With projected growth 📈 expected to reach $113 billion by 2024, the pet food market is a lucrative industry—perhaps more than it should be 😟.
While many large companies dominate the market, focusing heavily on profit, this can sometimes lead to the use of ingredients that may not be the best for our dogs and cats.
These practices are often masked by marketing tactics that create the impression you’re making the right choice.
🔍 Let’s decode the common traps set by most low-end brands.
1. 🚫 The “First Ingredient” Trap
The order of ingredients is based on their weight. So, even if the first ingredient listed is meat, this could be due to its water content before cooking. Once cooked, the actual amount of meat could be much lower.
For example, an ingredient like fresh chicken loses 70% of its water content during cooking. So if the manufacturer states “30% fresh chicken,” only 9% chicken will remain in the final composition.
On the other hand, if “dehydrated chicken” is listed, there will be no loss.
2. 🐾 The “Developed by Veterinarians” Trap
This term can give the impression that the product is endorsed by the veterinary community, but it usually doesn’t specify which veterinarians were involved. How many veterinarians were actually consulted?
Formulating high-quality pet food requires specialized skills that are typically reserved for professional formulators. It’s important to note that general veterinarians receive very little training in canine or feline nutrition during their studies, making it essential that a qualified veterinary nutritionist is involved in the process and one or many formulators.
3. ✨ The “Shiny Coat” Trap
Some kibbles contain additives that can temporarily make an animal’s coat look shinier.
However, this doesn’t mean the food is nutritionally balanced or of high quality.
For example, an excess of fats and oils in the diet can give your dog or cat a glossy coat. Unfortunately, if these fats are of poor quality or are excessive, they can have negative effects on the animal’s health.
4. 💩 The “Perfect Stool” Trap
It’s a common claim in dog food advertisements: “Since Fido started eating brand X, his stools are perfect, his breath is fresh, and his coat is shiny.”
Regular, well-formed stools, influenced by fiber content and certain additives, can give a false impression of overall health in an animal.
However, they may mask nutritional deficiencies or other health issues caused by an inappropriate diet.
5. 🧩 The “Ingredient Splitting” Trap
This sneaky practice involves splitting an ingredient into several sub-components on the ingredient list. For example, a manufacturer might list “corn flour,” “corn gluten,” and “whole corn” separately.
This allows these sub-components to appear lower on the list, giving the illusion that they are less prevalent in the product when, in reality, if combined, they could be the primary ingredient. This is a typical red flag in both dog and cat kibbles.
6. 🌾 The “Grain-Free” Trap
Just because a kibble is labeled “grain-free” doesn’t necessarily mean it’s of better quality.
Manufacturers can simply replace grains with other fillers like potatoes, peas, or sweet potatoes (though these are better alternatives).
Some grain-free kibbles are also suspected of contributing to heart problems in dogs (always check for added Taurine in grain free recipes and that the amount of peas and lentils are moderate).
7. 🍖 The “High Protein Content” Trap
A high protein content can be misleading.
Proteins can come from lower-quality ingredients or even from plant-based sources like legumes. These sources are not as beneficial for carnivorous animals like cats or opportunistic carnivores like dogs.
For example, soy, corn, and peas are common plant-based protein sources in kibbles. They are neither as nutritious nor as digestible as animal-derived proteins.
8. ⚖️ The “Light or Weight Control” Trap
Kibbles designed to help a dog or cat lose weight may have reduced fat content, but this can be compensated by increasing carbohydrates, which is not necessarily beneficial for weight management or diabetes. if your dog is overweight, you can check our post : Dry Dog Food for Weight Loss: How to choose it.
9. 🐟 The “Meat on the Packaging” Trap
A picture of fresh salmon or chicken on the packaging doesn’t necessarily mean these high-quality ingredients are present in significant amounts in the product.
This is a marketing strategy to attract buyers. For example, a package with a fresh salmon image might list salmon as the fourth or fifth ingredient, after cheaper ingredients. See also the #1 “First ingredient trap” and the #12 “Ingredient Name” trap to understand how this is possible.
10. 🇺🇸🇬🇧 The “Made in US or UK” Trap
Sometimes, a product might be labeled “Made in US” (or another country), but this may only refer to the repackaging or final packaging stage in US, while the ingredients are sourced from other countries.
11.🌟 The “Premium” Trap
Vague terms like “natural,” “premium,” or “super premium” have no regulated definition in the pet food industry, meaning they can be used freely without guaranteeing superior quality.
12. 🏷️ The “Ingredient Name” Trap
To name a kibble variety after an ingredient, like “Chicken Formula” or “Beef Dinner,” manufacturers in the U.S. only need to meet specific AAFCO guidelines. For example, if the package says “with chicken,” it only needs to contain 3% chicken. If “chicken” is in the name (like “Chicken Recipe”), it must have at least 25% chicken. That’s not much! This can be misleading, as most of the kibble might still be made up of other, less desirable ingredients.
