--- title: "Crude ash: understand the analytical components of a pet food label" description: "\"Years ago, crude ash in a recipe was synonymous with poor quality, however today this can mean quite the opposite. Read more...\"" image: https://blog.almonature.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/CrushAsh_1140x675-4.jpg --- [![almonature-logo-4](https://blog.almonature.com/hubfs/almonature-logo-4.svg) ](https://www.almonature.com/en/?hsLang=en-gb) ![EN](https://blog.almonature.com/hubfs/country_flags/gb.svg) [![almonature-logo-4](https://blog.almonature.com/hubfs/almonature-logo-4.svg) ](https://www.almonature.com/en/?hsLang=en-gb) - Products - [Companion for Life](https://www.almonature.com/it/companion-for-life?hsLang=en-gb) - Call for Projects - About us - [Where to buy](https://www.almonature.com/it/trova-un-negozio?hsLang=en-gb) Products - Cat Food - Dog Food - Cat Litter Cat Food - [All Cat Food](https://www.almonature.com/it/prodotti-per-gatti?hsLang=en-gb) - [Functional](https://www.almonature.com/it/alimenti-funzionali?hsLang=en-gb) - [Kibble](https://www.almonature.com/it/gatto-crocchette?hsLang=en-gb) - [Wet food](https://www.almonature.com/it/gatto-umido?hsLang=en-gb) - [Snack](https://www.almonature.com/it/gatto-snack?hsLang=en-gb) [![bio-diversity-menu-icon](https://blog.almonature.com/hubfs/bio-diversity-menu-icon.png) Impact on biodiversity ](https://www.almonature.com/it/impatto-sulla-biodiversit%C3%A0?hsLang=en-gb) [![nutritional-advice-menu-icon](https://blog.almonature.com/hubfs/nutritional-advice-menu-icon.png) Cat nutrition advice ](https://www.almonature.com/it/consiglio-nutrizionale-gatto?hsLang=en-gb) Dog Food - [All Dog Food](https://www.almonature.com/it/prodotti-per-cani?hsLang=en-gb) - [Kibble](https://www.almonature.com/it/cane-crocchette?hsLang=en-gb) - [Wet food](https://www.almonature.com/it/cane-umido?hsLang=en-gb) - [Snack](https://www.almonature.com/it/cane-snack?hsLang=en-gb) [![bio-diversity-menu-icon](https://blog.almonature.com/hubfs/bio-diversity-menu-icon.png) Impact on biodiversity ](https://www.almonature.com/it/impatto-sulla-biodiversit%C3%A0?hsLang=en-gb) [![nutritional-advice-menu-icon](https://blog.almonature.com/hubfs/nutritional-advice-menu-icon.png) Dog nutrition advice ](https://www.almonature.com/it/consiglio-nutrizionale-cane?hsLang=en-gb) Cat Litter - [All Litter](https://www.almonature.com/it/lettiere?hsLang=en-gb) - [Soft Texture](https://www.almonature.com/it/catlitter-soft-texture?hsLang=en-gb) - [Grain Texture](https://www.almonature.com/it/catlitter-grain-texture?hsLang=en-gb) Call for Projects - [Home Page](https://www.almonature.com/it/re-community?hsLang=en-gb) - [Participating projects](https://www.almonature.com/it/companion-for-life/projects?hsLang=en-gb) - [International commission](https://www.almonature.com/it/companion-for-life/re-community-giuria?hsLang=en-gb) - [FAQs](https://www.almonature.com/it/companion-for-life/faqs-domande-frequenti?hsLang=en-gb) - [Download the call for projects](https://blog.almonature.com/hubfs/re-community-projects/UK-Companion-for-Life-Call-for-Project-Annex-1-and-2.pdf?hsLang=en-gb) About us - [Brand Profile](https://www.almonature.com/it/manifesto?hsLang=en-gb) - [Our history](https://www.almonature.com/it/la-storia?hsLang=en-gb) - [The company](https://www.almonature.com/it/rendicontazione?hsLang=en-gb) - [Reintegration Economy](https://www.almonature.com/it/reintegration-economy?hsLang=en-gb) ![Crude ash: understand the analytical components of a pet food label](https://blog.almonature.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/CrushAsh_1140x675-4.jpg) *Years ago - when pet food production was in its infancy – crude ash was synonymous with poor quality. But today, this is no longer true. In today's article, we explain what crude ash is and discuss what elements to consider when assessing the quality of a pet food.* * *  **Crude ash: what is it?**Crude ash contained in dry food represents the percentage of **inorganic substances** present; i.e. the **minerals.**The name, crude ash, is derived from the fact that its analytical determination is the result of total incineration of the organic substance.That's right: ash is what remains after incineration of the product. By incinerating the kibble (dry food), the main nutrients (proteins, fats and carbohydrates) become ash, which consists of the minerals contained in the ingredients used to prepare the dry food.  **A lot of ash = lower quality? ****This is not true any more**Years ago, the pet food industry mostly used scraps (bone, cartilage, feathers etc.) to produce food for dogs and cats: these scraps, although low quality, were, indeed, very rich in minerals and the final level of crude ash was therefore high, signifying a poor quality.But today, the pet food industry has evolved a lot and to prepare the dog food you can also use **fresh meat**: excellence, in this case, is represented by Alternative, which contains only [100% HFC fresh meat*](https://www.almonature.com/en/hfc-cat/?hsLang=en-gb).  **Fresh meat** (the muscle cuts we choose for our table) ** is very rich in minerals** iron, zinc, selenium, sodium, potassium, etc. That is why today a high percentage of ash can be a sign of high quality.  **Labels comparison: a look at the market**We analysed eight of the most well-known brands looking at their full range of dry foods: the crude ash values ranged from 5.7% to 11%. Those that listed very low levels of ash did not use fresh meat in their recipe, only **hydrolysed proteins**, which are already "processed", and the quality is very different from that of HFC* fresh meat.  **How to understand the actual quality of a dry food?**The answer is always the same: [read the composition](https://www.almonature.com/en/reads/analytical-constituents-composition-read-understand/?hsLang=en-gb) – the list of ingredients (in descending order) used in the recipe: meat, rice, vegetables, etc.  **The list of ingredients is critical to understanding the real quality** of the raw materials used in the kibble (dry food) that we are putting into our dog's or cat's bowl.The analytical components are the result of quantitative analysis (not qualitative) therefore are not a quality indication of quality.  ##### **HFC fresh meat: **originally fit for human consumption**According to Article 10 paragraph a) of European Regulation (EC) 1069/2009: parts of slaughtered animals “(…) which are fit for human consumption in accordance with Community legislation (…)"* #### Related Articles [![Food hypersensitivity in dogs: what to do](https://blog.almonature.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/australian-shepherd-3226442_1920-3.jpg) ](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/__trashed?hsLang=en-gb) [Product stories](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/tag/product-stories) August 2,2016 ###### [Food hypersensitivity in dogs: what to do](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/__trashed?hsLang=en-gb) Dogs can be sensitive to certain nutrients just like humans. This can cause irritations of the skin and problems with the stomach and intestines. Your companion could... [![The origin of pet food ingredients: meat](https://blog.almonature.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/carne1140-2-2.jpg) ](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/the-origin-of-pet-food-ingredients-meat?hsLang=en-gb) [Dogs,](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/tag/dogs) [Cats,](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/tag/cats) [Product stories](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/tag/product-stories) August 2,2016 ###### [The origin of pet food ingredients: meat](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/the-origin-of-pet-food-ingredients-meat?hsLang=en-gb) There's only one way to understand with clarity and transparency the different quality of the meat used for pet food products: to analyse the European Community... [![Food hypersensitivity in dogs: what to do](https://blog.almonature.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/australian-shepherd-3226442_1920-3.jpg) ](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/food-hypersensitivity-in-dogs-what-to-do?hsLang=en-gb) [Product stories](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/tag/product-stories) August 2,2016 ###### [Food hypersensitivity in dogs: what to do](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/food-hypersensitivity-in-dogs-what-to-do?hsLang=en-gb) Dogs can be sensitive to certain nutrients just like humans. This can cause irritations of the skin and problems with the stomach and intestines. Your companion could... [![Understanding pet food ingredients, labels and regulations](https://blog.almonature.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/BlogPost-1-5.jpg) ](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/understanding-pet-food-ingredients-labels-regulations?hsLang=en-gb) [Dogs,](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/tag/dogs) [Cats,](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/tag/cats) [Product stories](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/tag/product-stories) August 2,2016 ###### [Understanding pet food ingredients, labels and regulations](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/understanding-pet-food-ingredients-labels-regulations?hsLang=en-gb) Words should have the power to inform and to move, not to leave people confused! For this reason, we would like to provide all the relevant facts regarding pet food... [![Should a dog eat only dry food or wet food?](https://blog.almonature.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Dog-kibble_1140-7.jpg) ](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/should-a-dog-eat-only-dry-food-or-wet-food?hsLang=en-gb) [Dogs,](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/tag/dogs) [Lifehacks,](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/tag/lifehacks) [Product stories,](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/tag/product-stories) [Insights](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/tag/insights) August 2,2016 ###### [Should a dog eat only dry food or wet food?](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/should-a-dog-eat-only-dry-food-or-wet-food?hsLang=en-gb) **Our veterinarian offers advice by answering one of the most common questions about feeding dogs: should they only get dry or wet food?** We’ll need to understand how dogs... [![Kibble with 100% fresh meat or fish: the important facts](https://blog.almonature.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/laura-chouette-YpoczNsZYts-unsplash-1-2.jpg) ](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/kibble-with-100-fresh-meat-or-fish?hsLang=en-gb) [Biodiversity,](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/tag/biodiversity) [Product stories](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/tag/product-stories) August 2,2016 ###### [Kibble with 100% fresh meat or fish: the important facts](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/kibble-with-100-fresh-meat-or-fish?hsLang=en-gb) **Why use fresh meat or fresh fish in kibble?**   We are often asked what this actually means and how it’s even possible. The term fresh meat is not the first thing that... [![How to read a label](https://blog.almonature.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Read-the-labels_1140x675-8.jpg) ](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/how-to-read-the-label?hsLang=en-gb) [Dogs,](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/tag/dogs) [Cats,](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/tag/cats) [Lifehacks,](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/tag/lifehacks) [Product stories,](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/tag/product-stories) [Insights](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/tag/insights) August 2,2016 ###### [How to read a label](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/how-to-read-the-label?hsLang=en-gb) **AAFCO Regulation PF3: Brand and Product Name. Regarding the use of ingredient name in the brand, product name or elsewhere on the label.** **“100%"** - Can only be used if... [Dogs,](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/tag/dogs) [Product stories](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/tag/product-stories) August 2,2016 ###### [THE CHOICE OF RICE AS A CARBOHYDRATE](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/the-choice-of-rice-as-a-carbohydrate?hsLang=en-gb) Extruded dry food needs to maintain the crunchiness it is necessary to add a flour of cereals, tubers (f.e. potatoes) or vegetables that allow the different ingredients... - [** ](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/crude-ash-understand-analytical-components-pet-food-label?hsLang=en-gb) - [** ](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/crude-ash-understand-analytical-components-pet-food-label?hsLang=en-gb) - [** ](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/crude-ash-understand-analytical-components-pet-food-label?hsLang=en-gb) - [** ](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/crude-ash-understand-analytical-components-pet-food-label?hsLang=en-gb) [** ](https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/crude-ash-understand-analytical-components-pet-food-label?hsLang=en-gb) ![Chat with us](https://blog.almonature.com/hubfs/icons/chat-icon.png) AlmoNature AI ![Close chat](https://blog.almonature.com/hubfs/icons/close-icon.png) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Almo Nature", "url" : "https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/author/almonature" }, "dateModified" : "2022-02-06T03:17:11.690Z", "datePublished" : "2016-08-02T22:00:00.000Z", "headline" : "Crude ash: understand the analytical components of a pet food label", "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.almonature.com/en-gb/crude-ash-understand-analytical-components-pet-food-label", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://blog.almonature.com/hubfs/almonature-logo-4.svg" }, "name" : "Almo Nature S.p.A" } } ```