What's really in cat and dog food? Not just what is indicated on the labels. In fact, several brands of pet food contain unspecified animal species and various proportions of beef, chicken and pork that do not match product labels
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What's really in cat and dog food? Not just what is indicated on the labels. In fact, several brands of pet food contain unspecified animal species and various proportions of beef, chicken and pork that do not match product labels.
This is what one reveals research published in Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica by researchers at the University of Nottingham. The use of the generic term 'meat and animal derivatives' in pet food ingredient lists in the European Union is practically universal.
But in the wake of the horse meat scandal in the human food chain, the team wanted to examine the presence and authenticity of animal-based proteins in pet food. For this he performed DNA tests of cow, chicken, pig and horse in 17 major wet dog and cat foods, readily available in UK supermarkets.
The researchers then compared their results with the particular animal species that were listed on the pet food labels. The result? While no horse DNA was detected, one important finding was the relative abundance of proteins of unspecified animal species in 14 of the 17 products.
Among these 14 champions, cow, pork and chicken were found in different proportions and combinations, but without these actually matching the product labels. 7 products that had “with beef” on the label had between 14% and 56% cow meat. Only 2 contained more than 50% cow meat compared to pork and chicken. Of the remaining 5 samples, three even contained more pig than cow.
These results highlighted huge weaknesses in product labeling, which could negatively impact pets, but also the expectations of owners who buy them. Unfortunately, in fact, the law allows you to write 'with beef', even if this is not the main meat.The study's lead author, Kin-Chow Chang, he explains:
“It may come as a surprise to customers to discover that what is described as 'meat' in the cans may be just one minor ingredient. There is a need for the pet food industry to show greater transparency for customers in disclosing types of animal proteins in their products ".
Only a complete disclosure of the ingredients, in fact, will allow more informed choices, as well as being particularly important for pets with food allergies.
Roberta Ragni
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