How to check a pet food label
- Look for Complete and Balanced written on the pack/can
- A food needs to be specific for each life-stage of the animal.
A food that says for “all lifestages” is not ideal.
Each lifestage – e.g. puppy/kitten, adult, pregnant, senior – have very different nutritional needs! - Read the ingredients list, is it a FIXED or VARIABLE formula?
A variable formula will use what ever is cheap at the time, every batch will be different. The label will say something like Chicken, or Beef, wheat or corn.
A food with a fixed formulation will be the same every batch – with this you know what you are getting. - There needs to be an AAFCO statement written on the pack. The better quality foods will have had an AAFCO feeding trial.
Foods formulated to meet AAFCO standards (no food trial done) are not as good, but better than a product without these standards.
Royal Canin foods have a different international standard similar to AAFCO. - Look at the Ingredients closely; the heaviest ingredient is put first. Some companies will split the ingredients so that the protein (e.g. Chicken) is listed first. E.g. Rice flour + rice bran + rice gluten.
- Check the name on the label : there are rules behind labelling a food.
For example, if a food has more than 70% beef than it can be called beef.
If there is 10-70% beef in a product then is can be call Beef dinner, Beef entrée, etc. If there is less than 10% beef the product can be called with beef.
If there is less than 3% beef, the food can be labelled as beef flavour.
A lot of cat foods on the market will be ………….. flavour. - Digestibility
Good quality food, more can be used by the body = less waste. - A pack should always have the manufacturer’s contact details.
