How To Read A Pet Food Label: A Veterinary Guide

Walking through the aisle at your local pet food store can be so overwhelming. Shelves stacked full of brightly colored bags, pictures of dogs running in fields, cats eating out of gourmet bowls, fruits, and vegetables. How does a pet owner decipher what is best for their individual pet, giving them the best chance for a long and healthy life? Creating a safe and nutritionally balanced diet for pets is not easy to do. It takes research, understanding the physiology of everything from a Great Dane to a pregnant mama cat, and the ability to control ingredients, production, and distribution of the resulting food. Simply making a meal that looks yummy and healthy to us as pet owners is unfortunately almost guaranteed to be nutrient deficient for our furry friends.

There are eight pieces of information that are required on any pet food label. Below, our veterinary team breaks down each one, along with the pitfalls pet owners should watch for.

1. Product Name

Terms With Legal Definitions

Did you know that a pet food label that says the words holistic, real, fresh, ethically sourced, or ultra-premium means absolutely nothing? These are just descriptive words that are marketing and nothing more. Some phrases that do have credible meaning include:

Organic – Must comply with USDA National Organic Program standards. If a product uses the USDA organic seal, it must contain at least 95% organic ingredients. This is the one term on a pet food label with real, enforced standards behind it.
Natural – Defined by AAFCO as ingredients sourced from plants, animals, or the earth and minimally processed, without chemical alteration. Synthetic vitamins are exempt and contained in nearly every pet food to meet nutrient minimums. Thus a pet food bag can say “natural” in large print while containing synthetic additives, as long as it adds the qualifier “with added vitamins and minerals.”
Human-grade – Newly defined under AAFCO’s 2024 guidelines. Means every ingredient in the food, along with every step of processing, must meet standards set for human food. It requires documentation of every ingredient’s origin throughout the supply chain, and very few products qualify.
Light/Lite/Low Calorie/Lean/Low Fat – All defined, with specific calorie and fat thresholds the product must meet. Of note, “weight loss” and “healthy weight” are not defined terms, and foods with these labels can have as many calories as they desire.

Terms With No Legal Definition

Real – No definition. No requirement. Any food can use it.
Premium/Gourmet/Holistic/Wholesome/Artisan/Craft/Fresh – None of these have regulatory definitions. A manufacturer can print any of them on any bag regardless of what is inside.
Veterinarian formulated/Vet recommended – “Formulated” requires only one veterinarian’s involvement with no credential requirement. “Recommended” technically requires a survey but is rarely enforced.

Want to dig deeper into how marketing language on labels can mislead pet owners? Read our full breakdown: Pet Food Marketing Claims: What Labels Really Mean.

2. Species

Dog or cat, pretty straightforward.

3. Net Quantity or Weight of Product

Same price, less kibble. The ounces or pounds contained in the bag. Shrinkflation is real in the pet food industry. This is when a company, instead of raising the price of a product, shrinks the volume. So for the consumer you see the same $50 bill, but are now having to buy food every three weeks instead of four, because the amount of food in the bag is less. This is extremely common and something to keep in mind as you compare food bags at the store.

Learn more about how shrinkflation affects your pet food budget: Pet Food Shrinkflation: Are You Getting Less for the Same Price?

4. Guaranteed Analysis

This one is tricky. What is required on the bag: minimum % of crude protein and fat, maximum % of crude fiber, and moisture. But what does that really mean? Let’s break it down.

Crude is a bit of an odd word for pet food. It is more of a chemistry term referring to everything in the said food bag that falls into that particular category. So, for example, in the case of “crude protein” it would include anything that contributes nitrogen to the food; this can include the actual meat, feathers, connective tissue, and fillers.

Minimums and maximums are just that. They are vague and, in many ways, useless. A food with a minimum of 18% crude protein (which is required for adult dog food) could have 18% or 90% protein in it. This says nothing of the quality of said protein or differing needs between a Chihuahua and a hunting dog. As an aside, 18% minimum crude protein is bare bones for an adult dog food. This does not necessarily mean it is the optimal amount of protein for your pet.

A more accurate way to compare protein, fiber, and fat in a food is to look at the amount (grams) of a nutrient per calorie. Two dry foods might both show 28% crude protein, but one has 350 kcal per cup and the other has 500 kcal per cup. The dog eating the more calorie dense food is getting significantly more protein per day in the same portion size; the percentage looks identical, the reality is not. The % protein value required on labeling tells you how much protein is in the bag, while grams per kcal tells you how much protein your dog is actually eating.

For a full explanation of how to compare guaranteed analysis numbers between brands, see: Understanding Pet Food Guaranteed Analysis.

5. Ingredients

Chicken = meat, skin, and bones! The ingredient list is a common focus in pet food advertising, emphasizing to owners that wholesome ingredients equal a quality pet food. What this does not take into consideration is that the body uses nutrients, not ingredients, to thrive. So while chicken, sweet potatoes, pasta, or carrots may leave a pretty picture, they do not on their own create a safe or balanced food.

Ingredients are listed in descending order by pre-cooked weight on pet food labels. What that means is that the top five listed ingredients are the most abundant in a food. If chicken is listed first on a product label and rice fifth, there is then, from a weight standpoint, more chicken than rice in said food. Keep in mind that chicken, as an example, is made up of 70% water. Additionally, bone is actually also considered “chicken,” adding to its total weight. As a consumer we think of a boneless skinless chicken breast when we read chicken, but that is not necessarily reality, and it may actually be instead a drumstick with scant meat on it.

Meal products (ex. chicken meal) – a very dense form of chicken as it removes moisture, essentially providing dehydrated chicken. This should not be considered an inferior ingredient.

By-products – In the case of chicken byproducts, they include nutritionally dense organ meat (ex. liver, heart), feet, and heads. No feathers, no fecal matter. While perhaps less appealing to our human palate, these provide a quality source of nutrition for our pets when used properly.

For more on what pet food ingredient terms actually mean: What Pet Food Ingredients Really Mean.

6. AAFCO Statement

Really the only rulemaker. AAFCO (the Association of American Feed Control Officials) is a non-governmental group that sets nutritional guidelines for pet food, and this statement appears in one of two versions. One of these statements is required on any food that claims to be complete and balanced. This means that treats and toppers are not included in this oversight.

Version 1: Formulated to Meet

“[Product name] is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for [life stage].”

This means someone, and this could be anyone, sat down with a spreadsheet, plugged in the ingredients and amounts, making sure that the end result hit AAFCO’s minimum nutrient levels. No animal ever ate the food as part of the approval process, and no training or education is required of the recipe’s author. The math worked out on paper, and that is it. It tells you nothing about how the nutrients survive manufacturing, how easy they are to digest, or whether any real dog – much less yours – will thrive on it.

Version 2: Feeding Trial

“Animal feeding tests using AAFCO procedures substantiate that [product name] provides complete and balanced nutrition for [life stage].”

This means real animals were fed the actual food, in a controlled study, following a specific AAFCO protocol. This is the ideal and highest standard. While not perfect – trials are typically 6 months long and use a small number of test patients – the food was at least fed to real animals. Food trial testing is expensive, and the majority of pet foods do not perform them for this reason.

Life Stage Descriptors

The other area that should be considered is the life stage descriptor on pet food labels, which include:

Adult maintenance – meets minimum requirements for adult dogs only
Growth – meets the higher requirements for puppies
Reproduction – meets requirements for pregnant or nursing dogs
All life stages – must meet the most demanding requirements, which are the puppy/reproduction standards

While “all life stages” may sound appealing, this in actuality means that the food was made to meet the needs of the most rigorous case – in animals this would be the very young (puppies, kittens) and pregnant animals. This broad approach means that these foods may not be as optimal for your adult, senior, or overweight pet. It does not take into consideration a pet’s weight or metabolism, that amounts are set by manufacturers who have a vested interest in pets eating more rather than less, or a pet’s life stage – puppy vs. adult vs. senior.

Curious what “AAFCO approved” actually requires? Read: What Is AAFCO and Why It Matters for Your Pet’s Food.

7. Feeding Directions

Really means nothing. The only thing required is that the label include feeding directions stating how much food to give per weight of the animal, and how often. This does not take into account a pet’s body condition, overweight vs. lean, or life stage, puppy vs. senior. The amounts listed are determined by the manufacturer who, it can always be assumed, would choose to sell more food and thus recommend higher feeding amounts. Ultimately, the volume you feed your pet should be based on what keeps them healthy from a body size standpoint and nutrient perspective.

See why feeding charts are only a starting point: Pet Food Feeding Directions: Why They Are Just a Starting Point.

8. Manufacturer’s Name and Address

Who ya gonna call? If you have a problem with your pet’s food, how easy is it to talk to someone? Is the person on the other end of the phone educated in animal nutrition, or someone with minimal animal nutrition knowledge? What checks and balances, what controls over ingredients, manufacturing, distribution, and post-production testing go into that bag of pet food? Many pet food companies simply create a recipe, submit it to AAFCO, then hand the reins over to a random manufacturing plant that may produce a different food label every day of the week. Often companies tout having a nutritionist on staff, which really just means someone who has taken an eight-hour online course.

Who Is Making Your Pet’s Food?

Research, education, and the ability to distinguish fact from opinion all play into picking a food for your pet. One of the most common things we hear from clients is, “I was trying to find the best, healthiest food for my pet.” The truth is that creating an ad with an energetic Labrador or a curious kitten as the star is far less expensive than conducting actual research to prove a food is superior. This takes advantage of owners, pulling on their heartstrings and pressuring rather than empowering them to make an informed choice. Here are several things to consider when picking a pet food.

Access and Customer Support

Can you phone a friend? You would be surprised how many pet food companies provide very little support to their customers. Over the years our team has reached out to, or attempted to search, a typically smaller pet food company’s website only to be met with silence or an absence of data. So, first thing: check your pet’s food bag, find their contact information, and give them a call. Ask them some questions, see how receptive and open they are to your concerns as a consumer. With companies like Hill’s, Royal Canin, and Purina, a consumer will be able to speak to a knowledgeable representative within minutes. Support from their veterinary team – not a sales team – is literally a phone call away.

Manufacturing Plants

Exclusive kitchen. Looking at a pet food bag, it is easy to have a vision of the company making a kibble in a wholesome kitchen, eventually packaging it up in its brightly colored bag for its ride to the pet store shelf. Most pet food brands do not own the facility where their food is made. They provide a recipe and a label. That is it. They do not control ingredient quality, plant quality controls, post-production testing, or even distribution. It is hands-off, other than having the idea and collecting a check.

Board-Certified Veterinary Nutritionist or PhD in Animal Nutrition

More than a certificate. Nutrition is such a complex topic. Just look at humans – the food pyramid, political opinion, and a constant debate on what makes the best diet. Animal nutrition is no different. The frightening thing is someone can become certified as a “NAVC Pet Nutrition Coach” after just eight hours of online learning. These types of “credentials” can unknowingly lead pet owners down a path to selecting a food that is not optimal for their pet. This is why the gold standard for nutrition education in the pet food industry is either a full-time board-certified veterinary nutritionist (a veterinarian who then does four additional years of training in animal nutrition, typically twelve years of total animal education) or a PhD in animal nutrition (ten years of education) on staff.

Brands That Meet the Gold Standard

The following companies control the whole manufacturing process AND have a boarded veterinary nutritionist or PhD animal nutritionist on staff:

Hill’s Pet Nutrition (Colgate-Palmolive) – all recipes produced in owned USA facilities; multiple DVMs and PhD nutritionists on staff with a longstanding nutrition research program
Purina (Nestle) – 24 owned facilities across the US and Canada; multiple board-certified veterinary nutritionists (DACVNs) on staff
Royal Canin (Mars Petcare) – owned plants including a new $450M facility in Lewisburg, Ohio; veterinary nutritionists on staff
Iams / Eukanuba (Mars Petcare) – manufactured within Mars-owned facilities; shares Mars Petcare’s veterinary nutrition research staff and infrastructure
JustFoodForDogs – owned master kitchens in Irvine, CA and New Castle, DE built to human food production standards; a board-certified veterinary nutritionist (DVM, DACVIM Nutrition) on staff
Freshpet – owns its own refrigerated manufacturing kitchens; full-time board-certified veterinary nutritionists (DACVNs) and PhD animal nutritionists on staff
Farmina – 150,000 sq ft owned facility in North Carolina; a DVM with a concurrent PhD in Animal Nutrition leads the formulation team, supported by a Scientific Committee that includes a University of Naples professor of Animal Nutrition
Midwestern Pet Foods (Earthborn Holistic) – owned manufacturing facilities; board-certified PhD nutritionist on staff formulating recipes

Want the full picture on why this credential matters so much? Read: Board-Certified Veterinary Nutritionist: Why It Matters for Your Pet’s Food and Who Is Really Making Your Pet’s Food?

The Truth About Corn in Pet Food

Let us get corny. Corn brings images of hot summer days, fields of tall stalks baking in the sun, barbecues and butter to mind, tortilla chips. For some reason, over the last few decades, the image of corn for pet owners has shifted to something that is “bad” or “less than” when it comes to providing quality food for our pets. It has been given the dirty title of filler by successful marketing campaigns, ultimately casting a shadow on any food listing corn in its ingredient list. The words “cheap filler,” meaning having no nutritional value, became a catch phrase and spread like wildfire. The truth is that corn, processed properly, supplies protein, complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, essential amino acids, beta-carotene, vitamin E, lutein, and multiple B vitamins. This is a classic example of how false rumors spread and somehow become “fact” to the detriment of the consumer.

Carnivore No More

Another false claim is that pets cannot digest corn, which has been supported by marketing campaigns that lead owners to look at their cat or dog nutritionally as if they were a tiger or wolf. Cats are actually obligate carnivores, meaning their bodies are required to get some nutrients from meat. Domesticated dogs, on the other hand, are not carnivores, and instead evolved alongside humans and genetically developed the ability to digest starches like corn. Dogs can thrive on a varied diet that includes plant-based ingredients alongside animal protein. While raw corn kernels are poorly digested – which is why you can see them passing intact in the stool – corn used in pet food is ground and cooked, making it 95% digestible. For all of these reasons, the grain-free push was very much one of marketing and not of physiology, necessity, or medicine.

Corn Allergies

The claim that corn causes allergies in pets is also not supported by data; in fact, grains in general are the least likely source of food allergies. Beef, dairy, chicken, and lamb are far more likely to be the culprit. Corn makes up less than 5% of diagnosed food allergies in pets.

For a deeper dive into the corn and filler myth: Is Corn Bad for Dogs? The Truth Behind the Filler Myth.

The Grain-Free Debate and Heart Disease (DCM)

The Grain-Free Gamble

When the grain-free movement started gaining popularity, corn was removed from many diets and replaced, often, with peas and lentils. Ironically, while there is no data supporting corn being harmful, there is a meaningful and still-unexplained association between these legume-heavy diets and DCM (dilated cardiomyopathy), a potentially fatal heart condition in dogs not genetically predisposed to the disease.

The biography of grain-free food and the pet food industry is entertaining if nothing else. It starts in the early 2000s, when high-protein, gluten-free eating lifestyles (ex. Atkins) became popular in the United States. Like many things, we tend to anthropomorphize, or translate what makes sense for humans into something that also makes sense for animals – in this case, our pets. The vision of wolves and tigers being direct relatives to Fido and Fluffy only supported this theory. The melamine scandal in 2007 (thousands of pets got sick or died when Chinese wheat was contaminated with the toxin melamine) only added to the fear of feeding grains to our pets. Thus, the perfect setting was set in the mid-2010s for pet food makers to swoop in and create a whole new market of grain-free diets. An industry was created around this new product line, and a large number of smaller “boutique” pet food brands, appealing to a pet owner’s heart, were born.

Enter Legumes

The question, as pet food companies went grain-free, was then what to replace the grains with – what would provide energy density, bind kibble, and carry moisture as effectively as corn and wheat? Enter potatoes, sweet potatoes, and, most popular, legumes (ex. peas, lentils, chickpeas) to the story. Legumes became the star of the show, providing protein and allowing less expensive meat to be used for dog and cat food, while meeting protein standards and still being palatable. Very quickly, as often happens, starting around 2007, lobbyists became involved, actively influencing pet food manufacturers and increasing the use of legumes in pet food from nearly nothing to an estimated up to 20% of the US legume market within ten years.

Trouble on the Horizon

In 2018 there was a ripple – a hint of things to come. The FDA announced it was investigating a potential link between grain-free diets and a serious heart condition called dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a potentially fatal disease where the heart muscle weakens and the chambers enlarge. DCM was appearing in breeds not considered genetically predisposed to it. Upon further investigation, there was a trend in these dogs, and it was a grain-free diet – with over 90% of foods implicated being grain-free, and 93% containing peas or lentils. Potatoes and sweet potatoes appeared in 42% of cases.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does AAFCO mean on a pet food label?

AAFCO (the Association of American Feed Control Officials) is a non-governmental group that sets nutritional guidelines for pet food. A formulated statement means the recipe hit nutrient levels on paper. A feeding trial statement means real animals ate the food in a controlled study – the higher standard.

What does “natural” mean on a pet food label?

AAFCO defines natural as ingredients sourced from plants, animals, or the earth and minimally processed without chemical alteration. A food labeled natural can still contain synthetic vitamins and minerals, as long as the label adds the qualifier “with added vitamins and minerals.”

Is grain-free dog food safe?

Grain-free diets are not medically necessary for most dogs. The FDA has been investigating a link between grain-free diets (particularly those containing peas and lentils) and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a serious heart condition. We recommend consulting your veterinarian before choosing a grain-free diet.

Is corn bad for dogs?

No. When properly processed, corn provides protein, complex carbohydrates, fiber, essential amino acids, and multiple vitamins. Corn in pet food is ground and cooked, making it 95% digestible. The idea that corn is harmful came from marketing campaigns, not scientific evidence.

What should I look for in a quality pet food company?

Look for a company that owns and controls its own manufacturing facilities and employs a full-time board-certified veterinary nutritionist or PhD in animal nutrition. Brands like Hill’s, Purina, Royal Canin, and JustFoodForDogs meet this standard.

Have questions about your pet’s specific diet? Our veterinary team is happy to walk through your pet’s current food at any wellness visit – this is one of the most useful conversations we have. Schedule a visit with Healthy Paws Animal Hospital.

How to Read a Pet Food Label: A Veterinary Guide