Pet food Guaranteed Analysis, explained
The Guaranteed Analysis is the little table of percentages every pet food carries. It is simple to read once you know that it is a set of guarantees — promises about minimums and maximums — not the exact composition. And critically, those numbers are yours to determine, not a formatter's to invent.
The four standard guarantees
Every dog and cat food carries at least four guarantees:
| Guarantee | Direction | What it promises |
|---|---|---|
| Crude Protein | Minimum | At least this much protein, by analysis |
| Crude Fat | Minimum | At least this much fat |
| Crude Fiber | Maximum | No more than this much fiber |
| Moisture | Maximum | No more than this much water |
"Crude" refers to the analytical method used to measure the nutrient, not the quality. Protein and fat are guaranteed as minimums because that is what buyers want to be sure they are getting; fiber and moisture are maximums because too much of either dilutes the food.
Additional guarantees
If you make a claim about another nutrient — calcium, phosphorus, omega-3 fatty acids, glucosamine, taurine — you generally must add it to the Guaranteed Analysis with the appropriate minimum or maximum. List those after the four standard rows.
Why "your numbers, placed verbatim" matters
The Guaranteed Analysis is a regulated guarantee: your product must actually meet it, and state feed-control officials can pull a sample and test it. That makes the numbers a laboratory and formulation question, not a formatting one. A responsible label tool lays the figures out in the correct format and leaves the values exactly as you provide them — it does not estimate, round, or "validate" them, because doing so would put a guess between you and your guarantee. LabelClear is deliberately format-only: you supply the figures from your analysis or formulation, and we place them verbatim.
Dry-matter vs. as-fed
The Guaranteed Analysis is reported on an as-fed basis (the food as it sits in the bag or can), which is why a canned food's protein percentage looks low next to a kibble — the canned food is mostly moisture. To compare two foods fairly you convert to a dry-matter basis, but the label itself is as-fed.
Common mistakes
- Flipping minimums and maximums. Protein and fat are minimums; fiber and moisture are maximums.
- Guaranteeing a nutrient you can't back up. If you guarantee it, your product has to meet it on test.
- Forgetting added guarantees for claims. A "now with omega-3" claim generally needs a matching guarantee.
Enter your figures in the free formatter and it lays out the Guaranteed Analysis in the standard format alongside the rest of your label. See the full label checklist →
Format your pet food label for freeFree requirements checklist + preview of the exact compliant copy — no signup.Frequently asked questions
What does the Guaranteed Analysis on pet food mean?
It is a set of guarantees about the product: minimum crude protein, minimum crude fat, maximum crude fiber, and maximum moisture, plus any additional guarantees you make. The product must actually meet those guarantees, which state officials can verify by testing a sample.
Why are protein and fat minimums but fiber and moisture maximums?
Protein and fat are guaranteed as minimums because buyers want assurance of at least that much. Fiber and moisture are maximums because excess of either dilutes the nutritional value, so the label caps them.
Does a label tool calculate my Guaranteed Analysis?
It should not. The figures come from your own formulation or laboratory analysis and are a regulated guarantee your product must meet. LabelClear is format-only: you supply the numbers and we place them verbatim in the standard layout, without calculating or verifying them.
What is "crude" protein?
"Crude" refers to the analytical test method used to estimate the nutrient (for protein, a nitrogen-based method), not to the quality of the ingredient. It is the standard way these guarantees are expressed.
Informational only — not legal advice. Verify against the current governing standard before printing. LabelClear generates text from published rule data and does not guarantee regulatory approval.