how to read pet food labels

With all the choices available on the food aisle, a little research can help you find one that works well for your pet. Here’s a quick overview of what to know, ingredients to look for, and how to know if your pet’s food is meeting specific quality guidelines. And if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to your veterinary team for advice on picking a quality food for the pet you love.

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Help ensure your pet is getting a quality diet by knowing what’s in their food.

Know what’s in your pet’s food — just by looking at the package

1. Check out the front of the bag

When shopping for pet food, start by looking at the front of the bag. Pet food manufacturers have to follow rules on their packaging based on what’s inside. So while two bags may both declare “lamb” in large letters, the one that says lamb for dogs includes at least 95% lamb, while the one that says dog food with lamb includes at least 3%. That doesn’t automatically mean the 95% lamb food is better (pets need more than protein in their diets), but it does give you an idea of what you can expect to see on the ingredient list. See more about how to pick a quality pet food

2. Look at the table of ingredients

Much like people food manufacturers, pet food manufacturers also have to provide an ingredient deck, or table of ingredients, on their packaging. This deck must use the ingredient’s common or usual name, and list ingredients in the order of their pre-cooked weights. (Why pre-cooked? Because ingredients often lose moisture and weight after cooking. Moister ingredients aren’t necessarily more nutrient-packed, they’re just wetter.)

A highly digestible protein — like meat, grain, soy, or pea — should be at the top of the table of ingredients for pet food. A quality pet food will also contain  critical carbohydrates for energy, fatty acids for digestion, vitamins and minerals for metabolism, and more. Many power-player ingredients will even provide more than one kind of nutrition at a time. Here are a few to know.

3. Evaluate the “guaranteed analysis”

Pet food manufacturers must provide an analysis on their packaging that guarantees the food inside meets certain ratios of crude protein, fat, crude fiber, and moisture. In other words, the “guaranteed analysis” tells you how much of each serving is the good stuff, and how much is bulking ingredients or water. (Note that the word “crude” here doesn’t refer to the quality of the protein or fiber, but to a specific method of testing.)

To understand why guaranteed analyses matter, take one dry and one canned food and compare. You’ll probably find that levels of crude protein and other nutrients are much lower for the canned product. That’s because all of the delicious moisture in the canned food takes up space. Canned food contains 75-78% water, whereas dry food contains only 10-12%. Products labeled as “stew,” “in sauce,” “in gravy” or similar terms have even more water for texture and fluidity.

Bear in mind that the guaranteed analysis doesn’t automatically mean that dry food is better for your pet. So long as your pet is getting the nutrients they need, wet or dry is usually purely a matter of preference.

See more about nutrients in pet food

4. Check for the AAFCO and FDA logos

Both the AAFCO and the FDA are regulatory agencies that allow foods to use their logos if they meet certain standards. If you see their logos on a pet food, they are certifying that  this particular animal food is safe for that animal to eat, was produced under sanitary conditions, contains no harmful substances, and is truthfully labeled.

• The AAFCO, or the Association of American Feed Control Officials, is the organization that regulates the pet food industry. They set the standards for which ingredients are allowed, what foods can be marketed to each species, and whether the foods are good for certain life stages.
• The FDA, the Unites States Food and Drug Administration, regulates the actual  manufacturing of pet food, including dog food, cat food, and snacks.

Are “natural,” organic” and “premium” pet foods better for my pet?

When it comes to pet food, many people seek out descriptors like natural, organic, holistic, and premium. Before you fork over the cash, it can help to know what these words mean when it comes to the food you’re feeding your pet. Some terms come with a legal definition. Others, not so much.

What do the words “organic” and “natural” mean on a pet food label?

Whether or not a food is considered organic or natural depends on the definitions created by the AAFCO and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Read more about natural and organic diets

Are premium, super-premium, ultra-premium, or holistic pet foods better for my pet?

What does it mean if a pet food says it’s premium, or even “gourmet”? The short answer is, not much. There are no agencies regulating the meaning of those words. And, per the FDA, just because a food is labeled with a fancier name does not necessarily mean it contains ingredients that are any different or of higher quality.

The same is true for pet foods labeled “holistic.” Holistic is a great concept, because it implies something that is good for the entire body. But it’s not currently a regulated term. In fact, the water your pet drinks is 100% holistic, even without a holistic label.

What to know about good dog diets