What Does "Human Grade" Really Mean for Dog Treats?
You've seen it on dozens of pet food labels: human grade. It sounds like it should mean something important — that the treats your dog eats are made from the same quality ingredients as the food on your plate. But most brands that make this claim are using the term loosely, and some don't qualify at all.
Here's the truth about what "human grade" actually means, how it's regulated, and why it matters for your dog's health.
The Legal Definition of Human Grade
The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) — the regulatory body that establishes standards for pet food in the United States — has a specific definition for "human grade" that most pet owners don't know about.
For a dog treat to legally claim "human grade," every ingredient and the manufacturing facility itself must meet human food standards. That means:
- All ingredients must be sourced from facilities inspected and approved for human food production (USDA or FDA)
- The manufacturing facility must be a licensed human food establishment — not just a pet food plant that uses quality ingredients
- The product must be manufactured, packed, and held in accordance with federal regulations (21 CFR Parts 110 or 117) for human food
If a brand only meets one of these conditions — say, they use USDA-sourced chicken but manufacture in a dedicated pet food facility — they do not qualify to call their product "human grade" under AAFCO's standard.
Why So Many Brands Get It Wrong
The pet food industry is largely self-regulating, and enforcement of label claims varies widely by state. As a result, many brands use "human grade" as a marketing phrase without meeting the full AAFCO definition.
Common ways brands stretch the term:
- "Human-grade ingredients" — implies quality but says nothing about the facility
- "Human-quality" — not the same as human grade; a vague, unregulated claim
- "Made with USDA meat" — true human grade requires more than USDA-sourced ingredients alone
What Human Grade Means for Your Dog
When you feed your dog a legitimately human-grade treat, you're getting several important guarantees.
No Feed-Grade Ingredients. Feed-grade ingredients — legal for pet food — can include 4D meats (from dead, dying, diseased, or disabled animals), grain screenings, and other materials that don't meet human food standards. Human grade eliminates all of these by definition.
Cleaner Facilities. Human food facilities are held to stricter sanitation, inspection, and traceability standards than pet food plants. This means less risk of contamination, more frequent audits, and cleaner production environments.
Full Ingredient Traceability. Human food supply chains require documentation of where every ingredient came from. This is the kind of traceability that makes recalls faster and more accurate — and ideally prevents problems before they happen.
How Fed By Nature Qualifies
Fed By Nature's treats are produced at our facility in Springtown, Texas, which operates under human food production standards. Our proteins are sourced directly from USDA-inspected facilities, and every batch is produced with the same controls applied to food made for people.
Our products are single-ingredient dog treats — which means the only thing in the bag is the protein on the label. No fillers, no artificial preservatives, no mystery additives. That's human grade the way it's supposed to work.
What to Look for on the Label
When shopping for dog treats, here's how to evaluate a human-grade claim:
- Does the brand name its facility or manufacturing location? Legitimate human-grade brands are transparent about where their products are made.
- Is there USDA or FDA inspection documentation? Ask. Legitimate brands can answer this.
- Are ingredients truly single-source? The fewer ingredients, the easier it is to verify the supply chain.
- Is the claim "human grade" (AAFCO standard) or "human quality" (marketing language)? The difference matters.
"Human grade" is one of the most misused terms in pet food marketing. When it's legitimate, it's one of the strongest quality signals you can find on a dog treat label.
Shop our full line of human grade, single-ingredient dog treats →