When shopping for dog food, do you take a few minutes to flip over the bag and comb through the ingredient label? If so, you may have seen some look like this: Chicken, chicken meal, brown rice, white rice, rice gluten, rice bran, split peas, pea protein, potato, potato starch. Written differently, that same ingredient label could look like this: Rice, peas, chicken, potatoes. Which list looks more appealing to you?
The First Ingredients on a Dog Food Label
If you’ve done any research on ingredient labels – and the way they’re written – then you know the ingredients are listed in a particular order. Pet food manufacturers are required by law to arrange each item in order of its precooking weight. The first spot goes to the most plentiful ingredient. (Well, sort of … keep reading.)
That’s why, when many pet parents look at food labels, they immediately scan to see if meat is in that #1 spot. Since manufacturers know this, many practice a deceptive marketing tactic called ingredient splitting.
Ingredient Splitting
This is where manufacturers divide a less desirable ingredient (like rice, corn, or peas) into more categories (i.e. white rice, rice gluten, rice bran). When they do this, it artificially bumps their spot on the ingredient list to a lower placement. It also artificially boosts more desirable ingredients (like chicken, beef, turkey, salmon, etc.) up on the totem pole. While ingredient splitting is permitted, it certainly seems like a misleading practice.
Look Beyond the First Ingredient
When shopping for dog food, look beyond the first ingredient. While it’s best to read the entire label, the first five items will help you get a more accurate representation. If you notice similar ingredients all clustered together near the top of the list (such as corn, corn meal, and whole ground corn; brown rice, white rice, and rice bran; split peas, pea flour, and pea protein) then it’s fair to question if the main ingredient in that food is really meat. It likely isn’t!
Yes, This Happens With Grain-Free Foods Too
Just because a particular dog food is grain-free, doesn’t mean it’s carb-free. There are other starchy ingredients on the market, such as peas and potatoes, that manufacturers use as fillers … and can easily divide into several names to make them seem less abundant.
Ingredient splitting is just one of many things to watch for when selecting quality dog food. I share more pet food marketing tactics and things to watch out for in THIS article.
Looking for a new dog food brand? I’ve been feeding The Farmer’s Dog for several years. It’s fresh food that’s made of human-grade meats and veggies, formulated by veterinary nutritionists, perfectly portioned out, and delivered straight to my door every few weeks. I like it because it’s healthy and convenient. Find out more about The Farmer’s Dog food HERE.
