Complete Food? Complementary Food? What is the difference?

Cat and dog food (wet, dry, treats) are classified as complete or complementary. In most countries, it is mandatory to indicate the food as either complete or complementary.

Complete food

A complete meal contains all the nutrients required by a cat or dog to stay healthy.

If a cat or dog eats only one type complete meal, it will get all the nutrients required to stay alive and healthy.

The formulation needs to meet stands to qualify as a complete food. The two most common standards are

AAFCO : The Association of American Feed Control Officials (US)

FEDIAF: The European Pet Food Industry Federation (EU)

Complementary food

A complementary or supplementary meal do not contain all the nutrients required by cats or dogs to stay healthy.

Why Complete food matters?

Cats or dogs fed complementary food must have access to complete food to prevent health issues. For example, if the complementary food does not have sufficient taurine, cats consuming only that brand on a long-term basis risk developing retinal degeneration leading to blindness and even heart failure and death.

It is not an issue to feed complementary food e.g. treats as long as the owners are aware and ensures that the cat or dog also consumes complete food.

For community animals, especially those who are not fed regularly, it makes sense to make sure they consume complete meals for their well-being.

Gold-D Collection

Gold-D kibbles and wet food are complete food. We use both the AAFCO and FEDIAF standards depending on where the products are produced.

The treats such as freeze dried, puree is complementary.

The packaging and label identify if the product is a complete or complimentary food.