Label read
Four printed lines on a bag of blue-lipped mussels
Updated
The freeze dried mussels guaranteed analysis on our label sets four limits: protein at least 59%, fat at least 4%, fiber at most 6% and moisture at most 10%. Energy is printed as 3,023 kcal ME per kilogram, about 85.7 kcal per ounce. The one ingredient is blue-lipped mussels.
What are the four printed lines on the mussel label?
They sit under the guaranteed analysis heading, and the listing repeats them as the text printed on the package label. Crude protein carries a minimum of 59%, and crude fat a minimum of 4%. Crude fiber carries a maximum of 6%, and moisture a maximum of 10%.
Each line pairs a name with a limit, and that pairing is the whole format. Protein and fat are floors, the least the bag holds. Fiber and moisture are ceilings, the most it holds. None of them is a reading taken from the bag in your hand.
The ingredient line is one item long: blue-lipped mussels. Blue-lipped is the ingredient name, and the listing is firm that these are blue mussels, a different species from the green-lipped kind. That is all we say on the subject. Our mussels for dogs page covers the bag itself.
How do the mussel figures sit beside our other shellfish labels?
Printed figures only, set next to our other three shellfish bags:
| Bag | Protein (minimum) | Moisture (maximum) | Energy per ounce (approximate) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mussels | 59% | 10% | 85.7 kcal |
| Scallops | 68% | 16% | 76.2 kcal |
| Octopus | 70% | 15% | 63.4 kcal |
| Shrimp | 71% | 10% | 80.2 kcal |
Read across a row for one bag, or down a column to see how the four bags line up on a single line. Mussels print the lowest protein minimum of the four. The 10% moisture ceiling matches shrimp, and those two share the lowest ceiling in the table. The 85.7 kcal per ounce is the highest energy figure among the four.
Those are comparisons of numbers and nothing else. A label is a parts tag, not a road test: it lists what is stamped on it and stops. It gives no reason for any figure, and we will not invent one.
Where does the energy line meet a treat count?
The energy line is the calorie figure on the label, and it is stated per kilogram and per ounce. It is not a figure per mussel. ME is short for metabolizable energy.
The listing gives a count instead. For most dogs it puts that at one or two mussels at once, within its 10 percent treat guideline. It adds that mussels are rich and asks you to keep the count low. Rich is the listing's word, not ours. For the sums by dog size, how many mussels a dog can eat does the counting, and this page does none. Our scorecard rates the mussels 4 of 5 for crunch, which is a score of ours and has nothing to do with the energy line or the count.
Which mussel facts live on the listing rather than the label?
Quite a few, and this section takes them from the listing and from us. The mussels are blanched before freeze-drying, which is our statement, and we use neither raw nor fully cooked for them. Blanched mussels for dogs explains the word.
The listing calls the mussels a treat or a topper, not a full diet. It wants fresh water set out, someone watching, and the bag resealed and kept cool and dry. It also calls the bag shelf stable. Adult dogs of all sizes are on the listing, and cats share the same bag. For cats, small pieces are our suggestion, and any further question goes to your veterinarian.
Two lines are ours. Our own description of the mussels is a weak fish smell, which has no bearing on any figure above. And a date is printed on each bag, which we set at 1 year after production; once a bag is open, 30 days is our suggestion.
Questions
Is this the green-lipped kind of mussel?
No. The listing calls ours blue mussels and says that is a separate species. The ingredient line names blue-lipped mussels, so every figure on this page belongs to that bag.
Is 59% the protein in every mussel?
Not exactly. The 59% is a floor the label guarantees for crude protein, so a bag may hold more. The label prints no exact figure for a bag or for one mussel, and neither do we.
How many calories are in one mussel?
We do not have a per-mussel figure. Neither the label nor the listing prints one, so we will not estimate. Energy is printed two ways on the label, by the kilogram and by the ounce, and the calorie figures stop there.
Is the label for raw mussels?
Not raw. That is our statement to make, not the label's: blanched before freeze-drying is the whole of what we say, and we do not stretch it to fully cooked. For the word itself, our blanched mussels page above has the plain definition.
Is anything else on the ingredient line?
No. It is one ingredient. The listing says there are no additives, no preservatives and no fillers, so the line begins and ends with blue-lipped mussels, and nothing sits behind it.
Is there a date on the mussel bag?
Yes. The printed best-by date is one we set ourselves, 1 year after production, for a bag that is still sealed. An opened bag has a shorter clock, 30 days. Both numbers are our guidance. More reading sits on the guides hub.