How to read a cat food label

The quality of cat food your cat is eating is very important, as a poor diet can result in poor health for cats. When you head down the cat food isle of your supermarket, you could be forgiven for thinking the world of cat food is a bit of a minefield, because unless you know a few of the rules and understand a bit about how it works, it really can be a minefield.

Not many people realise how important the wording on a cat food label is, and what it implies for the product.

If the cat food product is described as “Tuna Cat Food”, according to the guidelines set by the regulators of cat food, this means that at least 95% of the product must consist of the stated ingredient, in this case tuna.

If there are two ingredients listed, such as “Tuna and Salmon Cat Food”, then the same 95% rule applies, with the first meat listed (tuna) as more predominant in the product.

When a filler word is present, such as “dinner” or “entree” or “platter”, although you might think this makes it sounds more tasty, the truth is it means the product only needs to contain 25% of the stated meat to comply with regulations. So a “Tuna and Salmon Platter”, only has 25% tuna and salmon present in the tin.

When the word “with” is used, that means just 3% of the product consists of the stated meat. There is a huge difference therefore between “Tuna Cat Food” (95% tuna) and “Cat Food with Tuna” (3% Tuna)

It is very important when you are selecting cat food to have a look at the ingredients list on the back, as here you will see what is contained within the product in the order of predominance. If an ingredient such as “corn meal” is listed first, then it is wise to steer clear of this particular food. The top quality foods always have the stated meat listed first. Also be aware that even though a product may be tuna based, there may still be other meats like chicken and beef products contained within it.

These are a few of the tricks used by manufacturers of cat food explained. Always look out for the wording on the front of the label and the ingredients list on the back as this information will give you a fair idea of what sort of quality the food is.

If you have any other tips on how to read a cat food label or ensuring your cat gets the very best in terms of diet, send in your comments below.