Animal fat (unspecified)
Fat from an unspecified animal. Fat itself is fine - dogs need it - but "animal fat" tells you nothing about the source or consistency between batches.
Found in 351 foods we track
The red list
Dog food ingredients to avoid
The 36 ingredients our open algorithm classifies red - the vague catch-alls, artificial additives and fillers that cost points on every label they appear on.
Dog food labels are written to be skimmed. The red list is where they go vague on purpose: "meat and animal derivatives" instead of an animal, "cereals" instead of a grain, colourants that exist to impress you rather than feed your dog. Every ingredient below is either a catch-all that hides what is really in the bag, an artificial additive the recipe does not need, or filler doing a nutrient's job at a fraction of the cost.
None of this is our opinion on the day. Every red ingredient carries a published quality score, and each one actively costs points on every food that lists it - the worse the ingredient and the higher it sits on the label, the more it costs, all out of 100 and all shown in the working. The full algorithm is public - penalties included.
One red ingredient does not automatically make a bad food - position and quantity matter, and the breakdown on every food page shows exactly what each one cost. Each entry below links to its full plain-English explanation, and the greens and ambers live in the complete glossary.
Meat & fish 6
Digest (unspecified)
A flavour coating made from hydrolysed animal tissue - which animal, the label does not say. Named versions exist; unspecified ones are a transparency red flag.
Found in 96 foods we track
Meat and animal derivatives
The vaguest term on any UK label - it can mean almost any animal part from almost any species, and the recipe can change batch to batch. You…
Found in 324 foods we track
Meat meal (unspecified)
Rendered meat from unnamed species. Meal itself is concentrated protein and not inherently bad - the problem is the word "meat" hiding which animal it came from, batch…
Found in 67 foods we track
Meat meal & gravy
Unnamed rendered meat plus unnamed cooking liquor. The "with chicken" on the front of the bag is usually a small named fraction of this anonymous blend.
Found in 9 foods we track
Oils and fats (unspecified)
Unnamed oils and fats of unknown origin and quality. Named fats like chicken fat or salmon oil cost more to declare precisely because they are worth declaring.
Found in 278 foods we track
Carbs & grains 3
Cereals (unspecified)
Which cereals? The label will not say, which usually means whichever grain was cheapest that month. A named grain like rice or oats is a different proposition.
Found in 266 foods we track
Derivatives of vegetable origin
A catch-all for plant by-products - could be decent fibre, could be floor sweepings from milling. The wording exists so the recipe can change without reprinting the bag.
Found in 306 foods we track
Pecan nut shells
Found in 8 foods we track
Fruit & veg 4
Currants
Found in 28 foods we track
Grapes & raisins
Not on any label we currently track
Leek
Found in 5 foods we track
Onion
Toxic to dogs even in modest amounts - it attacks their red blood cells. It occasionally hides in gravies and flavourings, and it should not be there.
Not on any label we currently track
Supplements & extras 23
Artificial colours
Dye for the human buying the food - your dog cannot see the pretty colours and did not ask for the additives behind them.
Found in 7 foods we track
Artificial flavours
Synthetic taste - decent food does not need to fake its flavour.
Found in 1 food we track
BHA (E320)
An artificial preservative classified as a possible carcinogen and banned from many human foods. Natural alternatives exist; recipes using BHA chose not to.
Not on any label we currently track
BHT (E321)
BHA's chemical sibling - an artificial preservative with the same cloud over it and the same natural alternatives available.
Found in 3 foods we track
Caramel
Sugar, browned - there to make the food look meatier to you. Dogs gain nothing from it but calories.
Not on any label we currently track
EC permitted additives (unspecified)
The label admits additives went in but refuses to name them. If they were the good kind, they would be listed.
Not on any label we currently track
Ethoxyquin
A preservative developed as a pesticide, suspended from EU food use. If it appears, put the bag down.
Not on any label we currently track
Glycerol
A sweet-tasting humectant that keeps semi-moist food chewy and palatability tests happy - a processing trick, not nutrition.
Found in 155 foods we track
Hops
Found in 7 foods we track
Menadione (synthetic vitamin K3)
A cheap synthetic vitamin K, banned in human supplements, that keeps turning up in pet food buried in the additive list. Avoidable.
Not on any label we currently track
Molasses
Sugar industry residue - marginally more minerals than white sugar, still sugar.
Found in 4 foods we track
Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
Added to fake a savoury, meaty taste when there is not enough real meat to do the job. Good food does not need it.
Not on any label we currently track
Nitrite / nitrate preservatives (E249-E252)
Preservatives that keep processed meat looking pink. The colour is for you; the nitrosamine question is for your dog.
Not on any label we currently track
Propyl gallate (E310)
An artificial preservative with unresolved safety questions - not something your dog needs to be the test case for.
Not on any label we currently track
Propylene glycol
A sweet humectant that keeps semi-moist food chewy - a processing aid, not nutrition, and best avoided where you can.
Found in 7 foods we track
Rawhide
Found in 34 foods we track
Sorbitol
Found in 11 foods we track
Sugar
Added sugar in dog food serves the manufacturer's palatability tests, not your dog's teeth or waistline.
Found in 99 foods we track
Sulphite preservatives (E220-E228)
Preservatives that quietly wreck vitamin B1. Used to keep cheap meat looking fresh - a genuine safety red flag, not just a quality one.
Not on any label we currently track
Syrup / glucose syrup
Liquid sugar by another name - see sugar.
Found in 12 foods we track
Titanium dioxide (E171)
A white pigment used to make food look brighter, banned from human food in the EU over safety concerns. Cosmetic only - your dog gains nothing from it.
Not on any label we currently track
Walnut
Found in 2 foods we track
Xylitol
An artificial sweetener that is genuinely dangerous to dogs. Rare in complete foods but it can sneak into treats and peanut-butter style products - avoid outright.
Not on any label we currently track
Red flag - costs points on every label it appears on
Label literacy
How to spot them on a label
The red list rarely announces itself. These are the tricks that keep it out of sight.
Ingredient splitting is the classic. One ingredient appears under several names - maize, maize flour, maize gluten - so each entry slips further down the list than the total would sit. Add the family back together and it is often the real number one.
Umbrella terms are the quiet one. "Meat and animal derivatives" and "cereals" are legal category names, not recipes - what is actually in the bag can change batch to batch without a word on the label changing. That flexibility is worth money to the manufacturer, and it is why we score named ingredients so much higher than categories.
Watch the brackets too. A composite line like "meat and animal derivatives (including 4% chicken)" leads with the one reassuring word - but the named 4% is riding on an unnamed 96%. The same trick powers front-of-pack claims: "with chicken" can legally mean 4% of the recipe.
And sugar rarely calls itself sugar - look for caramel, syrups and glycerine, none of which your dog needs. Our guide to reading a dog food label walks through a real label, trick by trick.
Straight answers
Questions we actually get
Why are these ingredients classified red?
Three routes onto the list: vague catch-all terms that hide what is actually in the food ("meat and animal derivatives", "cereals"), artificial additives the recipe does not need (colourants, BHA/BHT-class preservatives, added sugars), and low-value fillers doing a nutrient's job on the cheap. Every one carries a published quality score, so the classification is checkable, not vibes.
Is a food with one red ingredient automatically bad?
No. Position and quantity matter - a red ingredient at position nine costs far less than the same one leading the label, and penalties are capped so one bad line cannot zero an otherwise decent food. Open any food's breakdown and you can see exactly what each red flag cost it, point by point.
Are "meat and animal derivatives" actually dangerous?
Not dangerous - legal, regulated and perfectly edible. The problem is you cannot know what they are, and the manufacturer can change them batch to batch without touching the label. We mark vagueness down because you cannot judge what you cannot see; a brand that knows its ingredients are good tends to name them.
Why do brands use red-listed ingredients at all?
Cost and flexibility. Category terms let a factory buy whichever approved raw material is cheapest that week, and fillers pad a recipe for pennies. None of that is illegal - it is just worth knowing that the vagueness is a business decision, not an accident of wording.
Now check the bowl
Is your dog's food carrying any of these? Find out in seconds.
Every food in the directory has its ingredients decoded and its red flags priced into the score - out of 100, working shown.
Browse the directory1Open any food page in the directory.
2Scan its ingredient pills - red flags are marked for you.
3Read the breakdown to see exactly what each one cost.
This is label analysis, not veterinary advice - if your dog has a health condition, talk to your vet before switching foods.