Animal product

Fat from a pig made into lard

Animal product is a term used to describe any material derived from the body of a non-human animal. Examples are fat, flesh, blood, milk, eggs, and lesser known products such as isinglass and rennet.^[1]

The term "animal by-product" is normally used of animal carcasses and parts of carcasses from slaughterhouses, animal shelters, zoos and veterinarians, and products of animal origin not intended for human consumption, including catering waste (all waste food from restaurants, catering facilities, central kitchens, slaughterhouses and household kitchens). These products go through a process known as "rendering" to be made into human and non-human foodstuffs, fats, and other material that can be sold to make commercial products such as cosmetics, paint, cleaners, polishes, glue, soap and ink. The sale of animal by-products allows the meat industry to compete economically with industries selling sources of vegetable protein.^[2]

The terms are generally not applied to products made from fossilized or decomposed animals, such as petroleum, which is formed from the ancient remains of marine animals. Crops grown in soil fertilized with animal remains are rarely characterized as animal products.

Several human diets prohibit the inclusion of some non-human animal products, including vegetarian, kosher, and halaal. Other diets, such as veganism and the raw vegan diet, exclude any material of non-human animal origin.^[3]

Meat by-products

Meat by-products are parts of slaughtered animals that don't include meat. These include lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, liver, blood, bone, and stomach and intestines freed of their contents. It does not include hair, horns, teeth, or hooves. The definition for meat by-products by the Association of American Feed Control Officials is:

The non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals. It includes, but is not limited to, lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, livers, blood, bone, partially defatted low temperature fatty tissue, and stomachs and intestines freed of their contents. It does not include hair, horns, teeth and hoofs. It shall be suitable for use in animal food. If it bears name descriptive of its kind, it must correspond thereto.

A new category of pet food typically marketed as holistic, wellness, organic, ultra healthy, and/or simply premium pet food often emphasizes the use of human-grade meat sources only, with no animal meat by-products.

AAFCO has declared that using the term "human grade" is "false and misleading" to quote AAFCO in a letter sent to pet food manufacturers in (March 2004) Section IV – Pet Food Label Claims – Page 66 Section E. "Claims that a product contains or is made from ingredients that are “human grade”, “human quality”, “people foods”, “ingredients you (the purchaser) would eat” “food(s) that you (the purchaser) would feed your family” or similar claims are false and misleading..." Note that AAFCO actually has no official definition of human grade ingredients.

The AAFCO only governs the pet food packaging and has no authority over websites or advertising. Companies making this claim, do so on websites or other advertising, but they never do so on the package which AAFCO governs. ISO has published a series of standards regarding the products of the topic and these standards are covered by ICS 67.120.10.^[4]

Slaughterhouse waste

Slaughterhouse waste is defined as animal body parts cut off in the preparation of carcasses for use as food. This waste can come from several sources, including slaughterhouses, restaurants, stores and farms(source:OED). In the UK, slaughterhouse waste is classed as category 3 risk waste in the Animal By-Products Regulations, with the exception of condemned meat which is classed as category 2 risk.

Animal products as food

Animal products as non-foodstuff

Notes

See also

Further reading

• Vegan Society - Criteria For Vegan Food
• Extensive list identifying animal-derived and vegan ingredients
• FDA Consumer Magazine: The Lowdown on Labels
• Heinz, G. & Hautzinger, P. "Meat Processing Technology", Food and Agriculture Organization, 2007, accessed March 30, 2012.
• Mian N Riaz, Riaz N Riaz, Muhammad M Chaudry. Halal Food Production, CRC Press, 2004. ISBN 1-58716-029-3
• Tsai, Michelle. "What's in a can of dog food?, Slate, March 19, 2007.