Energy declaration is not a mandatory regulatory requirement in Europe for Petfood. In human food, indicating the energy content (kcal/100g or kcal/serving size) on food labels helps consumers to better control their calorie intake. However, it is less relevant when choosing a complete and balanced pet food as the serving size suggested by the manufacturer via the feeding guidelines aims to cover 100% of the animal’s daily energy needs, thus ensuring the delivery of all essential nutrients. This is why manufacturers tend not to include this information on their labels.
If you want to calculate the calorie intake from the recommended daily amount provided on a pack of pet food, consumers would need to know the product caloric density (kcal/g). Some official equations exist to calculate product caloric density based on the declared elements under the analytical constituents content on the pack, but these equations can be very complex and not that simple to use. Our Purina Consumer Care Lines have this information available and are able to share with you if of interest.
If you want to know how many calories an adult cat or dog needs per day, you can use the “Energy Need Equations” proposed in the FEDIAF* nutrition guidelines (endorsed by an independent committee of Vet Nutritionists Professors from EU Vet Universities), which is based on the animal’s body weight:
Dog: Daily Energy Needs (kcal/day) = 110 x (Body Weight in kg)0,75
Cat: Daily Energy Needs (kcal/day) = 100 x (Body Weight in kg)0,67
*FEDIAF is the trade association representing the European pet food industry
