Chicken By-Product Meal

Chicken meal is considered a more reliable protein source. By-product meal is a real animal protein, but the label does not say which parts it contains and its quality can vary from batch to batch.

Chicken by-product meal is a dried, ground protein made from chicken parts other than the main muscle meat, such as organs and necks. AAFCO says by-products can be used to provide nutrition and that the term does not mean an ingredient lacks nutrition. AAFCO also requires raw by-products to be heat treated before use. Quality can vary between suppliers. For a cat with a medical condition, ask your veterinarian.

Source: aafco.org

Chicken by-product meal is a rendered protein powder made from the parts of the chicken left after the meat people buy has been removed. Those parts can include liver, heart and other organs, along with necks and feet. Cooking and drying turn them into a concentrated protein for dry food. The label does not say which parts, or in what share.

It can contain several non-meat parts of the bird. AAFCO describes poultry by-product meal as made from parts such as necks, feet, undeveloped eggs and intestines, and organs are also part of the mix. The label does not list the proportions, so one batch can be heavy in organs and another heavy in feet. Pettings scores it lower than chicken meal for that reason.

Source: aafco.org

Tufts veterinary nutritionists say by-products should not bother pet owners in general. They note that by-products, mainly organ meats and entrails, often provide more nutrients per weight than muscle meat. They also point out that rendered ingredients vary in quality and that the label cannot tell you which. Their advice is to judge the manufacturer's quality control rather than the word by-product.

Source: sites.tufts.edu

Pettings gives chicken by-product meal 2 out of 5 and lists it as a by-product meal. It appears on 42 of the 149 dry cat foods we list. The lower score reflects that the label does not say which parts are inside and that quality varies by batch. Each food's page shows how it scores overall.