Should you judge a kibble by where the meat sits in the ingredient list?
Should: With caution. Ingredients are listed by descending weight as received, before drying. Fresh meat is roughly 70 percent water (AAFCO, 2024). A recipe can show chicken at the top while delivering less protein than a food that lists chicken meal further down the panel.
General documentary information. For an individual animal, a veterinarian's advice takes precedence over any online content.
The as-received order misleads the eye
Ingredient order reflects the starting weight, measured before cooking and drying. A water-rich ingredient weighs heavily at the outset, then loses most of its mass once dried. Fresh meat, at around 70 percent water, sees its real contribution drop after dehydration (AAFCO, 2024). The counter-intuitive result: a food showing fresh chicken in first place can deliver less chicken protein than one listing chicken meal in second place, because the meal arrives already concentrated.
Meat meal versus fresh meat
Meat meal is already cooked and dried, so it is more concentrated weight for weight. Neither fresh meat nor meal is inherently better: a meal from a reputable source is a reliable, concentrated protein (Tufts Petfoodology, 2023). Ingredient splitting, which spreads one component across several lines, can also shift the apparent order. To compare fairly, reasoning on a dry-matter basis neutralises the effect of water (FEDIAF, 2019).
| Ingredient | Water content | Protein concentration |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh meat | About 70 percent | Falls after drying |
| Meat meal | Already dried | High weight for weight |
| Useful reading | Whole list | Protein on a dry-matter basis |
Petipedia explains how to read ingredient order without over-reading the first line, drawing on the labelling rules.
Sources
AAFCO, Understanding Pet Food (2024); Tufts Petfoodology (2023); FEDIAF, Code of Good Labelling Practice (2019).