Category 3 animal fats
Category 3 animal fats are essential raw materials for our pets’ diets. They provide a source of energy and palatability but above all essential fatty acids
Category 3 animal fats are by-products of the human food chain and a key pet food ingredient.
Using by-products from the human chain in pet foods both supports farmers and prevents the need for final disposal. Pet food manufacturers are skilled at adding value to these ingredients, by converting them into nutritious pet food – part of the industry’s contribution to a circular economy. However, there is increasing pressure to restrict the use of Category 3 animal fats for use in other sectors, such as biofuels.
Category 3 animal fats are a great source of fatty acids for our pets, but could become a rare commodity to the pet food industry.
The pet food industry believes that food not intended for human consumption, such as Category 3 animal fats, should be repurposed according to the food waste hierarchy, ie re-used in food before any other use. Unfortunately, Category 3 animal fats are becoming a rare commodity, partially due to the trend towards a lower consumption of meat in the EU – and they are not easy to replace.
The energy and transport sector is a key challenge as it looks for suitable ingredients to be converted into biofuels, as part of the effort to decarbonise.
There is a concern that this could increase competition for these precious ingredients.
Importantly, there is an alternative for biofuels – Category 1&2 animal fats, which are forbidden for animal feeding, but available and more suitable for use as biofuels.
So, Category 3 animal by-products are not a necessary element for decarbonisation of biofuels.
The UK is keen to safeguard these Category 3 animal fats to help the Industry continue to sustainably feed its 38 million pets with safe and nutritious pet food. And FEDIAF, the European Pet Food Industry, has created this video about these vital ingredients:
