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What the nutrition numbers mean

Recipe pages publish their full nutrient analysis for anyone to check.

2 min read

The three standards

Full recipes are formulated to follow three standards:

  • FEDIAF 2025, from the European pet food industry federation.
  • AAFCO 2014, the profiles most US pet food labels follow.
  • NRC 2006, the US science review the other two draw on.

Each has a badge under the photo and its own table, so you can check the one you know.

The numbers at the top

  • Total energy is what the 1x batch makes: 1,000 kcal of ME, the energy your cat can use.
  • Energy density is kcal per kg as fed, meaning as served.
  • Ca:P ratio is calcium to phosphorus. Cats need at least as much calcium as phosphorus, but meat alone has more phosphorus. Each recipe adds a calcium source.
  • Moisture is the share of water, as fed: about three-quarters.
  • Macronutrient breakdown shows where the calories come from, mostly protein and fat.
  • Typical analysis splits the food by weight, as fed. Dry matter basis removes the water, for comparing foods.

The nutrient tables

The Nutritional Analysis section has a fold for each standard.

  • Values are per 1,000 kcal of ME, so wet and dry foods compare fairly.
  • Min and Upper Limit set the range. A dash means none.
  • Meet? checks the value against the range.
  • Balance draws the range as a bar, with a triangle at the value.
  • legal marks a legal maximum: a regulatory limit, not a nutritional one. It covers nutrients added as supplements, and we chose to follow it.

NRC's limits, RA and SUL, are guidance, so its fold has no Meet? column.

Estimates and margins

Every value is a calculated estimate. Whole foods vary in nutrients from one pack to the next. In USDA tests of large eggs from US stores, one sample held about four times the iodine of another. The recipes are formulated with a margin inside each limit, to allow for that variation.

The Balance bar shows that margin:

  • Red: below a minimum or above a hard maximum.
  • Yellow: the margin kept next to each limit for the natural variation in whole foods. A value here is still within the standard's limits.
  • Green: inside the range, with the full margin to spare. Most values are green.
  • Plum: above NRC's SUL, which is not a hard maximum.