What is Meat Meal and Should I Avoid it in My Dog’s Food?
What is Meat Meal and Should I Avoid it in My Dog’s Food?
One ingredient you may questions is “meal.” Many dog owners are unsure of what “meal” is and whether it’s something their dog should be eating.
MEAT MEAL: Defined
Let’s start by defining the generic term “meat meal.” Meal is a dry rendered product from a combination of clean meat (flesh, skin, bone). Contrary to popular belief, it does not include feather/fur, beaks, or entrails.
To become a dry meal, the meat is ground up and then cooked. They call this rendering, and for some reason that word makes people think it’s a bad thing. As it cooks, the water and fat separate. Then, they separate out the water, creating a concentrated protein product.
The finished product is actually more nutritious than fresh chicken. Check out the facts:
* Chicken meal has 65% protein vs. only 18% in fresh chicken!
* Chicken meal is only 10% water, fresh chicken is 70%!
* Chicken meal has 12% fat, while fresh chicken only has 5%!
In addition, the cooking process also kills bacteria, viruses, parasite and other organisms that could harm your dog.
SO WHY DO SOME SAY MEAT MEAL SHOULD BE AVOIDED IN PET FOOD?
The answer is: If it specifically says, “MEAT meal” on the ingredients list, it should be. This is because it does not specify the type of protein source (cow, chicken, turkey, deer, etc.). This can be dangerous if your dog has allergies. It can also be an indication that the company is buying whatever is cheapest on the market at that time, instead of using quality ingredients. That’s the trick: meal is a wonderful source of protein as long as the source ingredients are specified and high-quality to begin with.
We use specific meals in our Stay Loyal formulas to give your dog a safe, concentrated protein product. On our ingredient labels you will see “chicken meal, lamb meal, turkey meal, pork meal and salmon meal.” You will never see just “meat meal.”
Also, as I mentioned, where the meat comes from is important. If they start out with low quality chicken (say hens from an egg production company that have reached the end of their use for laying), the meal will not be very nutritious. It will have more bone than meat, and so will have less protein.
Stay Loyal meats are sourced locally, from within Australia and are high quality, giving our foods the high protein ratios your dog needs to stay healthy.
So next time you see “meal” on an ingredient list. Look for the word “meat” in front of it and then, see if the company tells you where they source their meat. If they aren’t straight forward about it, it may be because it’s low quality. And remember, specific protein meals from high-quality meat sources is actually more nutritious than whole meats. So guess what that means? You can feed less! So, not only will your dog be healthier, but you will save money. To learn more about Stay Loyal’s dog food ingredients, click here.
