Understanding Pet Food Labels – How To Read Ingredients Properly

Ingredient lists shown in this article are taken from manufacturer websites and packaging and were accurate at the time of writing (March 2026). Recipes and formulations can change over time, so always check product packaging for the most up to date information.

Pet food packaging can be very misleading. Words like premium, natural, veterinary, complete, sensitive and healthy are marketing terms. They sound reassuring, but they don’t actually tell you what the food is made from.

If you want to understand pet food properly, you need to ignore the front of the bag and read the ingredient list on the back. That is where the truth is.

How ingredient lists actually work

Ingredients are listed in order of weight before cooking. This is important because fresh meat contains a lot of water. Once cooked and dried, the actual meat percentage in the finished food can be lower than it appears on the label.

This is why some foods use dried meat meals, and why some foods use plant protein or cereals to increase protein and calorie content.

Vague ingredients vs clearly named ingredients

One of the biggest things to look for on a pet food label is whether the ingredients are clearly named or vague.

Examples of vague ingredients:

• Meat and animal derivatives
• Derivatives of vegetable origin
• Animal fat
• Vegetable protein extracts
• Hydrolysed animal proteins

These ingredients do not tell you exactly which animals or plant ingredients are being used.

Clear ingredient lists look more like this:

• Beef 76%
• Duck meat with bone 12%
• Beef liver 5%
• Carrot 4%
• Spinach 3%

The more clearly an ingredient list is written, the easier it is to understand what your pet is actually eating.

Real Ingredient List Examples

Hill’s Prescription Diet Gastrointestinal

This ingredient list contains several vague ingredient categories and cereals appear first, meaning cereals make up a large portion of the food.

Royal Canin

This ingredient list contains multiple grain ingredients such as wheat and maize, along with processed ingredients like dried poultry protein and hydrolysed animal proteins.

Pedigree Original Tinned Food

This ingredient list uses broad ingredient terms rather than clearly stating exactly what meats and plant ingredients are used.

JR Complete Wellbeing Tinned Food

This ingredient list clearly shows the meat content and vegetables used, making it much easier to understand what the food is made from.

Cold Pressed Dog Food Example

Both foods are cold pressed, but the ingredient lists are very different. This shows that the processing method alone does not determine food quality — ingredients matter just as much.

You can view the cold pressed foods we stock here:
Cold Pressed Dog Food Collection

Raw Food Ingredient Examples

Raw food ingredient lists are often very simple and transparent, which makes it easier to control exactly what your dog is eating.

You can view the raw foods we sell here:
Raw 80:10:10 Minces

So what should you actually look for on a pet food label?

• Clearly named meat ingredients
• Named organs like liver, kidney or heart
• Vegetables and ingredients you recognise
• Meat percentages where possible
• No vague terms like meat derivatives or vegetable derivatives
• Transparent ingredient lists

Choosing pet food is not about the branding, not the marketing, and not what the front of the bag says.

The most important thing is the ingredient list and how transparent the manufacturer is about what is actually in the food.

If you can clearly understand exactly what your pet is eating by reading the ingredient list, that is usually a very good sign.