Pet Food Ingredients

When ingredients are listed on a pet food label, they must comply with 'percent rules' similar to those for labeling human food. Ingredients will be listed in descending order, according to weight or volume.

As well, the name of the product itself must conform to clear rules:

• Product Name - Rules
• Beef Cat Food - 95% contents must be beef or salmon.
• Chicken and Liver Cat food - 95% must be chicken or liver with more chicken then liver.
• Beef Dog Dinner, Entree Platter or Other Qualifying Discriptor - 25% of Dog food content must be beef.
• Dog Food With Turkey - 3% must be turkey
• Salmon Flavoured Cat Food - The product must have a "detectable" flavour of the item named, but the ingredient is not required to be present.

A product labeled natural, or listing natural ingredients, does not necessarily contain organic or other ingredients any different than those in other products, except for the absence of artificial flavors, artificial preservatives and artificial colors.

Additives and preservatives prolong shelf-life and maintain palatability. Most are chemical but some manufacturers have begun to use natural preservatives such as Vitamins C and E in response to consumer concerns.

Next: Pet Food Labels