Photo: Unsplash (free licence).
Quick answer: ingredients are listed from highest to lowest quantity. "Fresh" meat is heavy because of its water content and loses weight during processing; "dehydrated" protein packs more protein per gram. Animal "by-products" are suitable parts of the animal other than muscle meat. Judge the recipe as a whole, not a single ingredient.
Quick glossary
- Fresh meat: meat that has not been dried; it adds flavour but contains a lot of water.
- Dehydrated meat or protein: meat with the water removed; it provides concentrated protein.
- Animal by-products: parts such as organs or liver that are suitable for animal feed; this does not in itself mean poor quality.
- Grains: rice, maize, wheat, oats… they provide energy.
- Pulses and tubers: peas, potato, sweet potato; common in grain-free recipes.
- Fats and oils: chicken fat, salmon oil; energy and fatty acids.
- Fibre: beet pulp, cellulose, inulin; support healthy digestion.
- Nutritional additives: vitamins, minerals and amino acids such as taurine for cats.
How to read the list
- Focus on the first 3–5 ingredients.
- Look for declared percentages of the main proteins.
- Check whether there is one animal protein source or several.
- Check the analytical constituents to see the end result.
Worth knowing
If your pet has a diagnosed allergy or intolerance, go through the full ingredient list with your vet: a "lamb" recipe may also contain other proteins.
