What is on the label of dog food?

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has established the 95% rule.

The 95% rule requires that at least 95% of the product consists of the specified ingredient. For example, a food labeled “Chicken for Dogs” must contain at least 95% chicken ingredients. This refers to the amount before cooking, not counting added water. With added water, the named ingredient must make up 70% of the formula. If two proteins are listed in the product name, their combined amount must equal 95% of the total. This rule applies only to animal-derived ingredients mentioned in the product name.

The 25% rule is sometimes called the “dinner rule.” It applies to products in which a meat ingredient makes up at least 25% but less than 95% of the total. To comply with this rule, the product name must include a descriptive term such as “recipe,” “dinner,” “entrée,” “platter,” or “formula.”

The 3% rule is sometimes called the “with rule.” If the word “with” appears in the dog food’s name, it means the food contains at least 3% of the named ingredient. For example, a formula called “Dog Food with Tuna” may contain only 3% tuna.

The “flavor” rule allows any type of meat to be mentioned in the product name—even if the actual amount is minimal—as long as the word “flavor” is used. For example, dog food may be labeled as “Tuna Flavor,” with the tuna content being very low, just enough to provide flavor.