Herring Meal

Herring meal is herring that has been cooked, dried and ground into a concentrated protein. AAFCO explains that rendering uses heat and pressure to remove most of the water and fat, leaving mainly protein and minerals. Herring is a small, oily fish. For a cat with a fish allergy or another medical condition, ask your veterinarian.

Source: aafco.org

Herring meal adds a lot of protein to dry food along with natural minerals. Herring is a small, oily fish from cold waters and one of the richest fish sources of omega-3 fatty acids, though the meal keeps only part of the fish's oil. Because the label names the fish, you know the source.

Herring meal is a type of fish meal, but the label is more specific. Herring meal tells you exactly which fish was used. Plain fish meal does not name the species, and the mix can change from batch to batch. That is why Pettings scores herring meal 5 out of 5 and plain fish meal 4.

No, herring is low in mercury. The FDA lists herring among the best choices in its advice about eating fish, the group with the lowest mercury levels. That advice was written for people, not pets. Herring sits low in the food chain, so it builds up much less mercury than large predatory fish.

Source: fda.gov

Pettings gives herring meal 5 out of 5 and lists it as a named animal protein. It appears on 11 of the 149 dry cat foods we list. The score rates the ingredient by itself. Each food's page shows how it scores overall.