Numbers on the label
Verified September 7, 2026. Figures quoted from the statute, rule, fee page or form.
A guaranteed analysis is a promise about the product, not a description of one batch. It states a minimum for the nutrients a buyer wants more of and a maximum for the ones they want less of, and it has to hold for what is in the bag. You get the numbers from a laboratory that runs a proximate analysis on a sample of your finished treat.
The classic four guarantees are crude protein as a minimum percentage, crude fat as a minimum percentage, crude fiber as a maximum percentage and moisture as a maximum percentage, in that order, with any additional guarantees after moisture. States that took the 2024 model edition ask for a Pet Nutrition Facts box instead, built around protein, fat, total carbohydrate, dietary fiber, moisture and calories per familiar household unit such as a treat or a piece.
The order is not decoration. Several state rules fix it, and a rule that fixes the order also usually bans a sliding scale, so a guarantee reading protein 15 to 18 percent is not a guarantee.
A minimum guarantee has to be at or below what the product really delivers, every time you make it. A maximum guarantee has to be at or above it. So you do not print the laboratory result. You print a number on the safe side of it, far enough out that ordinary batch-to-batch variation cannot cross the line.
That is why the direction of the rounding flips between rows in the same box: protein and fat round down, fiber and moisture round up. A laboratory that runs pet treat panels will usually tell you what it saw and leave the guarantee to you, because the guarantee is a claim you are making, not a measurement they took.
Prices below were read on the labs own pages on September 5, 2026 and are recorded with that date. Confirm before you ship a sample, because analysis menus and prices change.
Most of the verified states never see the laboratory report. They see the label. Where a state runs a product registration, a label copy goes in with the filing, and where a state registers only the firm, one current label still goes in with the application. Some states offer a written label review at no cost, which is the cheapest second opinion available anywhere in this process.
$75.00 per sample
Pet Treat Calories panel: moisture, protein, fat, fiber, ash, carbohydrate and calories. A dairy-based treat panel is listed higher on the same page.
Price list page read directly.
njfl.com read 2026-09-05
$170 per preparation
Two preparations $340 and three $510, which the lab recommends. A 500 g sample and ten business days.
Pet treats page read directly.
mb-labs.com read 2026-09-05
$16 in state, $32 out of state
A narrower panel: crude fat, crude protein and acid detergent fiber. Cheaper because it is fewer analytes, and it will not give you moisture or calories.
Recorded from a search result rather than a fetched price page. Confirm before shipping a sample.
secure.touchnet.net read 2026-09-05
Compliance services will run the same errand for you and charge for the service on top of the laboratory bill. Published service pricing sits in the hundreds of dollars per state registration and per label audit, which is the number worth comparing against doing the filings yourself with the fee tables on the state pages.
| State | Guaranteed analysis requirement | Cite |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | yes: a guaranteed analysis of nutrients is required on every commercial feed label (Tex. Agric. Code 141.051(a)(4)); on a pet food label the guarantees run in the fixed order crude protein minimum, crude fat minimum, crude fiber maximum, moisture maximum, with additional guarantees following moisture (4 TAC 63.2(c)) | Tex. Agric. Code §141.051(a)(4) (Labeling of Commercial Feed) |
| Florida | yes: minimum percentage of crude protein, minimum percentage of crude fat and maximum percentage of crude fiber, plus mineral guarantees when more than 10 percent mineral ingredients are present; no treat exception | Fla. Stat. 580.051(1)(e)1. |
| Ohio | yes: a guaranteed analysis is required on every commercial feed label, stated in terms the director determines by rule; the source division is ORC 923.43(A)(4) in its July 27, 1990 form, which House Bill 433 amends effective October 6, 2026, and the amended text is not in the snapshot | Ohio Rev. Code § 923.43(A)(4) |
| Illinois | yes: crude protein minimum percent, crude fat minimum percent, crude fiber maximum percent, moisture maximum percent, in that order, with additional guarantees following moisture; no treat exception | 8 Ill. Adm. Code 200.130(c) (Label Format and Labeling), Subpart B: Pet Food |
| Michigan | yes: crude protein minimum, crude fat minimum, crude fiber maximum, moisture maximum, in that order, with additional guarantees following moisture; treats are not excused, and MDARD states that treats require a guaranteed analysis | Mich. Admin. Code R 285.635.3(c) (Pet food label information) |
| Iowa | yes: a guaranteed analysis is required on every commercial feed label (Iowa Code 198.5(1)(c), Iowa Admin. Code 21.41.2 item 4 with 41.3(4)); on a pet food label the guarantees run in the order crude protein minimum, crude fat minimum, crude fiber maximum, moisture maximum, with additional guarantees following moisture (21.42.2(2)) | Iowa Admin. Code r. 21.41.2(198) (Label format), item 4, the provision that imposes the guaranteed analysis |
| Missouri | yes: a guaranteed analysis is required on every commercial feed label (Mo. Rev. Stat. 266.170(1)(b)); on a pet food label the guarantees run in the order crude protein minimum, crude fat minimum, crude fiber maximum, moisture maximum (2 CSR 70-31.020(3)) | Mo. Rev. Stat. Sec. 266.170(1)(b) (Labels) |
| Indiana | yes: a pet food or specialty pet food label must list minimum crude protein, minimum crude fat, maximum crude fat where required by IC 15-19-7-28.1, maximum crude fiber, maximum moisture, with additional guarantees following moisture | IC 15-19-7-29.5(a)(1)(A)-(F) (Listing of guaranteed analysis) |
| California | yes: crude protein minimum, crude fat minimum, crude fiber maximum and moisture maximum, with additional guarantees following crude fiber | Cal. Code Regs. tit. 17, § 19025(b) (Labeling and Restrictions), guaranteed analysis table |
| Georgia | yes: crude protein minimum percentage, crude fat minimum percentage, crude fiber maximum percentage and moisture maximum percentage, in that order, on the pet food label | Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 40-5-8-.02(3)(a)-(d) |
Where a state fixes the order, the order is part of the rule and not a house style. Where a state also asks for a calorie statement, that figure comes from the same laboratory run or from the calculation method the model regulation sets out, and it is printed under its own heading rather than inside the guarantee block.
| State | Label at filing time | Cite |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | conditional: a label for each product must be submitted with the small-package registration (4 TAC 63.8(b)) and new guarantors submit labels of all products (Form LA 0198 Section 2); there is no pre-market approval step, and written label review on request is free to a licensed facility (4 TAC 61.29(a)) | 4 TAC §63.8(b) (Registration of Pet Foods in Packages of Five Pounds or Less) |
| Florida | no: there is no pre-market label approval or review step; the department may request copies of labels after the fact | Fla. Stat. 580.036(3) |
| Ohio | yes: a copy of at least one current feed label distributed into Ohio must accompany the registration application; there is no separate per-product label approval step | ODA "Animal Feed License" program page, Overview section (agri.ohio.gov .../grain-warehouse-feed-and-seed/feed); same requirement in ODA form plnt_4203-011 opening paragraph |
| Illinois | yes: a label for each product must accompany the registration, and the Director may refuse a registration that is not in compliance after an opportunity to be heard | 505 ILCS 30/4(a) (Product Registration and Firm License) |
| Michigan | yes: MDARD requires all product labels to be approved before distribution, with new and revised labels submitted with the licence application; the statutory hook is the director power to require labels under MCL 287.524(9) | MDARD Commercial Feed Manufacturer/Distributor License Application, 'Important Information' block |
| Iowa | conditional: a listing of each product and a label must be submitted with the small-package registration, at $50 per product; the snapshot does not state whether IDALS reviews the label before sale | IDALS Commercial Feed program page, FAQ 'How do I apply for a pet food license?' |
| Missouri | conditional: there is no pre-approval step, but a paper copy of each label is filed with the product registration listing, and the state may request copies of labels and labeling at any time to determine compliance | Product Registration Listing MO 350-0664 (8-19), products column heading |
| Indiana | yes: OISC states that all product labels must be reviewed by its office before printing expenses occur, and a copy of every label goes in with the licence application and the small-package product list | OISC handout "Indiana Pet Treat Sales", p.3 |
| California | yes: CDPH reviews the application, fee and labels before it issues the licence, and an application without product labels cannot be processed | CDPH, Procedures for Obtaining a Pet Food Processor License or Registration, Revised (8/2025), item 7 |
| Georgia | yes: labels of products must be submitted with any first-time application for a feed licence, and a label is uploaded per registered product | GDA "Feed and Pet Food Labeling Requirements" page |
This guide prints only what the verified state records support. More states are added a block at a time as they clear verification.
A calculation from ingredient tables gives you an estimate, not a guarantee that survives a state sample. State feed laws let officials pull a product off the shelf and analyze it, and a deficiency against your own printed guarantee is what gets acted on. A laboratory run on the finished treat, at the recipe you actually sell, is what the guarantee should rest on.
The three price points we read on September 5, 2026 were a state feed laboratory at $75.00 per sample for a pet treat panel, a private laboratory at $170 per preparation with a 500 g sample and ten business days, and a university laboratory store listing $16 in state and $32 out of state for a narrower set of analytes. The narrow panel is cheaper because it is fewer analytes, not because it is a discount.
Every recipe you sell as a separate product carries its own guarantees, so every recipe needs its own numbers. Sellers on marketplace forums report that a single ingredient change makes a separate product for registration purposes, which is the same logic. A second flavor is a second sample.
DogTreatLicense is an informational reference about state commercial feed laws as they apply to people who make and sell pet treats in the United States. It reprints instrument names, fees, thresholds, label items and citations from state statutes, rules, fee schedules and agency forms, together with the date each state was last verified. Nothing on this site is legal advice, and fees and rules change. Confirm with the state feed control office before you register or sell.
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