How to Interpret Pet Food Labels

To the uneducated consumer, pet food labels with names like
“Beef for Dogs,” “Beef Dinner for Dogs,” or “Dog Food with Beef”
might all sound like pretty much the same thing. In fact, these
products could have between 3% to 95% beef content, depending on
the exact wording of the product name!

If you want to make sure you’re paying for the product you
really want, take a minute to familiarize yourself with the
rules that govern pet food labeling.

The “95%” Rule

According to regulations enforced by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration, a product with a simple same like “Beef for
Dogs” or “Chicken for Cats” must contain at least “95%”of the
named ingredient, not counting the water added for processing
and “condiments.” Counting the added water, the named ingredient
still must comprise a full 70% of the product. As in human food
labeling, the ingredient lists are ranked by the weight of each
item in the package, from the largest amount to the smallest. So
in these products, “beef” or “tuna” should be the first
ingredient listed, followed often by water, and then other items
like vitamins and minerals.

The 25% Rule

The “25%” or “dinner” rule applies to many pet food products.
This permits manufacturers to reduce the named ingredient to
only 25% of the overall product, by simply adding a descriptive
word – such as “platter,” “dinner,” “entrée,” “formula,” or
“nuggets” – to the name of the product. In other words, “Tuna
for Cats,” is required to contain 95% tuna. But “Tuna Dinner for
Cats” might contain only 25% tuna!

The 3% or “With” Rule

The next tier is for product names like “Dog Food WITH Beef,” or
“Cat Food WITH Chicken.” Using the word “with” means the product
might only have 3% of the named ingredient. This can create a
very confusing situation for the consumer. For example, a can of
“Cat Food with Tuna” could be easily confused with a can of
“Tuna Cat Food.” But the latter example would contain at least
95% tuna, and the first needs only 3%. The lesson for the
consumer is to read labels carefully before purchase to ensure
you’re buying the product you really want.

The “Flavor” Rule

Finally, under the “flavor” rule, a specific percentage is not
required, but a product must contain an amount sufficient to be
able to be detected. There are specific test methods, using
animals trained to prefer specific flavors, which can be used to
confirm this claim. In the example of “Beef Flavor Dog Food,”
the word “flavor” must appear on the label in the same size,
style and color as the word “beef.” The corresponding ingredient
may be beef, but more often it is another substance that will
give the characterizing flavor, such as beef meal or beef
by-products. In conclusion, understanding these rules about pet
food names will make you a more informed shopper. It might make
the difference between finding a product you really want, and
one that you wouldn’t accept if it was offered for free.