Years ago, I didn't know much about how to read (and really understand) ingredients listed on pet food bags. People, books, and pet professionals all said that the first ingredient on pet food bags should be "meat" sources.

I've learned a lot more since then.

Life's Abundance pet food's primary protein is "chicken meal". To many pet owners, a food label that lists "chicken" first may sound more familiar because it is easier for us to imagine "chicken" as a dominant protein source instead of just "chicken meal".

However, there is a less apparent difference between "chicken" and "chicken meal" at least where the pet foods labels are concerned.

Raw chicken meat contains a certain amount of moisture. Chicken "meal" is a much more concentrated source of chicken protein because most of the water has been removed. You get a greater "protein content" in 1 pound of (dry) chicken meal, compared to 1 pound of chicken which also includes water weight.

As a source of protein, seeing "chicken" as the first ingredient doesn't make the food automatically better than a food that lists "chicken meal." If you choose a good holistic pet food company that uses "chicken meal" from reliable animal sources, your pets may actually get more protein, and more efficiently, for their optimum health.