Ingredients are listed by weight before cooking
Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight — but this is pre-cooking weight. Water-heavy ingredients like "fresh chicken" may drop significantly in the ranking after cooking. "Chicken meal" (already dehydrated) contains more concentrated protein by weight than fresh chicken at the same label position.
The first 5 ingredients tell most of the story
The first 5 ingredients typically make up 80%+ of the food. If the first ingredient is a named meat ("Chicken", "Salmon", "Beef") that's a positive sign. If it's a grain, starch, or unnamed protein source, the food is likely lower-quality than marketed.
Watch for ingredient splitting
Some brands list a grain in multiple forms to push it lower in the rankings — e.g. "ground rice, rice flour, rice bran" appear separately. Add those together and they may outweigh the protein. It's a labeling trick, not a nutrition trick.
The AAFCO statement matters
Look for an AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement — it tells you whether the food is "complete and balanced" for your pet's life stage. "Formulated to meet" means calculated; "Animal feeding tests" means actually tested on pets. Both are valid; feeding-tested is the gold standard.