You’ll see all those numbers that I’ve been talking about, and you’ll understand why they matter. And if you ever have questions about labeling rules, or need a packaging supplier that gets it, hit us up. We’re here to help, not just print stuff. That’s the way it should be in this industry—for pets, for owners, and for everyone in between.
References
- Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). 2024. Official Publication: Nutrient Requirements for Dogs and Cats. AAFCO, Oxford, IN.
- European Pet Food Industry Federation (FEDIAF). 2023. Nutritional Guidelines for Complete and Complementary Pet Food for Cats and Dogs. FEDIAF, Brussels, Belgium.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 2022. “Labeling of Pet Foods: Compliance Policy Guide Section 550.400.” FDA, Silver Spring, MD.
- Food Standards Agency (FSA, UK). 2021. “Pet Food Labeling Regulations (Post-Brexit).” FSA, London, UK.
Hangzhou Tingzheng Packaging Co., Ltd.
Hangzhou Tingzheng Packaging Co., Ltd. is one of the most professional wet pet food packaging manufacturers and suppliers in China, featured by quality products and good service. Please rest assured to buy bulk wet pet food packaging made in China here from our factory. We also accept customized orders.
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