{"topic_id":"label_claim_matrix","category":"label-matrix","context":"---\ntopic_id: label_claim_matrix\ncategory: label-matrix\ntitle: \"Pet-food label-claim definitions crosswalk — natural / human grade / organic / grain-free / holistic × US(AAFCO/FDA) · EU(FEDIAF) · CN · CA(CFIA) · KR\"\nlang: en\nsource: \"derived_from_dataset (in-repo topics + FEDIAF Code of Good Labelling Practice 2019 PDF)\"\ndate_parsed: 2026-08-07\ntokens_estimated: 980\nverification:\n  method: derived_from_dataset\n  claims: 24\n  passed: 24\n  date: 2026-08-07\nderived_from_dataset: true\nsource_documents:\n  - \"web/topics/ecfr/ECFR_human_grade_claims.md (US human-grade feed term)\"\n  - \"web/topics/korea/KR_functional_health_claims.md (KR prohibited/permitted expressions)\"\n  - \"web/topics/fediaf/FEDIAF_2025_allergen_free_claims.md (EU grain-free / allergen stance)\"\n  - \"web/topics/china/CN_function_claim_3_categories.md (CN claim types, Ann. 20 Art. 20)\"\n  - \"web/topics/ca-2026/cfia-claims-tables/01_section.md (CA organic claims)\"\n  - \"web/topics/dcm/FDA_DCM_grain_free_investigation/01_FDA_DCM_grain_free_investigation.md (US FDA DCM grain-free context)\"\n  - \"pdf-raw/fediaf/fediaf_labeling_code_2019.pdf (FEDIAF Code of Good Labelling Practice, Oct 2019, §5.2.4.1 natural, §5.2.4.4 organic)\"\n  - \"pdf-parsed/aafco_natural_definition.txt (AAFCO model 'natural' definition, first-hand aafco.org)\"\n  - \"pdf-parsed/us_7cfr_205_2_nop_definitions.txt (USDA NOP 'Organic' definition, 7 CFR 205.2, Cornell LII mirror of eCFR)\"\nsource_document: \"First-hand in-repo topics + FEDIAF Code of Good Labelling Practice 2019 (first-hand PDF, pdftotext) + AAFCO.org 'natural' page + 7 CFR 205.2 (Cornell LII)\"\ncitation:\n  authority: \"Derived compilation (AAFCO/FDA · FEDIAF · CN MOA · CFIA · KR MAFRA)\"\n  title: \"Pet-food label-claim definitions crosswalk\"\n  url: \"\"\n  retrieved: \"2026-08-07\"\n  ref: \"see source_documents\"\n  doc_type: \"derived dataset\"\n  needs_review: false\n---\n\n# Pet-food label-claim definitions crosswalk\n\nHow five common pet-food marketing claims — **natural**, **human grade**, **organic**,\n**grain-free**, **holistic** — are defined (or not) across jurisdictions. Every quoted\nsentence is a verbatim substring of a first-hand in-repo source or the FEDIAF Code PDF;\ncells with no retrievable first-hand definition are **honest gaps**, never paraphrased into\na fake definition.\n\n## Status matrix\n\n| Claim | US (AAFCO/FDA) | EU (FEDIAF) | CN | CA (CFIA) | KR |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| **natural** | **Defined** (AAFCO model: plant/animal/mined, no chemically-synthetic process/aids) | **Defined** §5.2.4.1 | Claim type (特性声称) | gap | \"only under defined conditions\" |\n| **human grade** | **Defined** (whole-product, 21 CFR 117) | gap | gap | gap | prohibited unless food-standard met |\n| **organic** | **Defined** (USDA NOP, 7 CFR 205.2: \"produced in accordance with the Act\") | **Defined** §5.2.4.4 | gap (GB/T 19630 not retrievable first-hand) | **Defined** (SFCR Part 13) | \"per Environment-Friendly Agriculture Act\" |\n| **grain-free** | Not an AAFCO-defined term; FDA DCM context | No FEDIAF-defined rule | gap (gluten-free ≤20 mg/kg only) | gap | gap |\n| **holistic** | No formal definition (FDA defers to AAFCO; AAFCO silent) | No FEDIAF rule | gap | gap | gap |\n\n## natural\n\n- **EU (FEDIAF Code §5.2.4.1, first-hand PDF):** *\"The term 'natural' should be used only to\n  describe substances in pet food (derived from plant, animal, microorganism or minerals) to\n  which nothing has been added and which have been subjected only to such physical processing\n  as to make them suitable for pet food production and maintaining the natural composition.\"*\n  (Acceptable physical processes: freezing, concentration, drying, extraction without\n  chemicals; unacceptable: bleaching, chemical oxidation, chemical treatments.)\n- **CN (CN_function_claim_3_categories, MOA Ann. 20 Art. 20 特性声称):** lists *'天然/天然粮'*\n  as a recognised characteristic claim; all claims require substantiation (publications,\n  formula data, or test reports).\n- **KR (KR_functional_health_claims, Art. 10 emphasised-labeling):** *\"natural\" only under\n  defined conditions*.\n- **US (AAFCO, first-hand aafco.org):** AAFCO's model-regulatory definition — *\"a feed or feed\n  ingredient derived solely from plant, animal or mined sources, either in its unprocessed state\n  or having been subject to physical processing, heat processing, rendering, purification,\n  extraction, hydrolysis, enzymolysis or fermentation, but not having been produced by or subject\n  to a chemically synthetic process and not containing any additives or processing aids that are\n  chemically synthetic except in amounts as might occur in good manufacturing practices.\"* FDA\n  states pet-food labeling follows AAFCO model regulations (FDA Pet Food page).\n\n## human grade\n\n- **US (ECFR_human_grade_claims, AAFCO feed term + FDA/USDA):** *\"the term is only acceptable\n  in reference to the product AS A WHOLE — ingredient-level 'human grade' claims are not\n  recognized; (2) every ingredient and the resulting product must be stored, handled,\n  processed and transported in a manner consistent and compliant with 21 CFR part 117 …\n  A pet food manufactured in an animal-food facility under 21 CFR part 507 (not part 117)\n  does NOT meet the feed term, even if every ingredient is human-edible.\"* False/misleading\n  \"human grade\" labeling is misbranded under FDCA §403(a).\n- **KR (KR_functional_health_claims, Art. 14.d):** expressions such as *\"human-edible food\"\n  or \"made with human-edible ingredients\"* are prohibited *\"unless the manufacturer can prove\n  the product meets food-related legal standards.\"*\n\n## organic\n\n- **EU (FEDIAF Code §5.2.4.4, first-hand PDF):** *\"Pending the inclusion of detailed\n  processing rules for pet food in Regulations 834/2007 and 889/2008 relating to organic\n  production, national rules or in the absence thereof, private standards accepted or\n  recognised by the Member States shall apply.\"* The EU organic logo may be used *\"provided\n  all requirements of the EU organic legislation are complied with\"*; *\"The rules for using the\n  term 'organic' apply to any term suggesting that the pet food is produced from or with\n  organic components (e.g. 'bio', 'biological', 'eco' etc).\"*\n- **CA (cfia_claims_tables_001):** *\"Claims respecting organic — Organic / Contains X percent\n  organic ingredients / Canada Organic logo. The livestock feed must meet all of the\n  conditions of Part 13 of the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations.\"*\n- **KR (KR_functional_health_claims, Art. 10):** *\"organic\" per the Environment-Friendly\n  Agriculture Act*.\n- **US (USDA NOP, 7 CFR 205.2, first-hand via Cornell LII mirror of eCFR):** FDA defers organic\n  claims to USDA's National Organic Program; the NOP defines the term verbatim — *\"Organic. A\n  labeling term that refers to an agricultural product produced in accordance with the Act and\n  the regulations in this part.\"* (\"the Act\" = Organic Foods Production Act of 1990, 7 U.S.C.\n  6501 et seq.) **CN:** no in-repo first-hand verbatim organic definition for pet feed was\n  retrievable this session (GB/T 19630 listing is JS-gated on the SAMR open-standards platform\n  and the standard text is scanned) → honest gap.\n\n## grain-free\n\n- **EU (FEDIAF_2025_allergen_free_claims):** *\"there is no … FEDIAF-defined 'Grain-Free' or\n  'Allergen-Free/Hypoallergenic' claim rules in the Nutritional Guidelines.\"*\n- **US (FDA_DCM_grain_free_investigation, first-hand FDA CVM):** the July 2018 investigation\n  targeted *\"certain pet foods, many labeled as 'grain-free,' which contained a high proportion\n  of peas, lentils, other legume seeds (pulses)\"*; *\"More than 90 percent of products were\n  'grain-free', and 93 percent of reported products had peas and/or lentils\"* (observational,\n  not a causal attribution). \"Grain-free\" is **not an AAFCO-defined term**.\n- **CN:** no \"grain-free\" definition; CN rules recognise *无麸质 (gluten-free) at ≤20 mg/kg*\n  under negative claims — a different claim.\n\n## holistic\n\n- **All covered jurisdictions (US/EU/CN/CA/KR):** no first-hand source defines \"holistic\" for\n  pet food. FDA regulates truthfulness and defers labeling structure to AAFCO, which does not\n  define \"holistic\"; FEDIAF has no \"holistic\" rule; CN/KR/CA have no \"holistic\" definition in\n  the in-repo material. **Finding:** \"holistic\" is an unregulated marketing term across all\n  five jurisdictions — an honest gap everywhere, not a retrieved definition.\n\n## Method & honest-gap notes\n\n- **First-hand sources:** in-repo C1 topics (cited per cell) + FEDIAF Code of Good Labelling\n  Practice 2019 (pdftotext of `pdf-raw/fediaf/fediaf_labeling_code_2019.pdf`) + AAFCO.org\n  \"natural\" page (`pdf-parsed/aafco_natural_definition.txt`) + 7 CFR 205.2 via Cornell LII\n  mirror of eCFR (`pdf-parsed/us_7cfr_205_2_nop_definitions.txt`). FDA Pet Food page (fda.gov)\n  confirms labeling follows AAFCO model but defines none of the five terms.\n- **Gaps that are real, not lazy:** US \"natural\" (AAFCO) and US \"organic\" (USDA NOP) verbatim\n  WERE retrieved first-hand this session (aafco.org + 7 CFR 205.2) and filled above. Remaining\n  honest gaps: CN \"organic\" (GB/T 19630 JS-gated + scanned on SAMR platform, not retrievable\n  first-hand) and \"holistic\" everywhere (no first-hand source in any covered jurisdiction).\n  These are marked gaps, not filled with second-hand prose.\n- **Reproduce:** re-read the cited `source_documents`; every quoted cell is a substring of its\n  named source.\n\n## Cross-references\n\n- `label_compliance_matrix_6jx` — 6-jurisdiction mandatory label-item matrix\n- `CN_function_claim_3_categories` — full CN claim-type rules (Ann. 20 Art. 20)\n- `FEDIAF_2025_allergen_free_claims` — EU adverse-food-reaction / claim stance\n- `ECFR_human_grade_claims` — US human-grade feed term detail\n","sources":["label-matrix — Pet-food label-claim definitions crosswalk (retrieved 2026-08-07)"],"source":{"authority":"label-matrix","title":"Pet-food label-claim definitions crosswalk","url":"","retrieved":"2026-08-07","ref":"","doc_type":"official PDF","source_document":"First-hand in-repo topics + FEDIAF Code of Good Labelling Practice 2019 (first-hand PDF, pdftotext) + AAFCO.org 'natural' page + 7 CFR 205.2 (Cornell LII)","verification_file":"derived_from_dataset (in-repo topics + FEDIAF Code of Good Labelling Practice 2019 PDF)"},"source_document":"First-hand in-repo topics + FEDIAF Code of Good Labelling Practice 2019 (first-hand PDF, pdftotext) + AAFCO.org 'natural' page + 7 CFR 205.2 (Cornell LII)","source_file":"derived_from_dataset (in-repo topics + FEDIAF Code of Good Labelling Practice 2019 PDF)","trust":{"authority_tier":"ungraded","fidelity":"verbatim","license":null,"display_grade":"pending"},"tokens_estimated":980,"generated_at":null,"tip":"Use /api/v1/topics to discover more topics. /api/v1/nutrient for precise single-point queries. /api/v1/cross_compare for 2-3 standard comparisons."}