What Is Beef or Meat Meal in Dog Food? Vet-Verified Facts, Analysis, & Info

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If you are attentive to the labels on your dog’s food, you may have noticed the ingredient called “meat meal.” The word “meal” is often used on pet food labels, but what does it actually mean? A simple definition of a meal ingredient is material that has been dried, ground, and used in a dry food product.
Protein is a primary ingredient needed in a dog’s diet, and while fresh animal meat’s protein seems sufficient, meat meals are common ingredients in pet food. Understanding pet food labels’ language is essential to determine what the recipe contains.
Dog food can also contain low-quality meat meals, and we will help you understand this ingredient a little better.
What Is Meat Meal?
Any ingredient that includes the word “meal” behind it is a rendered ingredient¹.
When meat meal is rendered, the meat is intentionally overcooked, and the end product is dried into a concentrated powder known as meat meal. Most of the waste material processed from rendering comes from slaughterhouses and can include offal, bones, and fatty tissue.
It is still debatable how much of the rendering process depletes the nutritional content, but meat meal is still a source of amino acids, fats, and minerals. It also contains only 5–7% water, which results in a far more concentrated protein product than fresh meat, which contains about 70% water.
Meat meal is a broad term and means it could come from any one animal or a mix of them. For example, “beef meal” only comes from cattle.
Why Do Manufacturers Use Meat Meal Instead of Real Meat in Dog Food?
Meat meal ingredients are much easier to transport and store. Using real meat requires freezing and refrigeration to prevent the product from spoiling, whereas meat meal can be transported by trucks and railways un-refrigerated. Transporting and storing meat meal is more cost-effective and convenient.
Also, meat meal is a great business because if it wasn’t for the rendering process, the offal, which consists of 30% of the animal’s live weight, would be wasted and very expensive to dispose of.
Proponents of the use of meat meal also believe that utilizing the entire carcass minimizes waste, and utilizes a production animal to the most possible extent.
Is Meat Meal Dangerous or Unhealthy For My Dog?
Meat meal is not without its fair share of controversy, owed largely to its history. In some parts of the world, meat meal was linked as a causative agent for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), better known as mad cow disease. This resulted in the introduction of legislation which limits the ingredients that can be fed to livestock which are ruminants. However, meat meal may still be fed to monogastric livestock animals (such as poultry and swine), and can also be included in pet foods in almost any country.
Present day regulations in some parts of the world (such as Europe) categorize meat meal into categories, with only specific categories being allowed for use in pet food. In other parts of the world, such regulations don’t exist. The lack of consistent regulations on a global basis is a cause for concern among pet owners, and played a huge role in the rise of the popularity of at-home diets.
In addition, many people argued that in terms of ethics, feeding livestock meat meal is akin to promoting cannibalism. For example, feeding beef cattle feed which contains beef meal is perceived as unethical by many animal rights groups and supporters.
For many pet owners, the inclusion of meat meal in their pets’ foods often means it isn’t considered human-grade anymore. Pet parents who wish to offer their pets the very best are therefore against the inclusion of meat meal in their pets’ foods.
Though meat meal hasn’t been proven to be dangerous for pet dogs, it is believed that concerns about them being unhealthy are warranted due to the historical issues associated with meat meal.
How to Recognize Low-Quality Meat Meals
Meat from sources that can be easily identified usually results in higher-quality meals. Low-grade food is made from unidentified ingredients, such as expired store meats, calves that are sick or dying, deceased zoo animals, and slaughterhouse waste.
There are two things to look out for when identifying low-quality meat meals: “by-products” and recipes that do not identify the animal source. Knowing what goes into your dog’s plate is crucial. For example, if they develop an allergy, you’ll need to be able to identify what ingredients might be triggering it, which can be hard to do if you are feeding them a mix of unrecognized meat meals.
These should be avoided:
- Meat meal or meat by-product meal
- Meat and bone meal
- Chicken by-product meal
- Animal meal or animal by-product meal
These meat meals are all great choices because the type of animal used is identified and included in the label:
- Chicken meal
- Beef meal
- Duck meal
- Lamb meal
- Venison meal
Should I Feed My Dog Meat Meal?
To make an informed choice regarding new dog food, you can inquire about the meal ingredients from the pet food manufacturer. It is widely acceptable to feed dogs a pure kibble diet, since the complete and balanced ones are designed to provide at least the minimal nutrients that dogs need. But a kibble diet can also be mixed with cooked meat, vegetables, and rice. If your budget allows for it, it’s often considered best to feed them a complete and balanced fresh food diet.
Final Thoughts
When purchasing pet food, you will likely come across one or more listed ingredients that include the word “meal.” Take a moment to identify the meal type, since some varieties might be of lower quality, and it is always wise to know what goes into your dog’s plate.
See also:
- Is There Horse Meat in Dog Food? Myths Unveiled
- Small Breed vs Large Breed vs Regular Dog Food: Key Differences Explained
Featured Image Credit: Srdjan Fot, Shutterstock