One dog-treat label names chicken and liver. Another says “meat and animal derivatives”. It is easy to feel that one is telling you everything and the other is keeping a secret.
The useful question is what each description actually tells you. Here is how to read ingredient categories, named ingredients and those little percentages without turning the packet into a quality score.
Quick answer
- UK pet-food labels can declare ingredients by individual names or permitted categories.
- “Meat and animal derivatives” is a defined category, not a verdict on quality.
- A named chicken percentage does not necessarily describe all the animal ingredients.
- More specific wording gives you more detail, but does not prove that a treat suits every dog.
Named ingredients and categories: what is the difference?
The composition list describes the materials used to make the product. A specific name, such as chicken liver, tells you more about a material. A category groups materials together, so the label provides less detail about the individual ingredients within it.
Category wording is a permitted labelling approach. Government guidance explains that it gives manufacturers flexibility when ingredient supplies change. The wording still needs to describe the product accurately.
Categories you might encounter include:
- Meat and animal derivatives: a category covering materials from slaughtered warm-blooded land animals.
- Cereals: a grouped description rather than the name of each cereal used.
- Derivatives of vegetable origin: a category for materials derived from vegetable products.
Read the whole composition list. Fish, milk products and other ingredients have their own category descriptions; “meat and animal derivatives” is not a catch-all for everything animal-based.
Does “meat and animal derivatives” mean poor-quality ingredients?
The phrase alone does not tell you that. Animal-derived ingredients can include organs and other parts used in pet food, rather than only the cuts people commonly choose for dinner.
FEDIAF describes materials such as kidney, lungs and spleen among animal ingredients used in pet food. Their names may sound unfamiliar on a shopping list, but that is different from evidence about the finished product.
Equally, a neatly named ingredient list cannot prove the quality of manufacturing, the nutritional balance of a complete food or suitability for your individual dog. Ingredient wording is one piece of information. It does not replace questions about formulation and quality control.
What does “chicken 4%” actually tell you?
A highlighted ingredient and the total animal content are different things. For example, a declaration of “meat and animal derivatives (chicken 4%)” identifies a chicken component. It does not say that chicken is the only animal source, or that the total meat and animal derivatives content is 4%.
FEDIAF's labelling code uses a minimum 4% inclusion for a “with chicken” claim about that major component. That is a naming convention, not a recommendation for how much chicken a dog needs.
Read any qualifier or footnote too. If a percentage applies to a particular component of a mixed product, that context matters. Ask the responsible business if the basis is unclear.
Example: “with chicken” and “made only from chicken” answer different questions. Do not turn the first phrase into the second in your head.
Is a longer ingredient list automatically worse?
No. List length does not establish whether a product is complete or complementary, how it was formulated or how much you should feed. A treat with one declared ingredient and a complete food with several ingredients also serve different purposes.
Start with the product description and feeding directions. Most treats are complementary foods, so they belong alongside the main diet rather than replacing it.
For an explanation of the other label sections, read our guide to composition and analytical constituents.
What to ask when the wording leaves a gap
You do not need to become a feed-law expert. Take a photograph of the current pack and ask the manufacturer or responsible business a focused question:
- Which animal species are included in this recipe?
- Which materials are covered by the category wording?
- Does the highlighted percentage refer to the whole product or a particular component?
- Can the ingredients within a category vary between batches?
- Where can I find the current composition, feeding directions and calorie information?
Keep the batch number with your enquiry. A broad answer about a brand is less useful than an answer about the exact product in your cupboard.
A practical ingredient-label checklist
- Find “composition”, then read the full list.
- Separate individual ingredient names from category names.
- Check what each percentage describes, including footnotes.
- Avoid guessing total animal content or exclusive species content.
- Check whether the product is complete or complementary and follow its feeding directions.
- Ask the responsible business for any detail you need before choosing.
A clearer label can make a decision easier. The aim is to understand what is declared, recognise what remains unknown and ask a useful question when you need more detail.
Reviewed: 16 October 2026
