Pet food contains unspecified or even unidentified animal species

In the wake of the 2013 horse meat scandal in the human food chain, a Scandinavian study* examined the presence and authenticity of sources of animal proteins (beef, chicken, pork, and horse) contained in 17 pet food products sold in supermarkets in the United Kingdom. The term “meat and products of animal origin” appears on most ingredient lists of pet foods sold in the European Union. But which species are hidden behind this generic term? To verify the correlation between the composition of the various animal proteins and the species listed on dog and cat food labels, the authors used real-time quantitative PCR to test for the presence of beef, chicken, pork, and horse DNA in 17 wet foods sold in British supermarkets. No product contained horse DNA. However, the presence of animal species not specified on the label was detected in 14 of the 17 foods. Among these 14 samples, bovine, porcine, and chicken DNA were isolated in varying proportions and combinations, with no explicit mention of the species in the ingredient list. Seven food items highlighting a “beef” content contained between 14 and 56% bovine DNA, and only two had more bovine DNA (over 50%) than porcine and avian DNA. In the remaining 5 samples, the beef content was actually pork. Similarly, in 6 foods labeled as “chicken-based,” the corresponding DNA was detected at very low levels (1%) up to as high as 100%, and 2 products contained more pork or beef than chicken. Thus, the labeling of the types of animal proteins (species and tissues) used by the pet food industry lacks transparency, to say the least. A complete list of the animal ingredients contained in the products would, however, help inform the choices of animal owners whose pets suffer from food allergies, reduce the risk of misinterpretation, and address any religious concerns. In fact, the descriptive terms used on pet food labels, such as “beef-flavored” or “chicken-flavored,” do not necessarily imply the presence of muscle meat, but rather protein byproducts. There appears to be no legal requirement to guarantee a minimum meat content in these foods. Furthermore, even if a specific species—such as beef—is mentioned, it may account for as little as 4% of the product’s total amount of animal proteins. These findings reveal two weaknesses in product labeling that could harm animals and mislead their owners. First, in most of the foods evaluated (14 out of 17), high levels of beef, pork, and chicken protein were found, but these animal species are not explicitly specified on the labels. Second, the product information sometimes falls completely short of consumer expectations. For example, it is reasonable to expect a product labeled in large print as “beef stew” to contain beef and not chicken . It may come as a surprise to discover that the phrase “with beef,” prominently displayed on a can, actually refers to a minor ingredient, and that beef—which is entirely absent—has been replaced by unidentified animal proteins.   * Isabella R. Maine et al.: Investigation into the animal species contents of popular wet pet foods, Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica, 2015, 57:7.