Reading pet food labels

In short: Pet food carries an ingredient list and analytical constituents. Anyone who understands both can recognise quality differences.

In more detail: There is “open” declaration (all ingredients with percentage) and “closed” declaration (only groups such as “meat and animal by-products”, without quantities). Open is more transparent. Complete feeds cover the whole nutrient need, complementary feeds do not.

Our context: The product scanner rates pet food by its ingredient list, but honestly says that its rules for pet food are coarse.

In Depth

• Order: By weight. Fresh meat weighs far more before drying than after, which is why it often appears far forward in dry food.
• Analytical constituents: crude protein, crude fat, crude ash, crude fibre and moisture. To compare wet and dry food, convert to dry matter: value ÷ (100 − moisture) × 100.
• Animal by-products: Animal by-products in pet food.
• Additives: Vitamins and trace elements are listed separately as “additives per kg”.
• Cats vs. dogs: Cats are carnivores and need taurine and animal protein.

See also: Foods that are toxic to dogs and cats, Animal by-products in pet food