Beef by-products get a bad rap on the human side, but they can serve a valuable nutritional purpose in pet food. | (Studioimagen73 | Shutterstock.com)
Are beef by-products good ingredients for pet food? Short answer — Yes. But some critics would have you believe they are vile, evil and unfit for consumption. Consider this though: Some people like liver and onions, natural beef hotdogs or blood sausage in the traditional casing (intestines), tripe soup, kidney soup, haggis or sweetbreads. These would all be considered by-products according to pet food definitions.
Clearly these dishes harken back to a time when we had to work harder for our food and waste was unacceptable. Most cultures around the globe have figured out how to make these beef-based organ meats into tasty delicacies. That we may have lost our ability to prepare and enjoy them properly shouldn’t penalize our pets.
