mackerel meal

What it is

Mackerel meal is mackerel rendered and dried into concentrated protein, carrying a share of the species' omega-3 fat with it. It is a less common named fish meal, appearing mostly in fish-forward recipes.

Why it's in pet food

Like every named meal, it delivers density with accountability: the label tells you the species, and the rank tells you the real contribution. That combination is exactly what generic fish terms withhold.

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.

The ingredient-quality pillar rewards named meals: 12 points when mackerel meal is the first ingredient, and 8 when it sits second or third. Unnamed fish terms take the 10-point deduction instead.

Read the full methodology

Foods that list mackerel meal

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

• ORIJEN Regional Red88
• ORIJEN WILD RESERVE, Farm-Raised Beef & Lamb Recipe84
• ACANA Highest Protein Wild Atlantic79

Sources

• WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee — Selecting a pet food

Related ingredients

• hydrolyzed fish protein
• krill meal
• mackerel
• menhaden fish meal
• ocean fish
• ocean fish meal

Further reading

• Protein quality vs quantity — why the % is only half the story
• Storing pet food so it stays the food you bought