Dangers of Denatured Meat

[harleydiva]

This is an article...and a frightening one......that was sent out in the monthly newsletter by MPC.  

https://www.mypetcarnivore.com/inde...iving-for-you-a-your-pet-carnivore&Itemid=144

 

[peaches08]

The irony...I JUST had a professor at school laugh at me today for making my cats' food, "That's a waste of time and besides, my cat only gets expensive canned." Then she clarified that she only feeds Fancy Feast appetizers. No, I didn't tell her that those aren't nutritionally complete...take my word for it, she wasn't going to listen.

 

[harleydiva]

The whole issue about saying that a product comes from a USDA inspected/approved facility is kind of scary.  This article really says that really doesn't mean anything.  I am pretty scared of any "good deals" at this point.

 

[peaches08]

Yep. That's part of why I can't eat fast food anymore.

 

[mschauer]

Then she clarified that she only feeds Fancy Feast appetizers. No, I didn't tell her that those aren't nutritionally complete...take my word for it, she wasn't going to listen.

You really should tell her. For her cats sake.

 

[ldg]

What's not clear to me is if charcoal is included in the ingredient list if the meat IS denatured. :dk:

Thanks for the article. I was under the impression 4D meat had to be rendered. And I didn't know there was a "3D" as a separate "category."

 

[harleydiva]

What's not clear to me is if charcoal is included in the ingredient list if the meat IS denatured.

Thanks for the article. I was under the impression 4D meat had to be rendered. And I didn't know there was a "3D" as a separate "category."

It sounded to me like it "should be" included, but not sure if that means it is actually happening.  I feel pretty good about MPC, especially since they published the article.  

 

[mschauer]

In case I'm not the only one clueless about what "denatured" means in this context and why it is done:

http://itchmoforums.com/pet-food-qu...natured-ingredients-in-pet-foods-t8475.0.html

"Meats and meat by-products which are considered to be inedible for human consumption but which may be used in the production of animal foods are decharacterized by mixing such products with a U.S. Department of Agriculture approved FD&C decharacterizing color. When such decharacterized meat products are to be used in the production of an animal food, the decharacterized meat is counter-colored by mixing with a color which is complementary to the decharacterizing color to provide the inedible meat product with a substantially natural meat-like color. Approved FD&C colors and blends of approved FD&C colors, which are the complementary color of the FD&C color used in decharacterizing the meat product, are used in counter-coloring the meat product. Lakes of such colors and color blends may also be used.

So stuff deemed inedible has to be colored in some obvious way so it can't make it back into the human food chain. Then it can be counter-colored to make it look like meat again.

I've always wondered why some canned processed pet foods have added colors even though they all seem to be pretty much the same color with or without added color. Could this be why?

Also (same source, my added bold) :

"Several approved denaturing agents which may be used to decharacterize such inedible meats and meat by-products are listed in 9 CFR 325.13(a) and include finely powdered charcoal, FD&C green No. 3 coloring, FD&C blue No. 1 coloring, and FD&C blue No. 2 coloring. Of these, finely powdered charcoal is most widely used by suppliers of such inedible materials for use in animal foods. However, the black color imparted to the inedible material by the charcoal persists throughout production of the animal food and often results in unacceptable animal food products due to a darkening or graying of the intended color of the finished pet food products. The use of the approved FD&C colors to decharacterize the inedible material has not been generally acceptable heretofor to many animal food manufacturers for the FD&C colors appear to have an affinity for and to concentrate in the cartilagenous tissue of meats and meat by-products and persists throughout production of the animal food. The resulting product is often unacceptable commercially due to the presence of the FD&C coloring agent in portions of the product."

I haven't spent much time Googling for more authoritative sources. Just thought these were interesting. Maybe someone else is inclined to dig deeper?

 

[pushylady]

...

So stuff deemed inedible has to be colored in some obvious way so it can't make it back into the human food chain. Then it can be counter-colored to make it look like meat again.

I've always wondered why some canned processed pet foods have added colors even though they all seem to be pretty much the same color with or without added color. Could this be why?

...

I've often wondered about the unappealing greyness of some of the cat food I use (Evo beef for eg). And thought "why do they add colouring to cat food?". Interesting to learn of this process.

 

[mschauer]

What's not clear to me is if charcoal is included in the ingredient list if the meat IS denatured.

Thanks for the article. I was under the impression 4D meat had to be rendered. And I didn't know there was a "3D" as a separate "category."

From the linked article in the first post:

 3D beef has found its way into many raw-fed homes, often without the consumers questioning why there is that 1% charcoal in the ingredient list.

I've never heard of "3D" meat before and can't find a definition of it. What is it?

As far as the denatured meat, as far as I can tell it will all go to a rendering plant and so won't be in pet foods that have no "meals" in the ingredients.

I isn't clear to me how meat denatured in this way can make it into raw pet food. Can someone clarify it for me? 

 

[Willowy]

I think they're using "3D" to mean any animal not approved to be used for human consumption that isn't DOA. Downed, dying, or diseased. I do think that meat from any 3D animal processed in a USDA facility needs to go to the rendering plant (although I might be missing something somewhere) with the official stance that rendering kills diseases (although not prions :/).

I could understand if the raw pet food companies bought downed cows for cheap (maybe choosing those visibly injured instead of diseased ones) and processed them in their own butchering facilities, but I didn't think they could get the meat from the USDA plants without it being rendered. But like I said, I might be missing something.

 

[harleydiva]

According to the article.....3D meats must be "denatured".....not necessarily "rendered".  Denaturing means adding charcoal, or other chemicals.

 

[mschauer]

According to the article.....3D meats must be "denatured".....not necessarily "rendered".  Denaturing means adding charcoal, or other chemicals.

It's not clear what they are referring to as "3D" meats. I've never seen the term before. The USDA requires 4D meat to be sent to rendering plants, apparently after being denatured. But what are these "3D" meats and why do they have to be denatured unless they are considered adulterated and so will go to the rendering plants?

I'm trying to understand what type of meat is subject to denaturing but isn't required to be rendered. The article isn't clear on that. Not to me at least. 

 

[mschauer]

I read on someones blog that any animal intended for use in pet food but *not* slaughtered at a USDA plant must be denatured so it can't find it's way into the human food chain. I'm not posting a link since it is just someone's blog.

I'm tired of wading though USDA documents. 

Moral of the story: Make your own pet food! 

 

[harleydiva]

I read on someones blog that any animal intended for use in pet food but *not* slaughtered at a USDA plant must be denatured so it can't find it's way into the human food chain. I'm not posting a link since it is just someone's blog.

I'm tired of wading though USDA documents. 

Moral of the story: Make your own pet food! 

I don't believe that is true.  I do make my own cat food, bus use ground products from a couple of suppliers as a base.  I don't believe they are denatured, as they get them from a local farm, or local suppliers.  One in particular published the original article warning against this practice.

 

[Willowy]

I saw a "Dirty Jobs" episode where he was working with a home butcher, and they had to stamp the meat "not for sale" in several places on the cow's body because it's illegal to sell home-butchered meat (it can only be used by the person/family who owned the animal) in that state. . .maybe that counts as denaturing? They say that adding coloring counts, but not how it's added--maybe the stamping is it.

 

[ldg]

I've never heard of "3D" meat before and can't find a definition of it. What is it?

As far as the denatured meat, as far as I can tell it will all go to a rendering plant and so won't be in pet foods that have no "meals" in the ingredients.

I isn't clear to me how meat denatured in this way can make it into raw pet food. Can someone clarify it for me? 

I do know that via the BARF yahoo group here, there are offers by farmers for insanely cheap meat from time-to-time. I always assumed it was a sick animal or something.

 

[Willowy]

Someone on my dog forum was given a young calf that died of natural (?) causes. The farmer said he wasn't sick, just died :/. She showed pictures of how she did the butchering , with a box cutter, in her suburban backyard! :lol3: I think I might use a cow that broke a leg and had to be shot or something like that, and maybe stillborn babies, but one that mysteriously died just seems a little iffy to me. Although I know that babies of any species have a higher mortality rate, and it could just be failure to thrive and nothing contagious, but still iffy.

 

[mschauer]

I read on someones blog that any animal intended for use in pet food but *not* slaughtered at a USDA plant must be denatured so it can't find it's way into the human food chain. I'm not posting a link since it is just someone's blog.

I'm tired of wading though USDA documents. 

Moral of the story: Make your own pet food! 

I don't believe that is true.  I do make my own cat food, bus use ground products from a couple of suppliers as a base.  I don't believe they are denatured, as they get them from a local farm, or local suppliers.  One in particular published the original article warning against this practice.

Meat can be obtained from a local farm but still have been processed at a USDA facility. I can believe that meat intended for human consumption must be processed at a USDA facility and that meat that isn't processed at a USDA facility and is intended for sale is *supposed to be* denatured so it doesn't accidentally (or otherwise) get into the human food chain. Wouldn't do much good to have the USDA otherwise.

But, just because something is supposed to happen doesn't mean it does.  I guess there could be rogue farmers out there butchering their own livestock and selling it without following USDA guidelines.

 

[harleydiva]

I guess it comes down to having some faith in your supplier.  I like purchasing from smaller companies like MPC, or Raw Paws because I can talk directly with them and ask questions about where their products come from.  These folks are pretty forthcoming with information, and do not mind the questions, and post the source of their products on their websites.