The Atlas/Food & Nutrition/FEDIAF Nutritional Guidelines
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FEDIAF Nutritional Guidelines
FEDIAF · European Pet Food Industry Federation
Europe’s working reference for what a complete dog food must provide, the industry counterpart to America’s AAFCO.
01 What It Is
FEDIAF, the European Pet Food Industry Federation, represents the pet-food industry across Europe and publishes the Nutritional Guidelines for Complete and Complementary Pet Food for Cats and Dogs. The guidelines set out the nutrient levels a complete food should provide across life stages. They are industry self-regulation rather than law, but they are the reference the European industry actually formulates to.
02 What It Covers
The guidelines define the nutritional requirements for complete dog and cat foods, the level of each nutrient by life stage, and are revised as the science develops. They sit alongside rather than replace EU feed law: Regulation 767/2009 governs how pet food is labelled and what must be declared, while the FEDIAF guidelines supply the nutritional detail behind a “complete” food.
03 How It Is Checked
These are guidelines, not a certified standard, so there is no FEDIAF inspection or seal. Their authority comes from near-universal adoption by European manufacturers and recognition by vets and regulators as the working benchmark. Legal enforcement runs through EU and national feed law on labelling and safety, not through FEDIAF itself.
04 Why It Matters
In Europe a dog food described as complete is almost always formulated to the FEDIAF guidelines, so they quietly determine whether the food in the bowl actually meets a dog’s needs. They are the reason a complete European dog food can be trusted as a sole diet, even though the assurance rests on an industry guideline rather than a government nutrient law.
Common Questions
Are they law?
No. They are industry self-regulation, published by the pet-food industry federation, but they are the reference the European industry actually formulates to.
Who publishes them?
FEDIAF, the European Pet Food Industry Federation.
What do they cover?
The nutrient levels a complete dog or cat food should provide across life stages, revised as the science develops.
How do they relate to EU law?
They sit alongside it rather than replace it. EU Regulation 767/2009 governs labelling and what must be declared; the guidelines supply the nutritional detail behind a “complete” food. Legal enforcement runs through EU and national feed law.
Who follows them?
European pet-food manufacturers, near-universally, with recognition from vets and regulators as the working benchmark.
Why do they matter?
In Europe a food described as complete is almost always formulated to these guidelines, so they quietly determine whether the food in the bowl actually meets a dog’s needs.
Primary sources
- FEDIAF Nutritional Guidelineseuropeanpetfood.org
- Regulation (EC) 767/2009 on the marketing and use of feedeur-lex.europa.eu