What ingredient is it?
The most commonly used pet food ingredient – by almost a million tons (almost 2 billion pounds) is: Corn.
The Institute for Feed Education and Research, the North American Renderers Association, and the Pet Food Institute recently published an interesting report; “Pet Food Production and Ingredient Analysis“. The report brags the pet food industry stimulates “the overall agricultural economy through the purchase of ingredients, labor and services from related industries“.
“Overall, the report found that U.S. pet food manufacturers use roughly 8.65 million tons of animal- and plant-based ingredients for dog and cat food to provide the complete nutrition that pets need, at a value of $6.9 billion. More than 500 safe and nutritious ingredients are used, demonstrating the diversity of options available to shoppers at various price points to fit their budgets. Often using leftover ingredients made from the production of human food, such as bakery or brewery items or parts of the animal that humans don’t eat, the report also highlighted the pet food industry’s commitment to reducing agriculture’s environmental impact.”
It’s quite startling to see the charts compiled in the report of the most commonly used pet food ingredients, listed by tonnage used (both cat and dog foods):
Corn is the most commonly used pet food ingredient – almost 1 million tons of corn is included in cat and dog foods than ANY other ingredient. In July 2019, 98% of corn samples tested in the US were “positive for at least one mycotoxin“, “74% of samples have more than one mycotoxin“. Even low levels of mycotoxins in pet food can result in serious illness.
Chicken is the second most commonly used pet food ingredient – but knowing that chicken in pet food can be only chicken skin or only chicken bones (little to no meat), it provides little comfort being the second ingredient. As concerning as corn being the most commonly used cat food and dog food ingredient – the third ingredient Meat and bone meal – is just as concerning. FDA testing determined the pet food ingredient meat and bone meal to be associated with pentobarbital/euthanized animals.
Separating the commonly used ingredients into pet food categories, for dry cat foods only the chart looks like this:
A corn ingredient is the number 1 and number 2 most commonly used ingredient in dry cat foods. Chicken by-product meal and Poultry by-product meal (both ingredients have the same legal definition) make up the 3rd and 4th commonly used dry cat food ingredients. Chicken and poultry by-product meals are rendered ingredients – that can include bits and pieces of poultry left over from the human food chain (necks, feet, undeveloped eggs or condemned chicken/chicken parts) or it can include whole poultry that died other than by slaughter (including diseased poultry).
For dry dog food only, ingredients provided in the trade report:
And again…corn is the #1 ingredient used in dry dog foods, more than twice as much corn is used than any other ingredient. Meat and bone meal – the rendered ingredient that can include any type of mammal, or diseased/non-slaughtered animals – is the second most commonly used dry dog food ingredient.
Personal opinion: Statistics like these are heartbreaking. The pet food industry should NOT focus on “the overall agricultural economy” – the industry should focus on ingredients that promote pet health.
Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
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Donald Sennett
March 16, 2020 at 1:32 pm
What is your opinion of FREEZE dried dog food?
Lan lanny
March 16, 2020 at 3:32 pm
Raw Freeze dried is great. Make sure you do give them like a marrow bone so they can chew n use their teeth properly. Soft food won’t help teeth stay strong down the road. Rubber toys are great too n great to remove tartar.
Susan Thixton
March 16, 2020 at 3:43 pm
The style of pet food doesn’t concern me – I believe that is a personal preference. No matter the style, the concern to me is quality of ingredients. I would only give my own pets a food that is made with human grade ingredients. I mostly provide them with minimally processed pet foods – but I have given them freeze dried human grade pet food too.
David
March 16, 2020 at 2:10 pm
Scary!
Carol Martin Sacher
March 16, 2020 at 5:59 pm
I feed quality food and have never fed anything that has wheat, corn, soy, gluten or meat “by-products” Can we trust the labeling?
Susan Thixton
March 16, 2020 at 8:04 pm
Hi Carol – I wish I could tell you yes, pet owners can trust the labeling. But, unfortunately we cannot. There is very little oversight over pet food manufacturing. My suggestion to you would be to write the manufacturer and ask them if you can trust the labeling, ask them how they can assure you ingredients are as stated.
Jackie
March 16, 2020 at 7:34 pm
Susan, thank you for staying on top of the industry and helping us and our pets.
Nadine
March 16, 2020 at 11:34 pm
I haven’t used dog food in a couple years .Its getting harder to keep up with the routine but I cant trust these companies. I cant do raw anymore because my dogs have medical issues. I do raw for chewing sometimes . My issue is I have a active dog that just burns all the food off so now I have resorted to trying to find fillers to satisfy his tummy . I know it sounds bad he gets alot of meat I just wish we coukd trust dog food companies .Life would be easier .
Cherry
December 31, 2020 at 12:19 am
Spot and Tango?
Nick
December 2, 2023 at 3:23 pm
Boiled chicken, steamed sweet potato or brown rice, boiled eggs and a steamed veggie (broccoli or carrots).
I’m not saying this is the best possible diet but if you can find the time it’s better than dry food. We usually use a pack of with the bone/skin chicken thighs, 2 large sweet potatoes, 8 eggs, and a large crown of broccoli for a weeks worth of food.
We also use mason jars to avoid plastic and it typically will hold a little over 2 cups of food when filled to the brim (usually my dogs daily diet, including a separate bowl of two cups of kibble)(fromm duckenfeffer). He’s an 8 year old, 70lb boxer Akita mix with an abundance of energy. He seems pretty satiated. I’m not saying this is the best diet but it works for him and maybe it could help your pup as well if you haven’t already found a solution.
Cherry
December 31, 2020 at 12:21 am
Anybody recommend Spot & Tango