What Pet Food Ingredients Really Mean
Pet food ingredient lists are ordered by pre-cooked weight, not nutritional importance, and terms like “meal” and “by-products” sound worse than they actually are. The body uses nutrients, not ingredients, to thrive, so a pretty ingredient list does not guarantee a balanced diet. Here is what those ingredient terms actually mean.
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.
How Ingredients Are Ordered
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 and By-Products
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.
The ingredient list is one of eight required elements on a pet food label. See how it fits into the bigger picture in our complete pet food label guide.
Want to know what the AAFCO statement tells you about whether those ingredients actually add up to a balanced diet? Read What Is AAFCO and Why It Matters for Your Pet’s Food.
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. Schedule a visit with Healthy Paws Animal Hospital.