Turkey By-Product Meal

Compared with turkey meal, turkey by-product meal is a less transparent, medium-quality protein source.

Turkey by-product meal is made from turkey parts other than the muscle meat, such as organs, that are rendered into a dry powder. Tufts veterinary nutritionists say by-products often provide more nutrients than muscle meat on a per-weight basis, but quality cannot be judged from the label alone. If your cat has a food allergy or another medical condition, ask your veterinarian.

Source: sites.tufts.edu

It is a rendered meal made from the clean parts of slaughtered turkeys that remain after the meat is removed. AAFCO describes poultry by-product meal as ground, rendered carcass parts with most of the water and fat taken out. The label does not say which parts were used or in what amounts, so the makeup can vary between batches.

Source: aafco.org

The difference is the bird. Turkey by-product meal comes only from turkeys, while poultry by-product meal can come from any poultry, such as chicken, turkey or duck. AAFCO allows the common name of the bird when the ingredient is from one particular species. For a cat with a poultry allergy, the named version tells you more.

Source: aafco.org

In a literal sense, yes. Tufts veterinary nutritionists describe by-products as what is left of an animal carcass after the muscle meat that Americans prefer has been removed. That includes organs like heart and liver. They say these parts often carry more nutrients by weight than muscle meat. The word leftovers describes where the parts come from, not their nutrient value.

Source: sites.tufts.edu

Pettings gives turkey by-product meal 2 out of 5 and lists it as a by-product meal. It appears on 5 of the 149 dry cat foods we list. It scores lower because the label does not say which parts are used. Each food's page shows how the whole recipe scores overall.