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Meat versus Meal on Pet Food Labeling: What is the difference and what does it mean to your pets and you? Meat FACT: Chicken & Lamb are 70% water and only 15% protein Pet food labels found in grocery and mass marketers like to use Chicken or Lamb to represent real meat. When used without the addition of meat meals, these protein sources contain 70% moisture, much of which is lost during cooking. The label leads the consumer to believe that the product is mostly meat based when it may not be. Chicken or lamb meats are heavier than grains prior to cooking, but not after. Although the inclusion of fresh meats may be beneficial, the moisture contained in the meats (70%) is reduced by two-thirds during the cooking process, possibly leaving the total formula as a grain based food after processing. Meal FACT: Chicken Meal and Lamb Meal are dry and 50% to 65% meat protein! Example: CANIDAE All Life Stages lists Chicken Meal & Turkey Meal as the first ingredients. Chicken, Turkey and Lamb meals are nearly dry (10% moisture content) and contain 50% to 65% meat proteins. During cooking, the meat meals do not shrink below the grain weight, producing a true meat based formula for your pets. See the table below. AAFCO label rules require that, the heaviest to the lightest ingredients be the order on the guaranteed analysis panel, (with or without water content).
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