Do you understand certain ingredient names in pet food when buying it? Do you know what you are feeding your pet? A conscientious pet owner knows it is important to read and understand pet food labels before making any purchases.

Improper nutrition may lead to poor health, weight gain or loss and a lack of energy in your pet. To help make sure they live a long and happy life, he or she must be fed with high-quality foods that are safe to eat while containing adequate nutrients.

What’s in a Label?

As a good pet owner, you must become an expert label reader. At first, you will probably need to take the list below when shopping in order to check the labels and avoid purchasing any food that is less than satisfactory. After a while, you will be able to identify your preferred brands and products just by the packaging.

Four Rules for Product Names and Categories

The variety of brands and categories are confusing at first. Most pet foods fall into the categories of premium, organic or holistic. However, just because a pet food is labeled “natural,” doesn’t mean it really is.

The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) regulates commercial pet food under established standards. AAFCO has four rules for pet foods:

Rule #1 – Pet foods must state the ingredients and identify the specific pet. For example, “Salmon Pet Food for Cats” should contain no less than 90% of salmon.
Rule #2 – Pet foods that contain the words “dinner,” “formula,” or “meal” must contain no less than 25% of the main ingredient listed.
Rule #3 – When pet food that lists two or more ingredients (for example, beef and rice dinner for dogs), the combined ingredients named should not be less than 25% of the total weight of the product.
Rule #4 – If an ingredient accounts for less than 3% of the total weight of all ingredients, it can be indicated on the label together with the world “flavor.” Pet foods labeled “flavored” should contain flavor(s) derived from real, non-artificial sources.

Always Check the Ingredient List before Purchase

According to the AAFCO, pet food labels should contain a list of ingredients organized according to weight. This means when you check for ingredients, the first item on the list should be the main item contained in the pet food product. You should also learn the meaning of these commonly used terms:

Human Grade/Table Grade Meat – It means that the meat is good enough to be fed to humans. The label should also contain the phrase “Passed the USDA inspection for human consumption,” which means it meets the standards passed by the US Department of Agriculture.
Real Meat – It means that the meat is suitable for pets but cannot be eaten by humans. Be wary of pet foods with this label, as the meat usually comes from questionable sources.
Meat Meal – It means the pet food is made of protein ingredients from various animal tissues. This is approved for pet consumption but not for humans. However, meat meal can sometimes come from sickly animals, so it is not a recommended source of food for your pet.
Preservatives – Many pet food products contain preservatives such as propylene glycol, BHT, BHA and ethoxyquin. These have been linked to possible side effects to a pet’s health. Avoid them if you can.
Nutritional Adequacy Statement – Look for nutritional adequacy statements such as “Formulated to meet nutritional requirements set by the AAFCO,” or “Provides complete and balanced nutrition as per AAFCO examination results.”

Being a pet owner entails many responsibilities. One of them is to provide your little companion with good nutrition. If you choose to feed him or her commercial pet food, it’s imperative that you learn to read and decode pet food labels.

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