What's really in your pet's food? What owners need to know about ingredient labels

As pet life expectancy rises, consumers are raising their standards for what goes into their animals' food — scrutinizing ingredients, production processes and the quality of raw materials more closely than ever.

However, packaging information alone is often not enough to fully understand the nature and quality of what is inside a pet food product. A look at common commercial pet foods on the market reveals a range of hanja-based ingredient names — "chicken meal," "meat and bone meal," "fish meal" and various dried powders — whose true characteristics are not always apparent to the average buyer.

According to Natural Core, a pet lifestyle company, meat meal is not made from fresh raw meat. It is produced from animal byproducts — bones, organs, fat and other parts not consumed by humans — collected at slaughterhouses, then heat-treated at high temperatures, dried and ground into powder. The ingredient has consistently drawn concern over hygiene and safety. Beyond meat meal, some products also use derived proteins produced through physical or chemical modification and decomposition, or low-grade plant-based residues left over after oil is extracted from vegetable materials. Various additives, including artificial antioxidants, may also be used to extend shelf life.

Natural Core develops its products around whole raw ingredients such as chicken, duck and salmon. Its domestically produced lines are manufactured to meet the nutritional standards of the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), while staple products imported from Europe are produced and sold in compliance with European Pet Food Industry Federation (FEDIAF) standards. The company has also built production and quality-control systems in partnership with global manufacturers. It additionally uses organic ingredients and excludes harmful elements including preservatives, pesticide residues, antibiotics, synthetic colorings, artificial flavorings and genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

The company has also developed a Sensitive Care line aimed at helping manage allergies, a plant-based Eco10 Vegetarian line that excludes animal protein, and Bene M70, a product designed for cats that have difficulty chewing due to periodontal disease or full-mouth tooth extractions.

"It is important for pet owners to accurately understand the ingredients listed on product labels and to make informed choices about healthy pet food," said Lee Jin-young, chief executive of Natural Core.