"Rendered, dried product from clean, undecomposed whole fish and/or fish cuttings — species unspecified unless separately labeled."
Raw whole fish supplies complete amino acids, omega-3s, and minerals; rendering into "fish meal" removes the water, concentrating that protein by weight and giving it a long shelf life. The gap here isn't the processing — it's that "fish" alone doesn't name a species, so there's no way to know which fish, or verify sourcing. Named variants like "salmon meal" or "herring meal" carry the same processing benefit with the accountability this term lacks. Score: 5/10.
A real but unresolved concern: often an ongoing FDA/AAFCO research question (like the grain-free/DCM investigation), a common allergen, or a vague-but-not-alarming label claim. -2.5 pts deducted.
Rated C (-2.5 pts) by PetPro-tectors™. Raw whole fish supplies complete amino acids, omega-3s, and minerals; rendering into "fish meal" removes the water, concentrating that protein by weight and giving it a long shelf life. The gap here isn't the processing — it's that "fish" alone doesn't name a species, so there's no way to know which fish, or verify sourcing. Named variants like "salmon meal" or "herring meal" carry the same processing benefit with the accountability this term lacks. Score: 5/10.
Rendered, dried product from clean, undecomposed whole fish and/or fish cuttings — species unspecified unless separately labeled.