Did you know that the FDA doesn't approve dog food? A non-profit called AAFCO has set dog food guidelines, but they are optional.

There is no requirement that pet food products have premarket approval by the FDA. However, the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) requires that pet foods, like human foods, be safe to eat, produced under sanitary conditions, contain no harmful substances, and be truthfully labeled.

As opposed to an animal drug, food for animals doesn’t need FDA’s pre-market review to be legally marketed (unless the substance is a food additive). However, the FD&C Act still requires that food for animals, like food for people, be: Safe to eat; Produced under sanitary conditions; Free of harmful substances; and Truthfully labeled.

Technically, yes. But effectively, pet food is subject to little meaningful regulation. There are two main bodies that have some say over how pet food is manufactured and labeled: the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO).