Guaranteed analysis only shows min/max so actual protein can be 30% when label says 20%

AAFCO regulations require pet food labels to list crude protein and fat as minimums and crude fiber and moisture as maximums, meaning a bag claiming 20% minimum protein could contain 30% and a bag claiming 4% maximum fiber could actually have 12-16% total dietary fiber. This matters because owners of dogs with kidney disease must restrict protein precisely to avoid renal damage, and owners managing diabetic cats need accurate carbohydrate data that cannot be derived when every number on the label is a floor or ceiling rather than an actual value. The system persists because requiring actual nutrient ranges would force manufacturers to tighten production tolerances across batches, increasing manufacturing cost, and the pet food industry successfully lobbied to keep the guaranteed analysis format unchanged since the 1970s.