The Pet Food Bible Blog

Aaah, the ingredient list. The most highly targeted portion of the pet food label. It certainly gets a lot of attention doesn’t it?

The ingredient list is of special interest to many dog owners. Some look at the first ingredient and if it’s not a protein source like “beef” or “chicken” they assume that the food is “low-quality.”

They do this because it’s exactly what some pet food marketers and self-proclaimed pet food experts have taught them to do, even though it goes against all nutritional common sense.

In fact, one popular pet publication teaches pet owners how to select “quality” pet foods by comparing ingredient lists. It may be fun, but probably isn’t a good idea.

When tested, 23 out of 24 “Top Dry Dog Foods” had levels of calcium that exceeded the maximum recommended level for an adult dog and 19 out of 24 “Top Dry Dog Foods” had levels of phosphorus that exceeded the maximum level for an adult dog.

When these and other nutrients are supplied in excess for long periods of time they could potentially intiate or complicate certain medical conditions. These conditions include obesity, bladder stones, kidney failure, skeletal disease, heart failure, hypertension, and skin disease.

Rebecca Remillard, PhD, DVM, accredited veterinary nutritionist, and staff nutritionist at the Angell Memorial Hospital in Boston, MA, offers some advice for pet owners.

She says, “I use the placement of the meat source in the list of ingredients as an indication of whether the diet is forumulated correctly and that the ingredient list has not been ‘rigged’ to meet current consumer thinking. Current consumer rhetoric about ‘fillers’ and that ‘meat’ should be first in the list is nutritionally erroneous. The logic is flawed.”

The Ingredients List Game

So, pet food manufacturers know that the consumer wants to see a real “meat” source listed as the first ingredient (we’ll talk about by-products and meat-meal some other time). Because there are loop holes in the regulations associated with pet food labels, pet food manufacturers can manipulate the list to make it appear more “appealing” to consumers. Some people associated with pet nutrition refer to this as “the ingredients list game.”

Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight. A protein source like “beef” or “chicken” will appear first in the list of ingredients because the water weight of the protein source simply outweighs the other ingredients. (Whole meat is very high in moisture and actually contains about 75% water.) So in some cases, the first ingredient may contribute a ton of water to the diet and very little nutrition.

Manufacturers can also list several different forms of the same ingredient seperately to make certain ingredients appear lower in the list. For example, to make wheat-based ingredients appear lower on the list, they can be listed individually as wheat bran, wheat flour, wheat germ meal, etc.

Veterinary nutritionists do recommend that an animal protein source should be in the first 3 ingredients listed for commercial dog foods.

Nutritional Common Sense

If you think about it, the dog’s diet must add up to be 100%. There are five nutrients to take into consideraton here (not including water): protein, fat, carbohydrates, minerals, and vitamins.

According to accredited veterinary nutritionists, the average adult neutered house dog only needs about 20% protein, 15% fat, and all the necessary vitamins and minerals can fit into 5% of the diet. So what makes up the remaining 60%?

It only makes sense that if the diet is formulated properly and the list ACCURATELY reflects the relative weight of the ingredients, low calorie carbohydrates should make up the balance of the diet. Therefore, the list should have a grain as the first ingredient. Wacky–but true.

Dr. Remillard states, “If a diet has the proper protein to calorie ratio and is properly formulated for the average adult dog, the meat source would not be first in the list.”

For this and other reasons, the ingredient list cannot and should not be used as a way to assess the quality of a pet food. While the list of ingredients may be helpful, it has certain shortcomings that limit its usefulness for evaluating pet foods. Sorry folks.

For better or worse, the consumer must rely on the reputation or word of the manufacturer to assess the nutritive value and safety of the ingredients appearing on the list.