Ingredient file // Animal protein
Anchovy Meal
Concentrated fish protein, with less oil than expected
Anchovy meal is anchovies cooked, pressed and dried into a protein concentrate. It supplies fish protein and some residual marine fat. Much of the oil leaves during processing, so the ingredient name alone does not tell you how much omega-3 fat the food provides.
- What it is
- Anchovies cooked, pressed, dried and ground into a concentrated fish protein ingredient.
- Made from
- Anchovies, usually whole fish
- Main job
- Concentrated animal protein
- Typical amount
- One dog trial used 19 to 28%
- Watch for
- Dogs with a diagnosed fish allergy
- Not the same as
- Anchovy oil
Our read // In our catalog
In 1 of every 1267 foods we track
Share of foods that list it
0%
2 of the 2,533 foods with an ingredient list on file, from 1 brand. All dry dog food.
Each square is 1% of the catalog
Where it sits on the label
Median position 5.5. In the top five of 1 food, so it is usually a main ingredient.
Above the salt
Almost always listed before the salt, so there is more of it than a pinch.
Price per lb
Median of the cheapest bag price across 2 priced foods, 7% below the catalog. The price is the food's, not the ingredient's.
Who leans on it
100%
of the foods that list it are from Holistic Select. 1 brand use it in total.
What it is
How it is made
Fishmeal plants turn small fish, including anchovies, into separate meal and oil streams. Cooking and pressing release much of the water and oil. Drying leaves a protein-rich ingredient that stores and ships without refrigeration.5,8
- 01 // Source Anchovies Small fish arrive at the plant for processing into fishmeal and fish oil.
- 02 // Process Cooked Heat sets the proteins, making water and oil easier to separate from the fish.
- 03 // Process Pressed A press squeezes liquid from the cooked fish; the oil is separated from that liquid.
- 04 // Process Dried and ground The remaining solids are dried to limit spoilage, then ground into an even meal.
- 05 // Output Anchovy meal A dry fish protein powder reaches the kibble plant with some marine fat still in it.
What is in it
Composition, dry matter
67
% protein
Crude protein in one tested anchovy meal. Protein is its main contribution to kibble, but this figure does not measure digestibility in dogs.
Why it is in the bag
What the manufacturer gets
-
01
Adds concentrated fish protein
Removing water and much of the oil leaves a dry ingredient dominated by protein. It contributes animal protein without adding the moisture of fresh fish.4,8
-
02
Adds marine flavor
Fishmeal has a distinct marine odor and is usually palatable. Its flavor value falls if the remaining fat oxidizes or the raw fish deteriorates.5
-
03
Makes a storable supply
Plants sell meal and separated oil from small fish catches. Dry meal ships without refrigeration, though catch variation and competition for fishmeal limit supply and raise its cost.5,8
How much A controlled dog trial used 19.08% anchovy meal in one diet and 28.4% in its comparison diet.1
Our read // The claims
What the evidence supports
Strong: controlled studies in dogs agree. Some: small or mixed dog data. Thin: mechanism or lab work only. None: nothing, or the evidence points the other way.
-
Brands say
Anchovy meal is a concentrated protein source
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
One measured anchovy meal contained 67.3% crude protein on a dry basis. Cooking, pressing and drying remove water and oil. That makes it a substantial protein ingredient, though the figure does not measure digestibility in dogs.4,8
-
Brands say
Anchovies are too small to carry much mercury
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
FDA found an average of 0.02 parts per million mercury in 15 anchovy samples. Those were fish sampled for human food advice, not finished meal; the average cannot certify every supplier's batch as low in mercury.6
-
Brands say
Anchovy meal's omega-3 fats improve joints and skin
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
A tested meal retained fat containing EPA and DHA. A 177-dog arthritis trial found modest benefits from added fish oil, but it did not test anchovy meal or show that a food's meal supplies a useful dose.2,4
-
Brands say
Anchovy meal improves a dog's gut health
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
In a 30-dog trial, one diet replaced some anchovy meal with hydrolyzed anchovy protein and changed other ingredients too. The trial cannot isolate an effect of ordinary anchovy meal, much less show a gut health benefit from it.1
-
Critics say
Anchovy meal is just filler
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
The tested meal was 67.3% protein on a dry basis and also contained fat and minerals. A controlled dog trial used 28.4% anchovy meal in a complete diet. Calling it filler ignores its main nutritional job.1,4
Straight answers
What owners ask
-
Q01
Is it just filler?
NoIt supplies concentrated fish protein, plus fat and minerals. Meal high on the ingredient list can contribute substantially to the recipe. The label still does not tell you how digestible that supplier's meal is.4,7
-
Q02
Does it replace fish oil?
NoPressing sends much of the oil into a separate product. Anchovy meal retains some fat, including EPA and DHA, but its name gives no dose. Look for a stated EPA and DHA amount if that is the benefit you want.4,8
-
Q03
Is it safe for fish-allergic dogs?
Avoid itAnchovy meal contains fish protein. A dog with a demonstrated fish reaction should avoid it until the triggering species is clear. A reaction to one fish does not, by itself, prove a reaction to every fish.3
Who uses it
Brands, best sellers and the company it keeps
Top brands, by foods that list it
Usually listed with, share of the foods that list it
- Canola Oil 100%
- Sardine Meal 100%
- Dried Plain Beet Pulp 100%
- Salmon 50%
- Potatoes 50%
- Peas 50%
- Menhaden Fish Meal 50%
- Dried Ground Potatoes 50%
- Pea Fiber 50%
- Brown Rice 50%
- Oatmeal 50%
- Rice 50%
On the shelf
Foods that list it
2 foods in our reviews list it. Here are some of them.
Our read // On the bag
Read it as protein, then check the oils
Anchovy meal near the top of a bag points to a meaningful share of dry fish protein. Read the surrounding ingredients and the food's protein analysis to judge the recipe. If the bag promises joint or skin benefits, look for a declared EPA and DHA amount instead of assuming the meal supplies it.
Sources
What we read
Checked October 1, 2026.
- 1 Liquid Hydrolyzed Fish Protein (Anchovy) in the Canine Diet: A Focus on Gut Fermentation and Fecal Quality
- 2 Dose-Titration Effects of Fish Oil in Osteoarthritic Dogs
- 3 IgE reactivity to fish allergens from Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus) in atopic dogs
- 4 Apparent digestibility coefficients of the extruded pellet diets containing various fish meals for olive flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus
- 5 Fish meal
- 6 Technical Information on Development of FDA/EPA Advice about Eating Fish for Those Who Might Become or Are Pregnant or Breastfeeding and Children Ages 1-11 Years
- 7 What’s in the Ingredients List?
- 8 Fish Meal
- 9 Analysis of feeds and fertilizers for sustainable aquaculture development in China