This will be an on-going project, defining pet food ingredients in consumer language. What the ‘official’ definition really means and what questions to ask of manufacturers to make certain you are getting the pet food quality you are paying for.
The perfect beginning to this ingredient definition project is the common pet food ingredient chicken. The consumer sees ‘chicken’ on the pet food label, some pet foods even claim ‘Made with Real Chicken’. What do you think of when you see ‘chicken’ on the pet food ingredient list?
Well, thanks to pet food ingredient definitions…
‘Chicken’ on the label could be ONLY chicken skin and/or chicken bones. In pet food, ‘chicken’ could include miniscule amounts of muscle meat and 99 % skin and bone.
So, beginning with Chicken – this starts the TruthaboutPetFood.com project ingredient definitions in consumer language. All ingredients will be compiled in one location on the website (yet to be determined), but will be posted in sections (many sections…there are many ingredients!).
Chicken. AAFCO definition of chicken falls under Poultry; duck and turkey would have the same definitions. The AAFCO definition states poultry is a combination of flesh and skin and could include bone. The definition does not include feathers, heads, feet or entrails of the animals. The poultry/chicken in pet food does not have to be USDA inspected and approved; specifically stated in the definition as “suitable for use in animal food”. This ingredient could consist of almost 100% chicken/poultry meat or it could consist of less than 1% meat, 99% skin and bone or it could be somewhere in-between. The definition allows for any variation in pet food while still being labeled as chicken.
The official definition of chicken (poultry) does not include the requirement it must be sourced from slaughtered animals (this ingredient can include animals that have died prior to slaughter – illegal per federal law for human and animal foods – such as euthanized animals and/or animals that have died in the field). Chicken by-product meal (poultry by-product meal) and chicken by-product (poultry by-product) definitions do include the requirement sourcing must be from slaughtered animals.
Chicken can be a quality ingredient if it is sourced from a USDA inspected and approved bird and if it includes meat (not just skin and bones).
Questions to ask the pet food manufacturer about their chicken ingredients…
1. Is the chicken used in the pet food USDA inspected and approved? (Make certain they respond to ‘approved’ – many manufacturers will state something like ‘Our chicken comes from USDA inspected facilities’. This does not answer your question. Rejected for use in human food chicken ‘comes from USDA inspected facilities’.)
2. What cuts of chicken are used in the pet food?
Chicken Meal. AAFCO definition of chicken meal falls under Poultry meal; duck meal and turkey meal would have the same definitions. Simply put, chicken meal is chicken with moisture removed. Chicken meal is a rendered (cooked) ingredient that can include muscle meat, skin and bone. It does not include chicken/poultry heads, feathers, feet or entrails. The poultry/chicken used to make the chicken meal ingredient is not required to be USDA inspected and approved; specifically stated in the definition as “suitable for use in animal food”. This ingredient could consist of almost 100% chicken/poultry meat cooked (to remove moisture – prior to cooking of pet food itself), it could consist of mostly chicken/poultry skin and bones cooked, or it could consist of a mix somewhere in-between. There is some science that links high levels of bone in meat meal ingredients to bone cancer. Click Here to learn more.
The official definition of chicken meal (poultry meal) does not include the requirement it must be sourced from slaughtered animals; this is confusing. Chicken by-product meal (poultry by-product meal) and chicken by-product (poultry by-product) definitions do include the requirement sourcing must be from slaughtered animals. In other words, by its official definition, this ingredient can include animals that have died prior to slaughter (illegal per federal law for human and animal foods).
Chicken can be a quality ingredient if it is sourced from a USDA inspected and approved bird and if it includes meat (not just skin and bones).
Questions to ask the pet food manufacturer about their chicken meal ingredient…
1. Is the chicken used in the chicken meal ingredient USDA inspected and approved? (Make certain they respond to ‘approved’ – many manufacturers will state something like ‘Our chicken comes from USDA inspected facilities’. This does not answer your question. Rejected for use in human food chicken ‘comes from USDA inspected facilities’.)
2. Does the meal include bone?
Chicken by-products. AAFCO definition of chicken by-products falls under poultry by-products; all other types of poultry by-products would have the same definition. Chicken by-products are parts of the chicken/poultry that are not utilized in the pet food ingredient chicken/poultry or chicken by-product meal/poultry by-product meal – such has the heads, feet, and viscera (internal organs) of the birds. Unlike the official definition of chicken or chicken meal, this ingredient definition does not have any requirement to quality (must be suitable for use in animal food) however this ingredient does include the requirement it must be sourced from slaughtered animals (unlike chicken, poultry, chicken meal, poultry meal which has no requirement it must be sourced from slaughtered animals).
Some pet food manufacturers make the claim this is a quality ingredient because it includes nutrient dense internal organs. Internal organs such as kidney, liver, or heart from healthy birds do provide quality nutrition to a pet food. However this ingredient is a catch-all ingredient (combination of internal organs, heads, feet, ect.) without giving the consumer any guarantee to quality of those internal organs. As example, the liver filters toxins from the body. Liver from a sick bird or a bird that was fed numerous drugs prior to slaughter could result in a dangerous liver for the pet to consume. Internal organ ingredients need to be sourced from USDA inspected and approved animals.
Chicken by-products is not an ingredient I would feed in a pet food to my own pets.
Chicken by-product meal. AAFCO definition of chicken by-product meals falls under poultry by-product meal; all other types of poultry by-product meals would have the same definition. Simply put, chicken by-product meal is chicken by-products with moisture removed. Chicken by-product meal is a rendered (cooked) ingredient that can include any portion of the bird that is not included in the ingredient chicken/poultry – such as necks, feet, undeveloped eggs, and intestines. Unlike the official definition of chicken or chicken meal, this ingredient definition does not have any requirement to quality (must be suitable for use in animal food) however this ingredient does include the requirement it must be sourced from slaughtered animals (unlike chicken, poultry, chicken meal, poultry meal which has no requirement it must be sourced from slaughtered animals). This ingredient could consist of almost 100% chicken/poultry internal organs cooked (to remove moisture – prior to cooking of pet food itself), it could consist of mostly chicken/poultry skin and bones cooked, or it could consist of a mix somewhere in-between. There is some science that links high levels of bone in meal ingredients to bone cancer. Click Here to learn more.
Chicken by-product meal is not an ingredient I would feed in a pet food to my own pets.
More ingredient definitions will be added soon.
Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,
Susan Thixton
TruthaboutPetFood.com
Association for Truth in Pet Food
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
What’s in Your Pet’s Food?
Is your dog or cat eating risk ingredients? Chinese imports? Petsumer Report tells the ‘rest of the story’ on over 2500 cat foods, dog foods, and pet treats. 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee. www.PetsumerReport.com
2013 List
Susan’s List of trusted pet foods. Click Here
Have you read Buyer Beware? Click Here
Cooking for pets made easy, Dinner PAWsible
Find Healthy Pet Foods in Your Area Click Here
ESIMO DAD
April 1, 2013 at 3:06 pm
Hi Susan,
Thank you, for all your work, I wish I had found this site sooner as I have bl;urred double vision from reading so many mixed reviews about dog foods, I just purchased your review for the dog foods you would use and one that I have been planning on using I now feel much better about purchasing. A bit pricy but we get what we pay for and my boy is my child at 13 y/o next month.
Just a note, to say Thank you.
;0
Nina Wolf
April 1, 2013 at 5:23 pm
Every time I think your site cannot possibly be more informative, you find a way to pack more valuable stuff in here.
You are a force, Susan, and we are all safer and better educated because of it.
Wolf
Animal Nature
Susan Thixton
April 1, 2013 at 5:30 pm
Thank you!
Reader
April 2, 2013 at 1:29 am
What pet food companies sell is an “image” in a bag or inside a can. It’s communicated through advertising. It’s punctuated by fear. Meaning the lie that feeding food that doesn’t have the word “pet” before is worse than their own product. The 2nd misconception is about economics. After beginning to read Susan’s in depth definitions of PF ingredients, does anyone really believe that paying $30 for a 30lb bag of dry extruded reconstructed food-stuff has any value other than keeping the animal from starving? Is the trade off for this apparent convenience something the animal really deserves?? I think these explanations (thanks to Susan’s never ending research) are disgusting and vile. And what would make anyone believe that most companies, especially those corporately owned, don’t cower to the lowest possible common denominators, concerning these minimal standards?? Why throw in any chicken “meat” whatsoever, it you can stuff the can or bag with 99% extruded skin and bones? Would you be nutritionally satisfied eating a barrel of KFC’s skin and bones instead of the meat?
.
At a national discount chain store I pay $4 a pound for solid chicken (organic) and beef chunks (NOT hamburger) that feeds 2 (15lb) dogs for a month! I see what I’m getting. It’s cooked to “my” standards. I add a variety of sources containing additional vitamins and minerals, including occasional raw chunks too. My dogs go wild everytime this meal is assembled … fresh! I am fairly confident that their instincts for fundamental, pure, clean, variety, nutrition is being absolutely satisfied. I know that 5+ years of reading TAPF has completely convinced me it’s the right thing to do. I sleep very well at night. My dogs too.
Peter
November 26, 2013 at 11:26 pm
You make a point that many consumers don’t even contemplate… cost. You mention a 30lb. bag of food that costs $30. A dollar a pound. What could the consumer expect in quality and nutrition (many dog or cat guardians feed nothing but months (or years) old dry food, often those mega-bags from the warehouse membership big box store. They go crazy for those bags that are bigger than anywhere else. The bigger the better. Need to shop for pet food less, when you buy those mega-bags! A dollar a pound… a dollar? And the truth is, many people don’t pay that much. 50 cents? Often less? Why is it that they “trust” the (profit-driven) manufacturer that this could actually be good (much less “adequate”) for their pet? The lack of logic in realizing the falseness of the relationship between cost and quality in pet foods is a stunningly great mystery.
Michelle D'Amico Rosenthal
April 3, 2013 at 1:07 pm
Thank you Susan for looking out for the health of our pets..I have shared your articles on my facebook business page to educate the public and my clients.
My cats didn’t live to be 19 and 20, and my dogs 16 and 18 by feeding them junk. I fed them the best food and they received what little medical care they required from holistic veterinarians only.
~Michelle
Courtney
April 21, 2013 at 2:37 pm
I just purchased your list. I read through it and was wondering if you have done any research on Dr Gary’s Best Breed? I have alot of local people telling me that this food is really good and an all natural. I am still confused on the difference between listing chicken and chicken meal. If you have any information on this food, can you email it to me?
Thank you for all the hard work you have put into this list. It is refreshing to see someone else actually care what their dog is consuming.
Sincerely,
Courtney
Pingback: FDA Information Regarding Beneful pet food |
Pingback: Learn the Truth about Pet Food Ingredients
Pingback: Learn the Truth about Pet Food Ingredients – Part 2
Pingback: Nature's Variety Instinct - Cat Forum : Cat Discussion Forums