Fact check by-products: What marketing often conceals

The pet industry thrives on strong images:

Happy animals and premium cuts of meat. But how honest is that, and what remains unsaid? Often, the impression arises that another animal is raised and slaughtered specifically for our pets. Only the best cuts are used, and byproducts are repeatedly devalued in the communication.

By-products in the pet industry: reality versus marketing

The fact is that you won't find any dog food without agricultural by-products. And that's important and necessary for several reasons. The additional animal suffering and waste of resources would be morally questionable, an ecological and economic misstep. It's a topic that hardly anyone likes to talk about; instead, the focus is on what sells well. After all, even the muscle meat in pet food is “only” a by-product of slaughter, which we humans do not want on our plates for cultural reasons. The fillet pieces and steaks (which belong to the muscle meat) are reserved exclusively for human consumption, and this is the only reason why an animal is slaughtered in the first place. When using plant-based ingredients, it is also important to use by-products or raw materials that, for a variety of reasons, do not make it into food retail. If this were not the case, land use, water consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions would increase massively, and our pets' food would compete with human food.

This is what you should pay attention to when feeding dogs

Furthermore, dogs have different needs for trace elements and minerals than humans (depending on the animal's metabolism, age, activity level, and health status). High-quality animal by-products such as offal or bones are valuable sources of nutrients for dogs, whereas they play a less important role for humans. While muscle meat is rich in protein, it contains only small amounts of the necessary other nutrients. Open communication about this and tailoring a dog's diet specifically to their needs is therefore very important.

Honesty creates clarity – instead of room for speculation.

For further information, please find Regulation (EC) No. 1069/2009 of the European Parliament here, laying down health rules for animal by-products not intended for human consumption. Article 10, Category 3 material, lists all by-products belonging to this category, which, with the exception of the materials listed under letters n, o, and p, may be used in the pet food sector. In this regard, Article 35 of the same regulation on the placing of pet food on the market must be observed. In principle, these are always parts of slaughtered animals that have been classified as fit for slaughter for human consumption following an ante-mortem inspection, or parts of game that have been killed for human consumption in accordance with Community legislation. Regulation (EC) No. 767/2009 in addition, materials prohibited under Annex III, Chapter 1 for placing on the market or use in animal feed.

 The following wording of Category 3 applies to our Dear Dog products:

(j) animal by-products of aquatic animals from establishments or plants producing products for human consumption.

The fillets are of course used for human consumption.