Quick answer
UK pet food labelling law permits ingredients to be declared by their individual names (chicken, salmon, chicken meal) or by permitted category names (meat and animal derivatives, cereals, oils and fats). An individual declaration names the species and often the cut. A category declaration gives less information but allows manufacturers flexibility in sourcing. Neither is automatically better or worse — the important point is that the two convey different amounts of information to the buyer. The front-of-pack wording is regulated separately, with FEDIAF conventions setting thresholds for "with", "rich in", and "menu/dinner" prominence.
UK pet food labels contain more information than most owners realise, arranged in ways that are not always intuitive. A pack that reads "Complete Adult Dog Food with Chicken and Rice" is subject to a specific minimum on the ingredient it draws attention to. A pack whose ingredient list leads with "meat and animal derivatives" is telling you something different from one that leads with "chicken (40%)" — even if both packs are marketed as premium and even if both look similar on the shelf.
This is how UK pet food labelling actually works, what the different declaration styles mean, and how to read a label with the same rigour we use when deciding what to stock.
How animal ingredients can appear on a UK dog food label
UK pet food manufacturers can declare feed materials by their individual names or by permitted category names. The choice matters because it changes how much information the label gives you.
Individual and named feed materials
"Chicken", "salmon", "lamb liver", "beef heart", "duck". A specific species and, where declared, a specific cut or organ. This is the strongest form of ingredient declaration because it tells you exactly what species and what part of the animal has been used. An individual ingredient declaration can also include the exact percentage of that ingredient — for example, "chicken (40%)" — giving the buyer more information about the recipe.
Processed or concentrated forms of named ingredients
"Chicken meal", "salmon meal", "dried chicken", "chicken protein". These are processed forms of a named animal ingredient, but the exact meaning depends on the particular feed material and how it is defined. Terms such as "dried", "powder" and "meal" can indicate the physical form in which an ingredient has been incorporated. Processed or dried animal ingredients can be more concentrated by weight than fresh ingredients because much of the water has been removed. What matters for label transparency is that the species is named. "Poultry meal" or "meat meal" (species unspecified) is a different proposition from "chicken meal" (species named).
Permitted category declarations
"Meat and animal derivatives", "cereals", "oils and fats", "vegetable protein extracts", "minerals". These are broader category descriptions permitted under UK pet food labelling rules. GOV.UK guidance explicitly confirms that manufacturers may declare pet food ingredients by such categories, and the reason is practical — categories give manufacturers flexibility to manage fluctuations in raw material supply without having to relabel each batch. A recipe using "meat and animal derivatives" can be adjusted between batches depending on which particular animal materials are most available, without the label needing to change.
The trade-off for the buyer is straightforward: a category declaration gives the buyer less specific information about the materials used than an individual ingredient declaration does. Neither is illegal. Neither is automatically higher or lower quality. But they do communicate different things.
What "meat and animal derivatives" actually tells you (and doesn't)
"Meat and animal derivatives" is a permitted category declaration for animal-derived ingredients from warm-blooded land animals. Defra's guidance on using animal by-products to make pet food confirms that materials permitted in pet food manufacture can include organs, feet, hides, feathers, blood, and other by-products, depending on the applicable rules and formulation. Whether an individual product uses any of these specific materials is not disclosed by a category declaration.
The important point is not what a category declaration might include — the answer to that is "many things, depending on formulation and supply". The important point is what a category declaration does not tell you: which species, which cuts, and in what proportion. For a buyer who wants that information, an individual ingredient declaration ("chicken 40%") provides it and a category declaration does not.
For a dog that needs to avoid a particular animal protein — a food-sensitive dog on an exclusion trial, for example — an unspecified animal-derived category can make the label less useful because it may not identify which species have been used. This is not a comment on the safety or nutritional adequacy of category-declared foods; it is a comment on the specificity of the information available on the label.
How the front-of-pack wording is regulated
Beyond the ingredient list on the back, UK pet food labelling also regulates the language on the front of the pack. FEDIAF's labelling framework — the industry standard used by UK manufacturers — sets out conventions for how ingredient prominence on the front of pack relates to actual ingredient percentages:
- "Flavoured with chicken" — chicken content of less than 4%
- "With chicken" or "made with chicken" — chicken content of at least 4%
- "Rich in chicken" or "high in chicken" — chicken content of at least 14%
- "Chicken menu" or "Chicken dinner" — chicken content of at least 26% (FEDIAF's example wording for the highest prominence tier)
- "Chicken flavour" — the chicken itself is not present; the taste comes from a flavouring substance
A pack that reads "Complete Adult Dog Food with Chicken and Rice" and declares "meat and animal derivatives (min. 4% chicken)" is using the FEDIAF convention behind the "with chicken" wording. The important point is that 4% is a minimum threshold for the wording, not necessarily the total amount of chicken-derived material in the food. UK Pet Food's own guidance makes clear that a declared minimum percentage attached to a category ingredient does not tell the buyer the recipe's total composition — it tells them the minimum content required to justify the wording used on the front.
Why manufacturers use category declarations
Supply chain flexibility and formulation economics are part of the explanation. Category declarations allow manufacturers to manage fluctuations in raw material supply without having to change the label every time the precise materials used change. GOV.UK guidance explicitly identifies this flexibility — and the ability to avoid unreasonable additional costs from constant relabelling — as one reason category declarations are permitted.
This is not, on its own, a moral question. Manufacturers using category declarations are operating legally under the labelling framework. The point for the buyer is that a food built around category declarations gives less specific information about what is in the bowl than one built around individual declarations. Whether that specific information matters to you is a separate decision.
How to actually read a UK dog food label
The label rewards attention. What to check, in order:
1. The first three ingredients
Feed materials are generally declared in descending order by weight. However, processed, concentrated or dehydrated ingredients need to be understood in the form in which they are incorporated into the recipe — fresh chicken (which contains a large percentage of water) may appear higher in the list than chicken meal, but the meal can contribute more protein to the finished food. Look at the first three ingredients together, and note whether they are named individually or declared by category.
2. Whether the species is named
"Chicken" is a named species. "Poultry" is not — it can be chicken, turkey, duck, or a blend. "Salmon" is named. "Fish" is not. Named species means you know what's in the food. Unnamed generic terms mean you don't. This applies equally to meal forms — "chicken meal" is named; "poultry meal" and "meat meal" are not.
3. Whether ingredient percentages are declared
Manufacturers are required to declare percentages of ingredients specifically named or emphasised on the pack. Beyond that requirement, volunteering exact percentages in the ingredient list is a manufacturer choice. A pack that reads "Chicken (40%)" is being transparent about the recipe. A pack that reads "chicken" without a percentage is complying with the rules but volunteering less. Volunteered percentages give the buyer more information.
4. The analytical constituents
The analytical declaration normally includes crude protein, crude oils and fats, crude fibre and crude ash. Moisture must also be declared when it exceeds 14%. To compare foods across formats (dry vs wet, kibble vs raw), convert to a dry matter basis: divide the as-fed percentage by (100 minus the moisture percentage) and multiply by 100. Otherwise a dry food will always look higher-protein than a wet food, purely because of the water content.
5. The ash content in context
Ash is the mineral residue left after the organic material has been burned away. It can be useful when comparing foods but should not be used on its own to determine whether a recipe contains excessive bone, by-products or poor-quality ingredients — there are too many formulation variables. Look at ash alongside the complete ingredient declaration and the rest of the analytical constituents.
6. The additives
UK pet food labels group additives into three categories:
- Nutritional additives — vitamins, minerals, amino acids. These are expected in a complete food because the base ingredients rarely deliver every required nutrient at the correct level. A complete dog food needs a nutritional additive package where required to meet its formulation.
- Technological additives — preservatives and antioxidants. These help keep the food stable and safe over its shelf life.
- Sensory additives — colours and flavourings. These affect the appearance, taste or odour of the food. Their presence tells you something about how the product has been formulated, but the additives list alone does not tell you whether a food is good or bad.
The important distinction: transparency versus quality
This is the central point, and it is worth stating clearly:
Named ingredients tell you what a food is. Whether that food is good depends on which ingredients are named and in what ratio.
A food that lists "chicken breast (5%)" as its main named ingredient is being transparent about a small chicken content — but 5% is not much. A food that lists "chicken (40%)" as its main ingredient is being transparent about a larger chicken content. Both are named-ingredient foods. They are not equivalent.
Similarly, a food using category declarations is not automatically poor quality — it is a food whose label gives you less specific information. The buyer's job is to read the label, look at the analytical constituents, and decide whether the food meets the standard they want.
The Pets Larder's position is not that named ingredients are always better. It is that named ingredients give you the information to decide.
Where our own range sits
Our own-brand Aflora dry dog food range uses named species (chicken, fish, venison) as the leading ingredient in every recipe, with declared percentages. Our natural dog treats range is filtered on the same test — single-ingredient or named-species treats, ingredient lists we can talk about without evasion. If you want to run any label past a machine that translates the ingredient panel into plain English, our Decode the Label tool is built to do exactly that.
The reason we stock what we stock is the same reason this article exists. We think the buyer should be given the information to make the decision.
FAQ
Is "chicken meal" worse than "chicken" in dog food? Not automatically. Chicken meal is a processed form of chicken in which much of the water has been removed. It can provide considerably more protein by weight than fresh chicken and is not inherently inferior. What matters for label transparency is that the species is named — "chicken meal" is transparent; "poultry meal" or "meat meal" is not.
What does "meat and animal derivatives" mean on a UK dog food label? It is a permitted category declaration for animal-derived ingredients from warm-blooded land animals. The category is broad enough that the label does not identify the specific species or particular animal materials used. Animal by-products permitted for pet food manufacture can include organs, hides, feet, feathers, and blood, depending on the applicable rules and formulation. The important point is that a category declaration does not identify the precise contents in the way a named ingredient does.
What are the 4%, 14%, and 26% rules on dog food labels? These are FEDIAF labelling conventions for how front-of-pack ingredient prominence relates to actual ingredient percentages. "Flavoured with X" corresponds to less than 4%. "With X" corresponds to at least 4%. "Rich in" or "high in X" corresponds to at least 14%. FEDIAF's example wording for the highest prominence tier is "X menu" or "X dinner", corresponding to at least 26% of the named ingredient. These are conventions rather than statutory rules.
Are ingredients on a dog food label listed in order of weight? Generally yes — feed materials are declared in descending order by weight. But processed or concentrated ingredients need to be understood in the form incorporated into the recipe. Fresh chicken (with its water content) may rank higher than chicken meal even where the meal contributes more protein to the finished food.
Are named ingredients always better in dog food? Named ingredients give you the information to decide. Whether the food is good depends on which ingredients are named and in what ratio. "Chicken breast (5%)" is transparent about a small chicken content; "chicken (40%)" is transparent about a larger one. Both are named-ingredient foods; they are not equivalent.
Why don't all dog food brands use named ingredients? UK pet food labelling permits category declarations because they give manufacturers flexibility to manage fluctuations in raw material supply. GOV.UK guidance identifies this flexibility, and the ability to avoid unreasonable additional costs from constant relabelling, as one reason category declarations are permitted. Individual ingredient declarations require more consistent sourcing.
Is "cereals" on a dog food label a red flag? "Cereals" is a permitted category declaration rather than a specific grain name. It tells you less than a declaration such as "rice" or "maize", because the individual cereal ingredients are not identified by name. Whether grain is appropriate for a particular dog is a separate question.
What's the difference between hypoallergenic and grain-free dog food? "Grain-free" is a factual claim about what is not in the food — no wheat, corn, rice, barley, and so on. "Hypoallergenic" is a marketing term with no UK legal definition and no specific ingredient criteria. Grain-free is verifiable on the label. Hypoallergenic is not.
Where to go from here
The next time you buy a dog food, read the back before the front. Check the first three ingredients. Note whether the species is named. Look for declared percentages. Compare the ingredient list to the front-of-pack marketing and notice where they diverge. Most of what you need to know to make a good decision is on the label. It is not always on the part of the label the marketing team writes.
For more on this territory, see our best natural dog food UK guide or practical protocols on moving between foods.
References
- GOV.UK. Pet food. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs guidance on pet food composition and labelling requirements in the UK. Available at gov.uk/government/publications/pet-food
- GOV.UK. Using animal by-products to make pet food. Defra guidance on animal by-product materials permitted in pet food manufacture.
- UK Pet Food. Labelling — Code of Practice. UK Pet Food industry body guidance on statutory and voluntary labelling requirements. Available at ukpetfood.org
- UK Pet Food. Annex 12: Pet Food Labelling — A Guide for Customers. Consumer-facing guidance on ingredient declarations and labelling conventions.
- FEDIAF. Code of Good Labelling Practice for Pet Food. European Pet Food Industry Federation labelling framework used by UK manufacturers. Available at europeanpetfood.org
- Regulation (EC) No 767/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the placing on the market and use of feed. Retained in UK law under the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018.
- Regulation (EC) No 1069/2009 laying down health rules as regards animal by-products and derived products not intended for human consumption. Retained in UK law.
- FEDIAF (2024). Nutritional Guidelines for Complete and Complementary Pet Food for Cats and Dogs.
