Most holistic pet food websites cite the same sources, the AAFCO guide which tells you what by-products in U.S. Pet foods are.
So I thought I’d go one step further and tell you what the Europeans say are by-products and what the U.S. Beef industry says are the uses of by-products.
Do you really want your pets eating any of this?
What are animal by-products?
Animal by-products are the parts of a slaughtered animal that are not directly
consumed by humans, including dead on farm animals and catering waste (i.e.
waste food originating from restaurants, catering facilities and kitchens) that contains
or has been in contact with meat products, whether cooked or uncooked. Some of
these products are used in animal proteins like meat-and-bone-meal, fats, gelatine,
collagen, petfood and other technical products, such as glue, leathers, soaps,
fertilisers etc. The alternative is their destruction, most often by incineration.
What quantity of animal by-products are we talking about?
It has been estimated that humans directly consume only 68% of a chicken, 62% of pig, 54% of a bovine animal and 52% of a sheep or goat. Therefore, every year, more than 10 million tons of meat not destined for direct human consumption derived from healthy animals are produced in the EU. This material is then transformed in a variety of products used in human food, animal feed, cosmetic, pharmaceutical and other technical use. For example:
• Bones, skin and connective tissue such as tendons are used for the production
of gelatine which is then used in human food (desserts, gummed candies,
marshmallow and prepared meat products), animal feed (coats of vitamins,
binders of feed pellet and dogchews), pharmaceutical (hard and soft capsules)
and technical use (in the photographic industry for paper coating and as a
component in silver halide emulsion coatings, etc).
• Mixture of bones, meat trimmings and offals are rendered into fats and into
animal proteins which are then used in human food, animal feed, cosmetic,
pharmaceutical and technical products.
• Offals and meat trimmings are used as fresh raw material in petfood and
pharmaceuticals or, following strict heat treatment (e.g. 133°C for 20 minutes at
3 bars of pressure) in animal feed.
Animal By-Products In Our Daily Lives
This comes from a Beef Association Website, notice how Pet Food gets the Bones, Horns, and Hooves that our dogs and cats would not, in nature, eat:
Intestines |
Fats and
|
Bones, Horns and Hooves |
|
Sausage Casings |
Explosives |
Syringes |
|
Instrument Strings |
Solvents |
Piano Keys |
|
Surgical Sutures |
Chewing Gum |
Marshmallow |
|
Tennis Racket Strings |
Paints |
Pet Food Ingredients |
|
Industrial Lubricants |
Bandage Strips |
|
|
Cosmetics, Shampoo |
Bone Charcoal Products |
|
|
Dog Food |
Gelatin |
|
|
Mink Oil |
Adhesive Tape |
|
|
Oleo Margarine |
Phonograph Records |
|
|
Ceramics |
Combs & Toothbrushes |
|
|
Medicines |
Buttons |
|
|
Soaps |
Jewelry |
|
|
From Hide & Wool |
Creams & Lotions |
Bone Meal |
|
Lanolin |
Tires, Rubber Products |
Emery Boards & Cloth |
|
Clothing |
Paraffin |
Ice Cream |
|
Drum Heads |
Biodegradable Detergents |
Horn & Bone Handles |
|
Luggage |
Antifreeze |
Wallpaper and Wallpaper Paste |
|
Yarns |
Crayons |
Dog Biscuits |
|
Artist’s Brushes |
Floor Wax |
Steel Ball Bearings |
|
Sports Equipment |
Chemicals |
Fertilizer |
|
Fabrics |
Chemicals |
Neatsfoot Oil |
|
Pelt Products |
Insecticides |
Adhesives |
|
Insulation |
Candles |
Plywood & Paneling |
|
Textiles |
Herbicides |
Shampoo & Conditioner |
|
Tennis Balls |
Shaving Cream |
Dice |
|
Carpet |
Collagen Cold Cream |
|
|
Footwear |
Crochet Needles |
|
|
Woolen Goods |
Cellophane Products |
|
|
Baseballs |
Glycerine |
|
|
Upholstery |
Photographic Film |
|
|
Hide Glue |
Laminated Wood Products |
