Reading a Japanese pet food label
Japanese pet food packaging carries a lot of information, but most of it is in Japanese and follows local conventions. This guide walks through the terms you will see and what each one states, so you can compare products with more confidence. It describes labels only and does not offer feeding or health advice.
The three food categories
The single most useful thing on a Japanese label is the food category, usually printed near the product name. There are three you will see most often:
- 総合栄養食 (sougou eiyoushoku) means "complete and balanced." The label states that the food, together with water, is intended to be the daily main diet for the life stage shown.
- 一般食 (ippanshoku) or 副食 means "supplementary" or "general." These are meant to be given alongside a complete diet, not as the sole food.
- おやつ (oyatsu) or 間食 (kanshoku) means "treats" or "snacks," intended for occasional feeding rather than as a meal.
You may also see 療法食 (therapeutic diet), which is formulated for specific conditions and is normally used under veterinary guidance. Always confirm which category you are buying before you compare prices.
The Pet Food Safety Act
The ペットフード安全法 (Pet Food Safety Act) is the Japanese law that governs the manufacture, import, and sale of dog and cat food. Under it, labels must show a set of required items: the product name, the category, the ingredients, the net content, the best-by date, the manufacturer or importer name and address, and the country of origin. When you see these consistently listed, it reflects that legal labeling standard.
Nutritional-adequacy statements: AAFCO and FEDIAF
On many complete-diet products you will see a reference to AAFCO (a US standard) or FEDIAF (a European one). The label states that the food meets that standard's nutrient profile for a given life stage. The phrasing matters:
- "for all life stages" (全成長段階) states the food is formulated to meet the profile covering growth and reproduction as well as adult maintenance.
- a specific stage, such as 成犬用 / 成猫用 (adult), 子犬用 / 子猫用 (puppy or kitten), or シニア (senior), states the food targets that stage only.
These are labeling standards describing formulation, not a claim about any individual animal.
Best-by date and ingredient order
The 賞味期限 (shoumi kigen) is the best-by date, printed as year/month/day, for example 2027.05 or 2027年5月. It indicates quality when unopened and stored as directed, not a hard safety cutoff.
The 原材料 (genzairyou), or ingredient list, is ordered by weight, heaviest first. Reading the first few entries tells you what makes up the largest share of the food. You will often see the main protein, grains or 穀物, fats or 油脂, and then additives such as ビタミン (vitamins) and ミネラル (minerals) further down.
Guaranteed analysis
The 成分 (seibun) or guaranteed analysis panel lists nutrient levels as percentages, typically shown as minimums or maximums:
- 粗タンパク質 (crude protein)
- 粗脂肪 (crude fat)
- 粗繊維 (crude fiber)
- 粗灰分 (crude ash)
- 水分 (moisture)
The 代謝エネルギー (metabolizable energy), usually in kcal per 100g, is often listed too and is useful for comparing how far a bag goes. Our food cost calculator can help you turn these figures into a monthly cost.
Country of origin and importer
The 原産国 (gensankoku) is the country of origin. For imported products, the 輸入者 (yunyuusha, importer) name and address appear near the manufacturer details; domestic products show 製造者 (seizousha, manufacturer). This section also carries the storage instructions (保存方法) and feeding-amount guide (給与量) printed by the maker.
Next steps
Once you can read the category and the analysis panel, comparing brands gets much easier. See our guides to dog food in Japan and cat food in Japan for how these labels appear on common products.
This page explains only what labels state. For diet questions and any health concern, talk to your veterinarian.