[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 205 (Monday, October 25, 1999)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 57372-57374]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-27783]


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FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION

16 CFR Part 241


Guides for the Dog and Cat Food Industry

AGENCY: Federal Trade Commission.

ACTION: Recession of the Guides for the Dog and Cat Food Industry; 
announcement of enforcement policy.

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SUMMARY: On March 18, 1999, the Commission published a Federal Register 
document initiating the regulatory review of the Federal Trade 
Commission's (``Commission'' or ``FTC'' Guides for the Dog and Cat Food 
Industry (``Dog and Cat Food Guides'' or ``Guides'') and seeking public 
comment. The Commission has now completed its review, and this document 
announces the Commission's decision to rescind the Guides.

EFFECTIVE DATE: October 25, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Requests for copies of this document should be send to the 
Consumer Response Center, Room 130, Federal Trade Commission, 600 
Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580. The document is available 
on the Internet at the Commission's website. http://www.flc.gov.


[[Page 57373]]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jock Chung, Attorney, Federal Trade 
Commission, Division of Enforcement, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, S-
4302, Washington, DC 20580, (202) 326-2984, e-mail <[email protected].>.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: .

I. Introduction

    The Dog and Cat Food Guides address claims about food for dogs or 
cats, including dry, semimost, frozen, canned, and other commercial 
foods manufactured or marketed for consumption by domesticated dogs or 
cats, as well as claims about special candy for dogs and cats, but not 
claims about animal medicines or remedies. The Guides apply to 
``industry members,'' defined as any person, firm, corporation, or 
organization engaged in the importation, manufacture, sale or 
distribution of dog or cat food. In summary, the Dog and Cat Food 
Guides advise against:

    (1) Misrepresenting dog or cat food in any material respect; for 
example, misrepresenting the composition, form, suitability, 
quality, color, flavor of any dog or cat food; misrepresenting that 
any dog or cat food meets the dietary or nutritional needs of dogs 
and cats; or misrepresenting that any dog or cat food will provide 
medicinal or therapeutic benefits;
    (2) Misrepresenting that any dog or cat food is fit for human 
consumption or has been made under the same sanitary conditions as 
food for humans;
    (3) Misrepresenting the processing methods used in the 
manufacture or processing of any dog or cat food;
    (4) Making false statements about the conduct of competitors or 
about the quality of competitors' products;
    (5) Misrepresenting the length of time a dog or cat food company 
has been in business, its rank in the industry, or that it owns a 
laboratory or other testing facilities;
    (6) Using deceptive endorsements or testimonials, or deceptively 
claiming that any dog or cat food has received an award;
    (7) Offering for sale any dog or cat food when the offer is not 
a bona fide effort to sell the product so offered as advertised and 
at the advertised price;
    (8) Failing to include details, such as the manner in which the 
guarantor will perform and the identity of the guarantor, for all 
guarantees, or warranties offered for dog or cat food; and
    (9) Misrepresenting the price at which any dog or cat food may 
be purchased.

    As part of the Commission's ongoing review of all current 
Commission rules and guides, the Commission published a Federal 
Register notice on March 18, 1999, 64 FR 13368, seeking comments about 
the Guides' overall costs and benefits, and the continuing need for the 
Guides. The Commission received six comments in response.\1\
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    \1\ The Commission's request for public comment elicited six 
comments from industry, educational, and regulatory entities, and no 
comments from consumers or consumer groups: (1) American Feed 
Industry Association; (2) State of Delaware Department of 
Agriculture; (3) American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, 
Inc.; (4) Pet Food Institute; (5) University of Minnesota College of 
Veterinary Medicine; and (6) Division of Animal Feeds of the Food 
and Drug Administration's Center for Veterinary Medicine. These 
comments are on the public record in file number P994242 as document 
numbers B25346100001 through B25346100006, and are available for 
viewing in Room 130 at the Federal Trade Commission, 600 
Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20580, from 8:30 AM to 5 PM, 
Monday-Friday.
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    One comment, from the American Pet products Manufacturers 
Association, Inc., favors eliminating the Guides. It suggests that the 
Association of American Feed Control Officials (``AAFCO'') \2\ Model 
Pet Food Regulations (AAFCO Model Regulations) now act as ``an 
authoritative guide for regulator to review labels.'' It further 
suggests that elimination of the guides will eliminate confusion, and 
notes that ``dog and cat food manufacturers are compelled to conform to 
general truth in advertising standards set by FTC for all consumer 
goods.''
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    \2\ AAFCO is an association open to officials or employees of 
any state, dominion, federal, or other governmental agency 
responsible for ``regulating the production, labeling, distribution, 
or sale of animal feeds or livestock remedies.'' Among other things, 
AAFCO promotes uniform laws, regulations, and enforcement policies 
by creating model regulations, including Model Pet Food Regulations 
setting requirements for pet food labels. At present, AAFCO has 
representatives from agencies in all fifty states and Puerto Rico, 
as well as from Canada and federal agencies.
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    The remaining five comments support retaining the Guides. In 
general, these comments suggest that the Guides are useful in providing 
guidance and setting standards for dog and cat food advertising, while 
the AAFCO Model Regulations, and the individual state regulations 
patterned after the AAFCO Model Regulations, are limited to setting 
standards for pet food labeling. These comments further generally 
suggest that the Guides impose minimal costs because they ``are 
essentially similar to other regulations.''
    After carefully reviewing the comments and the Guides, the 
Commission has concluded that the Guides no longer are needed. The 
Commission, therefore, has determined to rescind the Dog and Cat Food 
Guides. In the following part of this notice, the Commission explains 
its decision o rescind the Guides, and provides guidance to industry 
members, who must continue to comply with the Federal Trade Commission 
Act (``FTC Act''), 15 U.S.C. 41-58, when labeling and advertising dog 
and cat food.

II. Reasons for Rescission

    The purpose of guides is to assist industry members in complying 
with the FTC Act, and especially with Section 5 of the FTC Act, 15 
U.S.C. 45(a)(1), which prohibits ``unfair or deceptive acts or 
practices in or affecting commerce.'' Guides are particularly useful 
when they resolve uncertainty over what claims are likely to be 
considered deceptive. The current Guides, however, in many sections 
only advise against making misrepresentations on various subjects and 
thus do not elaborate on the requirements of section 5 in a meaningful 
way. Except for topics also addressed by pet food model regulations 
drafted by AAFCO or animal food regulations issued by the Food and Drug 
Administration (``FDA''), the Guides do not provide substantial 
guidance regarding what specific claims the Commission is likely to 
find deceptive.
    The AAFCO Model Regulations provide detailed requirements for 
labeling pet food, including dog and cat food.\3\ For example, the 
Model Regulations contain detailed feeding protocols for proving growth 
claims for dog foods and for cat foods, and define various terms used 
to advertise pet food.\4\ The FDA also has issued regulations covering 
animal food labeling, 21 CFR Part 501. These regulations contain 
detailed requirements for the labeling of packaged animal foods, 
including pet foods. Portions of these regulations can also provide 
guidance to industry members about, for example, the terminology to be 
used to identify pet

[[Page 57374]]

foods,\5\ to describe pet food ingredients,\6\ or to describe 
flavoring.\7\
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    \3\ The AAFCO Model Regulations specify labeling requirements 
for pet food (including food for dogs, cats, and other pets). The 
Model Regulations require that certain nutritional information 
appear on labels, and prohibit a variety of misrepresentations, 
e.g., Regulation PF2(f) prohibits graphics or pictures that 
misrepresent the contents of the package. The Model Regulations 
cover claims about nutrition, ingredients, and product 
characteristics, such as that a pet food controls tartar.
    \4\ For example, Regulation PF8(b)(1)a. requires that any dog 
food product labeled as being ``lean'' must contain no more than 9% 
crude fat for products containing less than 20% moisture, no more 
than 7% crude fat for products containing 20% or more but less than 
65% moisture, and no more than 4% crude fat for products containing 
65% or more moisture. Regulation PF8(b)(1)b. places similar 
requirements on any cat food product labeled as being ``lean.''
    \5\ For example, 21 CFR 501.3(e) requires that the term 
``imitation'' be used to identify certain animal foods.
    \6\ For example, 21 CFR 501.4(b)(ii)(3) permits concentrated 
skim milk or reconstituted skim milk to be referred to as ``skim 
milk'' on labels.
    \7\ For example, 21 CFR 501.22(a)(3) sets requirements for using 
the terms ``natural flavor'' or ``natural flavoring.''
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    Several commentators stated that they do not consider the AAFCO 
Model Regulations to be sufficient to protect consumers, primarily 
because the AAFCO Model Regulations (and state regulations based on the 
AAFCO Model Regulations) do not cover advertising. By rescinding the 
Guides, however, the Commission is not relinquishing jurisdiction over 
the labeling and advertising of dog and cat food. In fact, pet food 
labeling and advertising, including labeling and advertising for foods 
for pets other than dogs and cats, must still comply with Section 5 of 
the FTC Act. In enforcing Section 5, however, the Commission will be 
unlikely to challenge advertising claims under the FTC Act that are 
consistent with labeling claims that satisfy the requirements of the 
AAFCO Model Regulations or the regulations issued by the FDA. As in any 
area of policy, the Commission strives to minimize regulatory burdens 
on industry by avoiding conflicts with other federal and state 
regulatory agencies.
    For those topics not addressed by the AAFCO Model Regulations or by 
FDA's regulations, the Dog and Cat Food Guides provide only limited 
guidance, and do not resolve demonstrated uncertainty regarding what 
claims are likely to be deceptive. For example, Secs. 241.3, 241.6, 
241.7, and 241.11 of the Guides merely admonish industry members not to 
misrepresent various characteristics of dog or cat food.\8\ The 
Commission does not believe that it is necessary to retain guides that 
simply admonish sellers not to misrepresent various items, especially 
when, as here, there is no evidence that sellers to not understand that 
such misrepresentations are illegal.
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    \8\ Section 241.3, for example, advises industry members not to 
misrepresent dog or cat food ``in any . . . material respect.''
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    Further, there do not currently appear to be particular areas 
covered by the Guides where industry members would have difficulty in 
determining whether specific claims are likely to be deceptive. For 
example, the Commission believes that industry members should have 
little difficulty determining that a representation that a dog or cat 
food contains whole fresh milk is likely to be deceptive if it does not 
contain whole fresh milk (see 16 CFR 241.5(f)). In addition, industry 
members should know, without the Guides, that they should not 
disseminate advertising for dog or cat food that contradicts the 
labeling on the product (see 16 CFR 241.6(m)). Thus, the Dog and Cat 
Food Guides do not appear to clarify specific representations that 
likely will be considered deceptive.
    Other sections of the Guides dealing with claims beyond dog and cat 
food content and nutrition are also unnecessary, for they do not 
provide guidance beyond that given in other Commission guides. For 
example, Secs. 241.15, Bait advertising, and 241.16, Guarantees, 
warranties, etc., of the Guides do not give significant guidance beyond 
that already contained in the Commission's Guides Against Bait 
Advertising (16 CFR 238) and Guides for the Advertising of Warranties 
and Guarantees (16 CFR part 239).
    For all of these reasons, the Commission has determined to rescind 
the Dog and Cat Food Guides.

III. Other Guidance

    In rescinding the Guides, the Commission directs the industry's 
attention to the principles of law articulated in the FTC's Deception 
Statement \9\ and pertinent Commission and court decisions on 
deception, both of which are generally applicable to all industries. As 
articulated in the Policy Statement on Deception, the Commission ``will 
find deception if there is a representation, omission, or practice that 
is likely to mislead the consumer acting reasonably in the 
circumstances, the consumer's detriment.'' In addition, industry 
members are required to possess substantiation for objective claims 
made about products.\10\ That is, advertisers must have a reasonable 
basis for claims before they are disseminated.
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    \9\ Deception Statement, appended to Cliffdale Associates, Inc., 
et al., 103 F.T.C. 110, 175 (1984).
    \10\ Policy Statement Regarding Advertising Substantiation, 48 
FR 10471 (Mar. 11, 1983), appended to Thompson Medical Co., 104 
F.T.C. 648, 839 (1984).
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    Therefore, sellers must have competent and reliable evidence to 
substantiate objective claims about dog or cat food, such as claims 
that dog or cat food provides adequate nutrition or promotes health in 
dogs or cats. In this respect, the AAFCO Model Regulations and FDA's 
regulations on animal food labeling may provide industry members with 
useful guidance. Other tests, research, or information, however, also 
might be used by sellers to substantiate claims. Industry members bear 
the responsibility of ensuring that such information constitutes 
competent and reliable evidence in support of their claims. The 
Commission will evaluate the adequacy of substantiation on a case-by-
case basis.

List of Subjects in 16 CFR Part 241

    Advertising, Animal food, Foods, Labeling, Pets, Trade practices.

PART 241--[REMOVED]

    The Commission, under the authority of Sections 5(a) and 6(g) of 
the Federal Trade Commission Act, 15 U.S.C. 45(a) and 46(g), amends 
chapter I of title 16 in the Code of Federal Regulations by removing 
part 241.

    By direction of the Commission.
Donald S. Clark,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 99-27783 Filed 10-22-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6750-01-M