Yidu are exported all over the world and different industries with quality first. Our belief is to provide our customers with more and better high value-added products. Let's create a better future together.
There are several different types, or formats, of manufactured pet food including wet (can, pouch, tray), dry (extruded or baked), cold pressed and raw. The label will indicate if the pet food is ‘complete’ or ‘complementary’. ‘Complete’ means the product contains all the nutrients a pet needs for healthy bodily function in each daily ration, whilst a ‘complementary’ pet food e.g. treats will need to be fed along other sources of food to provide the right nutrition. The method of production and the ingredients used varies according to format.
Dry pet foods are made by mixing dry and wet ingredients together to form a dough. In the extrusion process, the dough is heated under pressure, then pushed through a die machine that cuts the kibbles while they are expanded due to the pressure change. Kibble size and shape varies according to the product specification. The kibbles are dried, cooled and spray coated. Some dry foods may also be produced by means other than extrusion, such as baking.
Many of the ingredients used in the manufacture of pet food are described as animal (or fish) derivatives or by-products. These ingredients are the parts of the animal surplus to the requirements of the human food industry. Examples of by-products include liver, kidney, lung and various by-product meals; they all are fit for human consumption as they have been through a veterinary inspection. These ingredients come from species also most commonly found within the human food chain. In dry pet foods, animal derivatives are commonly used in a meal form (such as chicken meal, poultry by-product meal) where they are cooked, the fat removed and the remaining material dried to create a dry meal. By-products may also be used in fresh or frozen form. Many of the other ingredients such as cereals, grains, and vegetables used in dry pet foods come in dry form and are milled or ground prior to mixing. A recipe is also likely to include oils and fats, vitamins and minerals required to ensure the product delivers all the essential nutrients.
Ingredients are carefully selected according to a pet food manufacturer’s specific recipe, formulated to deliver complete and balanced nutrition for cats and dogs. Dry ingredients are ground and sieved where required and then mixed.
The dry mix is combined with wet ingredients, water and steam in a preconditioner, which hydrates the powders, creates a dough and starts the cooking process. The dough then enters a machine known as an extruder, which cooks the dough under pressure. At the end of the extruder the dough exits under pressure through a die plate creating ribbons of pre-specified shape that are then sliced, while they expand, into the pre-specified size using a rotary cutter.
After extrusion and cutting the kibbles are air dried in an oven to remove water and then cooled. Reducing the moisture content is an important step in maintaining freshness and preventing food spoilage.
When baked, the dough is rolled out and cut into shapes, then baked in an oven (similar to cookies or biscuits).
After drying and cooling, kibbles often enter a revolving drum where they are evenly coated with a mix of flavours to enhance taste, and preservatives to prevent spoilage through the shelf life of the food. Flavours or other coatings may also be sprayed on baked foods as they exit the oven.
Packs are filled according to the declared weight and the packaging is appropriately sealed to prevent contamination.
Packages are stored in boxes or wrapped on pallets and stored in warehouses ready for distribution to customers.
Whatever the pet food format, all pet foods are subject to strict legislation to ensure safe, quality products. In addition to the legislation, FEDIAF members follow industry Codes of Practice such as the Guide to the Manufacture of Safe Pet Food.
Download the factsheet or click here for more factsheets.
Please check out our video on how pet food is made here.
The pet food industry states rendered ingredients “make up 40% to 60% of most finished kibble formulations for cats and dogs.” Rendered pet food ingredients are listed on labels as ‘meal’ animal protein ingredients such as Chicken Meal or Lamb Meal. Fats such as Chicken Fat are also rendered ingredients.
In the April 1, 2021 Federal Register (US government website that contains government agency rules, proposed rules, and public notices), the FDA defined rendering/a renderer as:
“any firm or individual that processes slaughter byproducts; animals unfit for human consumption, including carcasses of dead cattle; or meat scraps.”
A 2004 Congressional Research Services document (prepared for the 108th Congress) describes the rendering process as:
“In most systems, raw materials are ground to a uniform size and placed in continuous cookers or in batch cookers, which evaporate moisture and free fat from protein and bone. A series of conveyers, presses, and a centrifuge continue the process of separating fat from solids.”
There are two different types of rendering facilities; integrated and independent.
Integrated rendering facilities are part of/integrated with USDA slaughter facilities. Integrated rendering facilities produce both edible and inedible products. ‘Edible’ indicates approved for human consumption, required to be processed under USDA inspection. ‘Inedible’ is “is defined by regulation as adulterated, uninspected, or not intended for use as human food.”
The edible and inedible rendering is performed in two distinct areas of integrated rendering facilities; “inedible and edible rendering processes are segregated.” All edible rendering “must come from USDA inspected and passed carcasses.”
Integrated rendering edible products.
The USDA states: “Integrated rendering plants may produce edible fats and proteins that are often used in the manufacture of gelatins or cosmetics if they conform to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) processing standards.”
Integrated rendering inedible products.
Integrated rendering facilities “also render inedible byproducts (including slaughter floor waste) into fats and proteins for animal feeds and for other ingredients.”
Based on the definition of inedible, the ingredients processed into animal feed/pet food through inedible rendering includes inspected and passed carcass parts (“not intended for use as human food”) and diseased/condemned carcass parts (“adulterated”). The inspected and passed carcass parts and the condemned carcass parts are not segregated and are not rendered separately. The inedible rendered ingredients are not produced under USDA inspection.
“These plants usually collect material from other sites using specially designed trucks. They pick up and process fat and bone trimmings, inedible meat scraps, blood, feathers, and dead animals from meat and poultry slaughterhouses and processors (usually smaller ones without their own rendering operations), farms, ranches, feedlots, animal shelters, restaurants, butchers, and markets.”
No ingredients from independent rendering would be considered edible/human grade.
Pet food manufacturers are not required to disclose if ingredients are processed through integrated rendering or through independent rendering. Pet owners are not informed if rendered ingredients in their pet’s food are sourced from USDA inspected and passed carcasses or adulterated carcasses (or a combination of both).
Pet owners are not informed what percentage of a rendered ingredient is meat, what percentage is bone, organs, skin, and so on. The AAFCO definitions of rendered pet food ingredients do not require the ingredient to maintain a minimum level of meat or maximum level of bone. The make-up of rendered ingredients are entirely at the discretion of the ingredient supplier.
And…the FDA refuses to require pet food labels to disclose to consumers the quality of ingredients. (Feel free to email the FDA asking them why pet food consumers continue to be denied transparency in pet food. AskCVM@fda.hhs.gov)
If your pet’s food contains a rendered ingredient, ask the manufacturer:
Wishing you and your pet the best –
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
TruthaboutPetFood.com
Association for Truth in Pet Food
Become a member of our pet food consumer Association. Association for Truth in Pet Food is a a stakeholder organization representing the voice of pet food consumers at AAFCO and with FDA. Your membership helps representatives attend meetings and voice consumer concerns with regulatory authorities. Click Here to learn more.
What’s in Your Pet’s Food?
Is your dog or cat eating risk ingredients? Chinese imports? Petsumer Report tells the ‘rest of the story’ on over 5,000 cat foods, dog foods, and pet treats. 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee. Click Here to preview Petsumer Report. www.PetsumerReport.com
Find Healthy Pet Foods in Your Area Click Here
The 2022 List
Susan’s List of trusted pet foods. Click Here to learn more.
The company is the world’s best cold laminating film supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.