The middle dry food declares 33.5% meat, the middle wet food 60% and the middle raw food 90%. Those medians use the foods that give a meat figure: 1,874 of the 2,120 UK dog foods we score (88%). This is our data as at 5 October 2026.
Foods with more declared meat usually score higher. In 90 of every 100 pairs of foods with different figures, the one with more meat scores higher. Part of that is by design, because our score rewards declared meat. These figures describe what labels declare. They say nothing about what any dog needs.
Declared meat by type of food
The median is the middle food. A quarter of the foods fall below the lower quartile and a quarter above the upper quartile, so half sit between the two. Each row counts only the foods that give a meat figure.
| Type | Scored foods | With a meat figure | Lower quartile | Median | Upper quartile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raw | 258 | 248 (96%) | 80% | 90% | 100% |
| Air-dried and freeze-dried | 29 | 29 (100%) | 80% | 80% | 80% |
| Fresh | 23 | 23 (100%) | 66.5% | 68% | 70.5% |
| Wet | 639 | 589 (92%) | 55% | 60% | 67% |
| Dry | 1,171 | 985 (84%) | 25% | 33.5% | 45% |
The rows for air-dried and freeze-dried food and fresh food are small, so read them as a guide.
93 of the 248 raw foods that give a figure read as exactly 100%. A reading of 100% means every ingredient listed is meat, fish, organ or bone.
How many foods fall in each band
Each food sits in one band of declared meat. The last column shows the share of foods in the band that score 60 or more, which is Good or better.
| Declared meat | All foods | Dry | Wet | Raw | Air or freeze-dried | Fresh | Score 60 or more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 20% | 214 | 161 | 53 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| 20 to under 40% | 477 | 443 | 32 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| 40 to under 60% | 393 | 305 | 87 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10% |
| 60 to under 80% | 512 | 66 | 401 | 21 | 4 | 20 | 72% |
| 80% and over | 278 | 10 | 16 | 224 | 25 | 3 | 97% |
The most common band for each main type:
- 45% of dry foods fall in the 20 to under 40% band.
- 68% of wet foods fall in the 60 to under 80% band.
- 90% of raw foods fall in the 80% and over band.
At the top end, 8% of dry foods, 71% of wet foods and 99% of raw foods declare 60% or more.
What a meat percentage on a label means
“60% meat” on a label means meat was 60% of the ingredients by weight, measured as they went into the mix. The industry labelling code calls this the “mixing bowl” principle.[2] So it is not 60% of the finished food.
Fresh meat is mostly water. The code uses 75% water as its indicative figure for animal materials.[2] In a tin or pouch that water stays in the food. A dry food ends up with 14% water or less,[2] so much of it leaves during cooking and drying.
Dried or concentrated ingredients, such as meat meal, are listed at their dried weight.[2] So 20% chicken meal and 20% fresh chicken are different amounts of chicken. Our figure adds up what the label quantifies, with no adjustment for water. A label that lists “fresh chicken (20%)” and “dried chicken (25%)” reads as 45%.
A label does not have to give a percentage for every ingredient. The law asks for an ingredient’s name and percentage only when the label emphasises it in words, pictures or graphics.[1][4] Everywhere else the percentage is optional.[1]
The words on a pack set a minimum for one named meat:
- “With chicken” or “contains chicken”: at least 4% chicken.[2][3]
- “Rich in chicken”, “high in chicken” or “extra chicken”: at least 14%.[2][3]
- “Chicken dinner”, “chicken menu” or the brand name plus “chicken”: at least 26%.[2][3]
- “Flavoured with chicken”: more than 0% and under 4%. “Chicken flavour” needs none, as the taste can come from flavouring.[2]
Each is a minimum for that one meat, not for the whole recipe. The middle dry food declares 33.5% meat in all, and a “with chicken” claim needs only 4% chicken. The label guide has the full wording rules.
The labelling code defines “meat” as skeletal muscle and expects marketing claims that use the word to follow that.[2] Our figure is wider. It counts the meat, fish and organ a label quantifies, and bone when it is named for an animal. So it can read higher than a muscle-only count.
A label may also name a category instead of each ingredient, such as “meat and animal derivatives”.[1][3] That category covers the fleshy parts and other products of slaughtered warm-blooded land animals.[3] When only a named part has a figure, as in “meat and animal derivatives (4% chicken)”, we read that part. The rest of the category has no figure, so a low reading can understate the meat.
Two readings fill gaps. A label whose every ingredient is meat, fish, organ or bone reads as 100%. A named meat first in the list, with no amount, is counted at the next figure on the label. Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight,[1] so the first one weighs at least as much as the next, and the total is a minimum.
For a claimed ingredient, the code allows no tolerance below the labelled amount, though the level may run higher.[2]
Why wet and dry figures are not comparable
By the industry’s definitions, a dry food holds 14% water or less and a wet food 60% or more.[2] Meat percentages are weighed before cooking, so the two types sit on different bases.
Protein and carbohydrate compare more fairly, because we measure them on dry matter. That is the food with its water taken out. The table uses the foods that give a meat figure.
| Type | Foods | Median declared meat | Median protein (dry matter) | Median carbohydrate (dry matter) | Median score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry | 985 | 33.5% | 28.3% | 44.8% | 32 |
| Wet | 589 | 60% | 43.2% | 14% | 61 |
| Raw | 248 | 90% | 48.1% | 3.3% | 88 |
| Air-dried and freeze-dried | 29 | 80% | 41.8% | 9.5% | 76 |
| Fresh | 23 | 68% | 37.5% | 20.8% | 74 |
For wet food the median declared meat is 60%, against 33.5% for dry food. Median protein is 43.2% of dry matter, against 28.3%. Median carbohydrate is 14% of dry matter, against 44.8%.
At the same declared meat, dry food has a lower median score than every other type. This table gives the median score of each type in each band.
| Declared meat | Dry | Wet | Raw | Air or freeze-dried | Fresh |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 20% | 18 | 23 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 20 to under 40% | 30 | 39 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 40 to under 60% | 39 | 58 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 60 to under 80% | 51 | 62 | 81 | n/a | 73 |
| 80% and over | 58 | 68.5 | 89 | 76 | n/a |
n/a means fewer than 10 foods, too few to quote.
Take foods declaring 60 to under 80% meat. Their median score is 51 for dry, 62 for wet, 81 for raw and 73 for fresh. Here is one typical food of each type in that band, the one closest to its type’s median score.
| Food | Declared meat | Meat and protein (of 45) | Starch (of 20) | How made (of 20) | Kind of meat (of 15) | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carnilove True Fresh Beef Dog Food (dry) | 63% | 24.3 | 7.6 | 5 | 14.5 | 51 |
| Nourish Pet Food Grain Free Lamb with Sweet Potato, Garden Vegetables & Herbs Pâté Wet Dog Food (wet) | 65% | 26.3 | 16.2 | 8 | 12 | 62 |
| Poppy's Picnic MIGHTY MINCE Wild Boar (raw) | 71.1% | 29.2 | 17.2 | 20 | 15 | 81 |
| Nutriment Gently Steamed Beef for Dogs (fresh) | 68% | 26.7 | 13.1 | 20 | 15 | 74 |
The meat and protein points sit close together. Most of the gap opens in the starch and how-made columns. The meat column holds the 35 declared-meat points and the 10 protein points. The parts add up before points for ingredients of concern come off, and the total is rounded down. How we score explains each part.
Does more declared meat mean a higher score?
Take every pair of foods that declare different amounts of meat. In 90 of every 100 pairs, the food with more meat has the higher score. In 8 it has the lower score.
| Foods compared | Number | More meat, higher score | More meat, lower score | Still higher with meat points taken out |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All foods | 1,874 | 90 in 100 pairs | 8 in 100 pairs | 84 in 100 pairs |
| Raw | 248 | 83 in 100 pairs | 14 in 100 pairs | 66 in 100 pairs |
| Wet | 589 | 77 in 100 pairs | 19 in 100 pairs | 64 in 100 pairs |
| Dry | 985 | 87 in 100 pairs | 10 in 100 pairs | 77 in 100 pairs |
Part of this link is built in. 35 of the 100 points come from declared meat, rising in a straight line to full marks at 100%. So 40% earns 14 points and 80% earns 28. A further 10 points come from protein. The meat part of the method has the details.
Take the meat points out of every score and the link remains. The food with more meat still has the higher remaining score in about 84 of 100 pairs. Foods with more meat also tend to have less carbohydrate, which is our measure of starch. In dry food, the under 20% band has median carbohydrate of 52.8% of dry matter. The 60 to under 80% band has 34.6%.
It is not a rule. Of the 790 foods declaring 60% or more, 148 score under 60. Of the 691 declaring under 40%, 11 score 45 or more.
The score rewards declared meat by design, and this page describes labels. Starch, how the food is made and what kind of meat it is count too.
Foods at each end of the range
These are the lowest and highest declared figures in each type with at least 10 foods giving one. Where several foods tie, we show the highest scoring. Foods named as examples leave out mixers, toppers, short-dated or clearance stock, and foods whose energy figure is missing or does not fit their type of food. The counts and quartiles above use every scored food.
| Type | Food | Declared meat | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raw | Prime Raw Lamb & Tripe | 20% | 66 |
| Air-dried and freeze-dried | Wainwright's Complete Puppy Freeze Dried Raw Dog Food Chicken | 60% | 66 |
| Fresh | Green Pantry Mobility & Senior Fresh Food | 60% | 68 |
| Wet | Cesar Senior 8+ Pouches Creations in Jelly - Lamb & Rice | 4% | 30 |
| Dry | Bakers Small Dog Dry Dog Food with Tasty Chicken & Country Vegetables | 4% | 22 |
| Type | Food | Declared meat | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raw | Paleo Ridge Classic Beef Tripe and Turkey | 100% | 99 |
| Air-dried and freeze-dried | ZIWI Original Air-dried Venison Recipe for dogs | 96% | 88 |
| Fresh | Nutriment Fresh Cooked Medallions Dog Food - Beef | 87% | 80 |
| Wet | Happy Dog Pure Goat Dog Food (Sardinia) | 100% | 83 |
| Dry | AATU 85/15 Grain Free Puppy Dry Food | 85% | 60 |
A low figure is not a verdict. Some labels quantify only one named part of a category. The figure can then sit below the meat in the food. To browse the other end, see every food filtered to 50% meat or more.
Does more meat cost more?
We use the price per 1,000 kcal of the best-value pack we found, so wet and dry food compare fairly. For dry food, the median rises from £1.00 to £1.65. For wet food, the median moves between £4.81 and £8.26. For raw food, the median falls from £4.68 to £4.09. The table shows the median in each band.
| Declared meat | Dry | Wet | Raw |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 20% | £1.00 | £6.80 | n/a |
| 20 to under 40% | £1.02 | £8.26 | n/a |
| 40 to under 60% | £1.45 | £6.42 | n/a |
| 60 to under 80% | £1.65 | £4.81 | £4.68 |
| 80% and over | n/a | £6.96 | £4.09 |
For what a day’s food costs in pounds, see how much it costs to feed a dog in the UK.
A food needs a price from a retailer we track to appear here. An energy figure that does not fit the food’s type, and the price per 1,000 kcal worked from it, is left out of the medians. We may earn commission from some retailer links, which never changes a score or ranking.
When a label gives no meat figure
246 of the 2,120 scored foods give no meat figure. A missing figure does not mean a food has little meat. The law asks for a percentage only where a label emphasises an ingredient. A maker who emphasises none may leave it out.[1][4] 82 of these foods still name an animal in the ingredient list.
| Type | Scored foods | No meat figure | Name an animal anyway | Median score without a figure | Median score with a figure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raw | 258 | 10 (4%) | 10 | 65.5 | 88 |
| Wet | 639 | 50 (8%) | 5 | 25 | 61 |
| Dry | 1,171 | 186 (16%) | 67 | 21 | 32 |
Every air-dried and freeze-dried food and fresh food gives a figure.
Here is how the score treats a missing figure. If the label names meat but gives no amount, the food earns a quarter of the 35 meat points. If it names no meat at all, it earns none of them. The protein check, which reads the label’s analysis, still applies. The method has the details.
How we worked this out
- The foods are the 2,120 complete foods with a score in the release of 5 October 2026. Complementary foods and veterinary diets are left out.
- The meat figure is the one the score used, as our label reader finds it. It is the meat, fish and organ a label quantifies, and bone named for an animal. How we score explains it.
- Medians, quartiles and shares come from those foods. A figure for a type in a band is not quoted unless it rests on at least 10 foods.
- The figures are worked out again from the live data with each release, so this page moves with the data. Where the data comes from is on the data sources page.
- More findings across the whole catalogue are in how UK dog foods score. For the rest of the recipe, see what is in UK dog food and chicken, lamb, beef or fish dog food.
Sources
- Regulation (EC) No 767/2009, Article 17 (as retained in UK law), legislation.gov.uk
- Code of Good Labelling Practice for Pet Food (October 2019), FEDIAF
- Pet Food Labelling - A Guide for Customers (October 2018), FEDIAF
- Retail sale of pet food (guidance for England), Chartered Trading Standards Institute, Business Companion
This guide is general information, not veterinary advice. Spotted an error? Tell us.