What Is Beef or Meat Meal in Dog Food?

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 real animal protein seems sufficient, a high-quality meat meal can also be nutritious. 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 nevertheless still a great source of amino acids, fats, and vitamins and minerals. It also contains only 5%-7% water which is far more concentrated than fresh meat, which contains about 70% water, and much less meat meal is needed. Meat meal is a broad term and means it could come from any animal. 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.

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.

How To Recognise 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. Avoid “by-products” and recipes that do not identify the animal source.

These should be avoided:

These meat meals are all great choices because the type of animal used is identified and included in the label:

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 acceptable¹ to feed your dog a pure kibble diet, which can also be mixed up with cooked meat, vegetables, and rice.

Final Thoughts

When purchasing pet food, do not be alarmed if the ingredient list includes the word “meal.” Instead, take a moment to identify the meal type since some ingredients are low quality.

Meal products may not be healthier than whole meats, but that doesn’t mean that meat or beef meal should be avoided in your dog’s food.

Featured Image Credit: Srdjan Fot, Shutterstock