Field Guide · Glossary
By-product
Food and labelsA secondary product left over from making a main one, such as the organ meat remaining after muscle meat is taken for human food.
How it works
In pet food the term covers organs including liver, spleen, kidney and lungs, which are nutrient-dense and are eaten deliberately in many human cuisines. The word carries a poor reputation that the regulatory definition does not support. What does vary meaningfully is naming: a named by-product identifies the species it came from, while an unnamed one, such as meat by-product, does not, and traceability is a reasonable thing to want.
What it looks like
Two bags list by-products. One says chicken by-product meal, which is traceable to a single species. The other says meat by-product meal, which is not, and could vary between batches.
Commonly confused with
- Premium
- Premium is a marketing word with no definition in feed law. By-product is a defined term with a specific regulatory meaning. One tells you nothing and the other tells you what the ingredient is.
Related terms