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What isLlisted on Dog Food Labels

Food label confusion
Can you give me a rough overview of what is listed on dog food labels? I find the language very confusing!

John says:
 The ingredient labeling of pet foods can be confusing and very often it is intended to be! Two majorelements of information are required by law: the first is the analysis — levels of protein, fat,
fiber, ash (minerals), and moisture.
This can be useful if you want a food with controlled levels of these nutrients, for example, low
fat for weight loss or low protein in case of kidney disease.
The second is ingredients must be listed and this must be in the order of weight of each ingredient, with the heaviest ingredient first. Unlike with human food, dog foods can list ingredients generically, that is, for example, ‘meat and meat derivatives ’, ‘cereals’, and ‘cereal derivatives’, rather than listing the ingredients by name.  For dog food manufacturers I see two advantages in this:
consumers might not buy the product if they knew what was in it, and listing ingredients generically allow the manufacturer to change the recipe (provided the analysis stays the same) without changing the packaging, perhaps to cheaper or more easily obtained ingredients if they become available.  Even listing ingredients by name can be misleading. At the moment there is a vogue for foods
with high meat content. Leaving aside the wisdom of that, it is possible to put meat as the first
listed ingredient, but follow that up with a number of different ingredients that make up the
bulk of the food, which means that meat, although listed first, is only a small percentage of
the formulation.
Manufacturers often include ingredients that are seen as desirable and eye-catching, but in
miniscule amounts.
Remember that while ingredients are important, the effect of the food on the
health of the animal is what really counts.

What is Listed on Dog food Labels?

What isLlisted on Dog Food Labels

Food label confusion
Can you give me a rough overview of what is listed on dog food labels? I find the language very confusing!

John says:
 The ingredient labeling of pet foods can be confusing and very often it is intended to be! Two majorelements of information are required by law: the first is the analysis — levels of protein, fat,
fiber, ash (minerals), and moisture.
This can be useful if you want a food with controlled levels of these nutrients, for example, low
fat for weight loss or low protein in case of kidney disease.
The second is ingredients must be listed and this must be in the order of weight of each ingredient, with the heaviest ingredient first. Unlike with human food, dog foods can list ingredients generically, that is, for example, ‘meat and meat derivatives ’, ‘cereals’, and ‘cereal derivatives’, rather than listing the ingredients by name.  For dog food manufacturers I see two advantages in this:
consumers might not buy the product if they knew what was in it, and listing ingredients generically allow the manufacturer to change the recipe (provided the analysis stays the same) without changing the packaging, perhaps to cheaper or more easily obtained ingredients if they become available.  Even listing ingredients by name can be misleading. At the moment there is a vogue for foods
with high meat content. Leaving aside the wisdom of that, it is possible to put meat as the first
listed ingredient, but follow that up with a number of different ingredients that make up the
bulk of the food, which means that meat, although listed first, is only a small percentage of
the formulation.
Manufacturers often include ingredients that are seen as desirable and eye-catching, but in
miniscule amounts.
Remember that while ingredients are important, the effect of the food on the
health of the animal is what really counts.
What isLlisted on Dog Food Labels

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