The Conventional Pet Food Ingredient Chicken Bowels Flour – Truth about Pet Food

In a recent post on PetFoodIndustry.com – an industry publication – there was a story touting the benefits of hydrolyzed chicken ingredients in pet food. The story was basically marketing – sponsored content – promoting the pet food ingredient supplier BRF Ingredients.

The interesting part of the pet food ingredient supplier post was their explanation of a study comparing two different diets on cats. One diet included the hydrolyzed chicken ingredient as the protein source, and the other diet protein source was “conventional Chicken Bowels Flour“.

“Chicken Bowels Flour“?

As it turns out – later disclosed in the post – Chicken Bowels Flour is what the ingredient supplier industry calls Poultry By-Product Meal (a ‘conventional’ pet food ingredient).

The Deception.

Clearly, the pet food ingredient industry terms the ingredient Chicken Bowels Flour because that’s what it is – cooked, finely ground into a powder, chicken bowels. But what pet food would sell with the tag line ‘Made with Real Chicken Bowels’? So, the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) terms the ingredient Poultry By-Product Meal – a much more appealing name to the pet owner.

Pet owners are deceived with other ingredients too. As example, the BRF Ingredients website provides this description for Poultry Meal (Chicken Meal or Turkey Meal) on their website:

“The solution in Poultry Meal (Standard) is the result of cooking, pressing and grinding of poultry guts, offals, cartilage and meat flakes.”

Would any pet owner purchase a pet food with chicken guts and meat flakes listed on the label? Probably not, so again regulatory authorities assist the pet food industry by hiding the true content of the ingredient terming it Chicken Meal.

We have tried to nudge regulatory authorities for transparency – without much luck. In March 2019 – more than 2 years ago – our consumer association (AssociationforTruthinPetFood.com) and an industry association (that represents human grade ingredient manufacturers – NGPFMA.org) combined efforts and submitted to AAFCO a starting point of transparency for pet food ingredient names and definitions. We submitted a detailed list of proposed pet food ingredient definitions – Click Here to read. AAFCO has agreed to discuss updates to ingredients (at the August 2020 meeting), but refused to allow either of our organizations to participate in the discussions.

Pet food consumers deserve to understand EXACTLY what is in their pet’s food. But…for now, we are denied that opportunity by AAFCO and FDA (FDA participates in the AAFCO process and accepts all ingredient definitions written by AAFCO). We all might be purchasing chicken bowels or poultry guts or meat flakes under a completely different name.

Frustrated pet owners can send complaint emails to AAFCO at: aafco@aafco.org

Or email FDA at: AskCVM@fda.hhs.gov

Example email: The publication PetFoodIndustry.com recently published sponsored content from BRF Ingredients. BRF classified the common pet food ingredient Poultry By-Product Meal as “Chicken Bowels Flour” – clearly as an ingredient supplier, a much more transparent name for the ingredient. The same pet food ingredient supplier describes their poultry meal as “the result of cooking, pressing and grinding of poultry guts, offals, cartilage and meat flakes.”

I am tired of being deceived. If my pet’s food or treats contain Chicken Bowels Flour or Poultry Guts – I want that information disclosed on the label. If my pet’s food or treats contain human edible, USDA inspected and passed chicken meat – I want that information disclosed on the label. I deserve to know exactly what my pet is eating in the products I purchase.

Personally – I do NOT want to feed my pets Chicken Bowels Flour, I don’t even want a product made with Chicken Bowels Flour in my house. Until pet foods/treats are required to be fully transparent with pet owners, any of us could have Chicken Bowels Flour sitting in our pantry without our knowledge. It’s not right.

Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,

Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
Association for Truth in Pet Food

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