Title 012 | Chapter 003 | Regulation 027REG
PROPOSED
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Agricultural Experiment Station
(Amended at ARRS Committee)
12 KAR 3:027.Ingredients.
Section 1.
Each ingredient of a pet food or specialty pet food shall be listed in the ingredient statement as established in subsections (1) through (4) of this section.(1)
The names of all ingredients in the ingredient statement shall be shown in letters or type of the same size, style, and color, unless(2)
The ingredients shall be listed in descending order by their predominance by weight in non-quantitative terms, unless(3)
Ingredients shall be listed and identified by the name and definition established by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) Official Common or Usual Names and Definitions of Feed Ingredients, incorporated by reference in 12 KAR 3:012, unless the(4)
Any ingredient suitable for use in pet food or specialty pet food for which there is a codified standard of identity in Title 9 or 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations shall be declared in accordance with the applicable federal regulation, which shall include(5)
The ingredients "meat," "poultry," "poultry by-products," or "meat by-products" shall be qualified to designate the animal from which the ingredients are derived unless the meat or meat by-products are derived from cattle, swine, sheep, goats, or any combination thereof,(6)
For ingredients consisting of fish, "fish meal," or "fish by-products," the name of the ingredient may include "fish" without further specification of the type of the fish or if the fish(7)
For purposes of ingredient labeling of pet food or specialty pet food, the ingredient "sugar" shall refer to sucrose, which shall beSection 2.
Section 2.
(1)
(2)
Reference to quality or grade of the ingredient shall not appear in the ingredient statement.Section 4.
(1)
(2)
(3)
Section 3.
If properly used as establishedSection 4.
A reference to the nature, form, or other attribute of an ingredient maySection 5.
Any reference to the percentage or combination of ingredients, by symbol or word, in the brand or product name or elsewhere on a pet food or specialty pet food, shall be based in relation to the total weight of all ingredients in the product.(1)
The names of the ingredient or ingredients(2)
IfSection 5.
(1)
(2)
FILED WITH LRC: March 9, 2026
CONTACT PERSON: G. Alan Harrison, Feed & Milk Director, University of Kentucky Division of Regulatory Services, 103 Regulatory Services Building, Lexington, Kentucky 40546, phone (859) 257-2785, fax (859) 323-9931, email alan.harrison@uky.edu.
Agricultural Experiment Station
(Amended at ARRS Committee)
12 KAR 3:027.Ingredients.
Section 1.
Each ingredient of a pet food or specialty pet food shall be listed in the ingredient statement as established in subsections (1) through (4) of this section.(1)
The names of all ingredients in the ingredient statement shall be shown in letters or type of the same size, style, and color, unless the defined name of the ingredient includes genus and species, (for example, microorganisms) which may be shown in italics.(2)
The ingredients shall be listed in descending order by their predominance by weight in non-quantitative terms, unless the ingredient is a vitamin and, if applicable, mineral premix, in which case the premix may be declared in order of predominance by the name "vitamins" or "minerals," as appropriate, followed by a parenthetical listing of all the vitamins and, if applicable, minerals in the premix, each in their order of predominance by weight as listed on the ingredient statement of the premix label.(3)
Ingredients shall be listed and identified by the name and definition established by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) Official Common or Usual Names and Definitions of Feed Ingredients, incorporated by reference in 12 KAR 3:012, unless the ingredient is not included in the AAFCO ingredient name list, in which case the ingredient shall be identified by the common or usual name;(4)
Any ingredient suitable for use in pet food or specialty pet food for which there is a codified standard of identity in Title 9 or 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations shall be declared in accordance with the applicable federal regulation, which shall include the name of the standardized food followed by a parenthetical listing of its ingredients, if necessary, as established in the federal regulation;(5)
The ingredients "meat," "poultry," "poultry by-products," or "meat by-products" shall be qualified to designate the animal from which the ingredients are derived unless the meat or meat by-products are derived from cattle, swine, sheep, goats, or any combination thereof, the poultry or poultry meal derived from chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, guineas, ratites, or squabs; or any combination thereof. For example, ingredients derived from deer shall be listed as "venison" or "venison by-products."(6)
For ingredients consisting of fish, "fish meal," or "fish by-products," the name of the ingredient may include "fish" without further specification of the type of the fish or if the fish bears a name descriptive of its kind (for example, "ocean whitefish" or by using the acceptable market name or names or common name (but not any vernacular or slang names) of the individual fish species in the ingredient as established by the FDA Seafood List), it shall correspond thereto.(7)
For purposes of ingredient labeling of pet food or specialty pet food, the ingredient "sugar" shall refer to sucrose, which shall be obtained from sugar cane or sugar beets in accordance with the provisions in Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations. For all other labeling purposes outside the ingredient list, the term "sugar" shall be synonymous with "sugars" as defined in the Official Feed Terms.Section 2.
(1)
Brand or trade names shall not be used in the ingredient statement.(2)
Reference to quality or grade of the ingredient shall not appear in the ingredient statement.Section 3.
If properly used as established by the USDA National Organic Program (7 C.F.R. Part 205), the term "organic" shall not apply to Section 3 of this administrative regulation.Section 4.
A reference to the nature, form, or other attribute of an ingredient may be included in the ingredient statement if that attribute imparts a distinctive characteristic to the pet food or specialty pet food.Section 5.
Any reference to the percentage or combination of ingredients, by symbol or word, in the brand or product name or elsewhere on a pet food or specialty pet food, shall be based in relation to the total weight of all ingredients in the product.(1)
The names of the ingredient or ingredients shall appear in order of predominance by weight in the product, and the names of flavors due to their varying intensity may be in any order.(2)
If water sufficient for processing is excluded from the declared percentage, the exclusion of water shall be indicated in words juxtaposed to, the same style and color print, and at least one-half the print size of the stated percentage (for example, "95% beef exclusive of water" or "95 percent chicken and liver exclusive of water").[]FILED WITH LRC: March 9, 2026
CONTACT PERSON: G. Alan Harrison, Feed & Milk Director, University of Kentucky Division of Regulatory Services, 103 Regulatory Services Building, Lexington, Kentucky 40546, phone (859) 257-2785, fax (859) 323-9931, email alan.harrison@uky.edu.