What are animal by-products?

Animal by-products are parts of an animal that are not considered edible and wouldn’t be otherwise used for consumption by butcher shops, supermarkets and other processing facilities. These are secondary or incidental product of animal production that materials are solid, organic and can be repurposed into ingredients in various consumer products.

Where do meat byproducts come from?

Most countries, particularly Western countries, have a meat-heavy diet. Globally, 258 million metric tons of meat is produced annually, with an average of 75 pounds consumed per person each year. In the U.S., the amount is significantly higher – almost 200 pounds per person, according to recent data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Roughly 50-60% of an animal is consumed in Western cultures. The unconsumed fat, skin, bones and other inedible material is a significant amount and must be handled in a safe manner.

What is left after being sold as food or consumed is considered meat by-product. This would include animal bones, fat, skin, blood, feathers and internal organs.

According to the National Renderers Association, 1.92 billion pounds of meat scrap, fat, bone, expired meat products and used cooking oil are used each year in U.S. grocery stores alone.

On a global scale, 258 million metric tons of meat (beef, poultry, swine) is produced annually for human consumption, which yields about 100 million metric tons of meat by-products that are not consumed.

What does "inedible meat" mean?

Different cultures have varying definitions of ‘inedible meat’. Eastern cultures leave little unconsumed from their mostly poultry or fish diets, whereas, in typical western cultures, only about 60% of a cow, chicken or pig is consumed. What is left after being sold as food or consumed is considered meat by-product. This would include animal bones, fat, skin, blood, feathers and internal organs. All this material has value, no matter what part of the world you may be in, and none should simply be discarded as waste material when it can produce biofuel, help feed livestock and various other uses. Also included in inedible meats we collect from grocers and retail foodservice are meat products that have passed their expiration dates and can't be sold for human consumption. Recalled meats are collected from retailers too, but special pickups are made for such material as it cannot be processed or used as feed ingredients.

Also included in inedible meats we collect from grocers and retail foodservice are meat products that have passed their expiration dates and can't be sold for human consumption. Recalled meats are collected from retailers too, but special pickups are made for such material as it cannot be processed or used as feed ingredients.

Why can’t inedible meat by-products just be thrown out with the trash and landfilled?

The short answer is logistics. The U.S. would run out of available space within 4 years if all inedible meat material were landfilled, according to statistics from the National Renderers Association.

While some in the food service industry may utilize landfills as a disposal method, a study in The Professional Animal Scientist reported that rendering offers the most sanitary and ecologically sustainable solution through the safe collection and processing of this inedible material. A single decomposing dairy cow releases 1.2 metric tons of carbon dioxide.

By processing these meat byproducts, we avoid releasing methane and other greenhouse gases that are emitted when meat byproducts degrade. Processing the material also prevents pathogens from entering the environment, and repurposes the material for a new, value-added use.

Can’t I just compost all my food waste scraps?

Composting is a viable disposal option and is preferable to discarding protein material into a landfill. However, this method could produce odors, attracting unwanted pests and rodents.

It is also important to keep a proper meat versus plant balance for optimum compost decomposition. The compost process also releases some amounts of methane and other emissions and can be a breeding ground for pathogens.

Scientists have found that rendering this inedible meat byproduct material is the safest, most ecologically friendly and sustainable means of handling these materials.

The diagram below, from the EPA website, illustrates the Food Recovery Hierarchy of preferences for handling surplus food. Rendering ("industrial solutions") is the most preferred method for dealing with products that are not consumed by people or animals.

What We Do

DAR PRO Solutions collects meat scraps, fat and bone, inedible meat byproducts and expired meat products from grocery stores, butchers, meat processors and other retail food service establishments.

Our company processes this material into sustainable ingredients for food, feed and fuel that is used by people every day across the world.

How does Darling Ingredients recycle these meat scraps?

In Western cultures, the inedible material is primarily repurposed into nutritional animal feed ingredients or feedstock for biofuel production. It also is processed into fatty acids, proteins, minerals, gelatin, collagen peptides, plasma, oils and more that are used in a large variety of products used by businesses and households worldwide.

Bones and fat can be cooked down into oils, fats and protein meals that are critical to a healthy animal diet. The fats and oils are also used to produce biofuel, and can also be used to make cleansers, soaps, plastics, solvents, industrial coatings, fertilizers and much more.

Feather meal can be used in animal diets, as can processed blood.

Organic fertilizer can be produced from meat by-products.

In food-grade facilities that are carefully monitored for regulatory compliance, select by-product from beef, hog and fish can be cooked down to provide gelatin and collagen peptides used in a vast assortment of food, pharmaceutical, sports nutrition and cosmetic applications. Insulin, hemoglobin are just two examples of pharmaceutical use for humans.

What is rendering?

Rendering is the process of converting animal byproducts (inedible beef, poultry, swine) into useable products (meat and bone meal, proteins, minerals, fats and oils, fatty acids and more) using high heat that kills any pathogens. Rendering prevents the emission of methane, carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that would be emitted by disposal methods such as landfill, composting, burial or incineration. Rendering is not only the ecologically safest method of handling meat byproducts, but is the only method that provides a functional, valuable and sustainable second use for these otherwise useless materials.

Why it Matters

How does meat rendering and byproduct processing affect everyday life and business?

Meat rendering and by-product processing is the most environmentally responsible way to dispose of your waste and it is often mandated by your local municipality. It will also help your bottom line as most reputable service providers offer a market-based rebate for your meat by-product waste. Partnering with a reputable service provider will help you avoid fines and enhance your brand’s sustainability efforts.

What environmental impact do these processes have?

Water is the most critical limited resource on earth. The food processing byproducts we convert into valuable ingredients contain a significant amount of water. The majority of our conversion processes recover this water for reuse and/or a return to the environment following varied levels of treatment. The net result is Darling produces more water than it uses.


DAR PRO Solutions is an expert as it pertains to the rendering process and can seamlessly collect your inedible meat byproduct and give it a renewed purpose through our comprehensive collection service. Find out how your supermarket or industrial facility can benefit from our program by contacting us at 855 DAR PRO1 (855) 327-7761 or fill out a form below!

Our company, Darling Ingredients, processes about 10% of the world’s meat byproducts.