Dog food 101: What is rendering?

Photo of by-products being rendered / starkfoodsystems.com

Some of the ingredients found in dog food are the result of rendering. So, what exactly is this?

The process of rendering:

This process converts animal parts deemed unfit for human consumption into a form acceptable for use in pet foods.

The animal materials are ground before being cooked at a temperature between 220° and 270° F for up to an hour. After being cooked, the mixture is then spun at a high speed to remove the grease and tallow. The removed material is then added to pet food and listed as animal fat on the ingredients label.

The mixture that remains after the grease is removed is then dried. This becomes the meal product in many pet foods.

Are meals bad?

"Good meals" include those of obvious origin. Ingredients such as "lamb meal", "beef meal", and "chicken meal" have all been rendered and provide quality nutrition in a dog food.

An ingredient of lower quality is "chicken by-product meal", which contains rendered chicken products, including necks, feet, intestines, and undeveloped eggs.

The ingredient of highest concern is "meat and bone meal" as this can contain the undesirable products listed above, including euthanized animals, diseased animal tissue, flea collars, etc.

To learn more about meals and what is rendered, click here.