. The US pet food market plans to introduce new commercial pet food proteins.
In the future, friends may eat American commercial pet food that uses elk meat or bison meat as the main protein source.
Over the past few decades, thanks to the joint efforts of environmentalists and ranchers, elk and bison in North America have gone from endangered species in the 1880s to common species found everywhere.
With the development of sustainable agriculture in the United States in recent years, people have begun to look for alternative meats from wild animals, thus increasing the demand for bison and elk meat.
. Bison and elk meat are not commonly found in commercial pet foods in the United States.
Dave Carter of the American Bison Association said, "Many people now find that raised bison not only have a delicious taste, but are also rich in nutrients. Many owners want to own Pets can also eat them."
In order to meet market demand, American commercial pet food manufacturers have begun to launch new American commercial pet foods with elk meat and bison meat as the main protein source.
But they are still uncommon in U.S. commercial pet food products.
In the pet food industry's pet food database, alone there are 36 U.S. commercial pet food products, snacks and nutritional supplements containing the American bison (Bison) ingredient.
Even fewer use elk. Only products use elk, and most of them are "dog chews" made from elk antlers.
Now more and more American commercial pet food manufacturers have planned to add them into pet food as a new type of protein to help the brand stand out.
The advantage of bison and elk meat is that in addition to being delicious, their meat is higher in protein and lower in fat and cholesterol.
. People are gradually accepting the existence of by-products.
Although internal organs are not pretty, they are really rich in nutrients.
Dave Carter of the American Bison Association said:
"Twenty years ago, bison ranchers mainly sold bison meat such as tenderloins, rib eyes and steaks, while other bison internal organs, which are highly nutritious, had little market. , with the improvement of people's awareness of environmental protection and sustainable development, bison meat by-products have also entered the pet food market.
Now, the demand for bison hearts and livers among American commercial pet food companies is also increasing year by year. This It will help further increase the use of animal meat."
Brenda Hartkopf of the Elk Breeders Association in 2017 also said:
"In addition to traditional hard deer antlers being made into dog chews , each elk can provide hundreds of pounds of meat, and a variety of internal organs with rich nutritional value. Elk is becoming one of the new sources of protein for commercial pet food in the United States."
, the ecological advantages of elk and bison ranching
North American elk and Bison ranches have far less negative environmental impacts than "cattle ranches" do to the environment.
Although bison are raised on many ranches, there is less human intervention, and bison and elk have retained many of their wild life habits. These animals can integrate harmoniously into the North American ecosystem.
In contrast, pastures raising beef cattle cause greater ecological damage, because beef cattle are more dependent on humans and cannot survive alone, and the cost of raising beef cattle is also higher.
For example: free-range bison cause less damage to the environment around waterways than beef cattle. This may be due to the higher vigilance of free-range bison.
In the wild, many predators hang around streams, ponds, and other water sources, so bison tend to drink water and leave immediately. Even bison that roam free ranges retain this habit.
However, beef cattle do not have this awareness. They like to stay on the river banks and are more likely to cause erosion and other damage to the river bank ecosystem.
, bison, and elk ranches, how to promote population protection in reverse?
The bison and elk meat currently on sale in the US market are all raised on pastures. The law stipulates that it is illegal for ranches to privately hunt wild bison and elk, or to privately release bison and elk raised on pastures!
The Elk and Bison Association spends millions of dollars each year to support a team of livestock professors studying various chronic diseases in these two animals.
These data, in turn, can inform health management of wild elk and bison.
At the same time, pasture-raised elk and bison provide people with a stable supply of elk meat and elk products, reducing people's dependence on naturally growing elk and bison herds in the wild, which reduces poaching and poaching, thereby helping to preserve the wild. population size.
Friendly reminder from American commercial pet food (PFI)
If you see the words "nature" and "original" in the American commercial pet food you buy, you can buy it with confidence.
Only pet food that meets the requirements for raising raw materials for commercial pet food in the United States can be marked with the words "nature" and "original" on the packaging bag.
If your pet is obese, you might as well try American commercial pet foods containing bison or elk meat. They have higher protein content but lower fat and cholesterol content, which can help your pet lose weight slowly and healthily.
Reference article:
https://www.petfoodindustry.com/articles/6880-elk-bison-could-reduce-environmental-impact-of-pet-food
