Answer:
- No – if byproducts are appropriately utilized in the manufacturing process they are an excellent source of nutrients.
- Byproducts definition: “secondary products produced from principle products” according to the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) Official Publication, 2011.1 Beet pulp, tomato pomace, and Vitamin E (a byproduct of soybean processing) are all examples of byproducts.
- Meat byproducts are commonly used ingredients in pet foods.
- Meat byproducts definition: clean parts of slaughtered mammals (i.e. liver, hearts, lungs, spleen, kidneys, tripe, etc).1
- Meat byproducts are the parts of animals that U.S. meat consumers have decided not to eat but are considered delicacies in other cultures.2
- Wild canids will consume “byproduct” protein sources first after a successful hunt.2
- Byproducts are used in pet foods because they are excellent sources of protein and other nutrients.
- Byproducts (i.e. liver) “taste” better to dogs compared to muscle meats when used in foods.3
More supporting facts:
- Byproducts are common ingredients in human food (i.e. gelatin, liver, flaxseed oil, corn oil, beef bouillon).
- Poultry byproduct: clean parts of the carcasses of slaughtered birds: muscle, skin, viscera. No feathers, according to the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO).1
- Animal byproduct meal: clean animal tissues. No hair, hoof, horn, manure, stomach, or rumen contents (AAFCO definition).1
- Meat byproducts do not include hair, horn, teeth, or hooves.1