Pet food packaging is a marketing surface. The ingredient list and the guaranteed analysis panel are legal documents. Learn to read the second one and most of the confusion disappears.
Start with the guaranteed analysis
- Crude protein. Higher is not automatically better. Very high protein is unnecessary for most adult dogs at rest and can be hard on some animals with kidney issues.
- Crude fat. The main driver of palatability and calories. A fat percentage above 18% is a high-energy food and needs a matching activity level.
- Crude fibre and moisture. Moisture above 78% means you are buying a wet food, which changes both cost and storage.
Then the ingredient list
Ingredients are listed by weight before processing, which is why fresh meat appears high and meat meal appears low. A food listing chicken first and chicken meal third is not weaker than one listing chicken meal first — meal is concentrated, so there is more actual protein per gram.
Claims that are regulated
- "Complete and balanced" means it meets an AAFCO nutrient profile for a stated life stage. This one matters.
- "Grain-free" is not a health claim. It only means no wheat, corn, rice or barley.
- "Natural" has a narrow legal definition and says nothing about quality.
Claims that are not
"Holistic", "premium" and "human-grade" have no enforceable definition in most markets. Judge the guaranteed analysis and the named protein sources, not the adjectives.
