poultry meal
Poultry meal is rendered bird protein without a species — "poultry" could be any bird, or a blend. How Bowlmark scores unnamed meals.
Also appears on labels as: dehydrated poultry protein · dried poultry protein
What it is
Poultry meal is rendered, dried bird tissue — concentrated protein like chicken meal, minus the species. "Poultry" can mean chicken, turkey, duck, or a blend, and the blend can change from batch to batch.
Why it's in pet food
Formulators use it for flexibility: buying "poultry" lets suppliers substitute whichever bird is cheapest that season. That flexibility is exactly what a label reader cannot see through — the only guarantee is "bird".
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.
"Poultry" names no species, so poultry meal is an unnamed animal source: a single 20-point deduction on the ingredient-quality pillar, one deduction for the class. Chicken meal — the named equivalent — earns 12 points as a first ingredient instead.
Common questions
Answers come from this entry and the scoring rules above — reviewed before publish, like everything else on this page. For anything about your own pet, your vet knows best.
What is poultry meal in dog food?
Rendered, dried bird tissue — concentrated protein like chicken meal, minus the species. "Poultry" can mean chicken, turkey, duck, or a blend, and the blend can change from batch to batch.
Is poultry meal the same as chicken meal?
No — the species is the difference. Buying "poultry" lets suppliers substitute whichever bird is cheapest that season; that flexibility is exactly what a label reader cannot see through. The only guarantee is "bird".
How does Bowlmark score poultry meal?
"Poultry" names no species, so poultry meal is an unnamed animal source: a single 20-point deduction on the ingredient-quality pillar, one deduction for the class. Chicken meal — the named equivalent — earns 12 points as a first ingredient instead.
Foods that list poultry meal
Ranked by score where scores exist. Placement here is never sold.
Sources
Related ingredients
Further reading
Cite this page
Bowlmark. "Poultry meal in pet food — what it is and how it scores." https://www.bowlmark.com/ingredient/poultry-meal
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