beef tallow

What it is

Beef tallow — beef fat, on some labels — is rendered fat from cattle, solid at room temperature and long used to make kibble taste like something. It is lower in linoleic acid than poultry fats, which matters to formulators balancing essential fatty acids.

Why it's in pet food

It is an economical, palatable energy source with a species on the label. Formulas using tallow usually pair it with a linoleic-richer oil to cover essential fatty acid needs — the pairing is the tell of a formulator doing the work.

How Bowlmark scores it

Scores are deterministic math over the printed label — the rules below apply to every product identically, and nothing estimates or fills in a blank.

Beef tallow is score-neutral: fats are excluded from the named-protein bonus by design, and the unnamed-source deductions target "animal fat" and "poultry fat" — a named tallow is not among them. The engine prices naming, and this fat is named.

Read the full methodology

Foods that list beef tallow

Ranked by score where scores exist. Placement here is never sold.

• ACANA Singles Beef & Pumpkin Recipe89
• ORIJEN Regional Red88
• ACANA Red Meat Recipe87
• ACANA Wholesome Grains Red Meat & Grains Recipe87
• ORIJEN WILD RESERVE, Farm-Raised Beef & Lamb Recipe84
• Stella & Chewy's SuperBlends Raw Coated Beef, Beef Liver & Lamb Recipe + Superfoods77
• Tabby Republic Crunchy Dinners Chicken Flavor65
• Meow Mix Original Choice59

Sources

• WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee — Selecting a pet food
• NRC Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats (2006)

Related ingredients

• algal oil
• animal fat
• canola oil
• chia seed
• chicken fat
• vegetable oil

Further reading

• Calories on the label: kcal, ME and fair comparisons
• Storing pet food so it stays the food you bought