Double Standards for by-products

In this article, Henriette Bylling, discusses the double standards of by-products in pet food - how come by-products is acceptable as a pet snack, but not in whole pet food?

When I published my article "Are by-products in pet food by definition bad" I received a comment about by-products being widely accepted as a snack despite the stigma of them being used in complete pet food and was suggested to address this in a future article… It is indeed a very relevant point so here goes…

In the name of pet humanization, pet food with the meat cuts (muscle meat) that we humans prefer are promoted – you could argue that this makes sense as it might be easier and more appetizing for the consumer to relate to. But at the same time by-products such as bull pizzels, pig"s ears, fish skin etc. are widely used as snack even by the pet parent who have chosen to feed none meat by-product pet food…

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Plant and Animal Nutrient Sources for Dry Pet Food

By-product snack appeal

So, what is the reason for this by-product snack appeal – to be honest I personally find dry or wet pet food much less offensive both on the eye and on the nose. But when you see your pet eating the by-product snack with great enthusiasm it is difficult for me to understand why you would not wish to offer more of the same in their complete pet food?? The dog and cat"s liking of the pet food is after all one of key points the pet parent focus on when choosing a pet food.

Some pet foods with i.e. tripe are now appearing in the market – who knows maybe they will help "legalize" by-products in pet food and maybe even make the pet parent appreciate that their pet"s meat preferences are not necessarily the same as their own…

To raise awareness on both B2B and B2C level about your pet"s meat preferences not necessarily matching you own our website does, amongst others, include the below:

Your dog"s meat preferences

What exactly is "meat" when we write it in the declarations on our pet food? Besides pure muscle meat, which we humans mainly prefer, our pet food also contains liver, heart, etc. And there is a good reason for this. Intestines and organs simply contain more nutrients than muscle meat does. This is why in nature predators such as cats and dogs eat the contents of the abdominal cavity, including the liver, intestines and other organs first, followed by the rest of the carcass. They do this to ensure that they eat the best first.

Please do feel free to share your thoughts on the reason for the double standard of the view on by-products and how you are raising the awareness of the benefits of by-products.

By: Henriette Bylling, aka. The Queen of Petfood, CEO & owner Aller Petfood Group