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Ingredient file // Plant protein

Sunflower Meal

A real protein source with bulky fiber

Sunflower meal is the dry residue left after sunflower seeds are processed for oil. It adds plant protein and fiber to kibble, but the amount of hull left in the meal changes its value, and its protein is low in lysine.

What it is
The dried seed solids left after oil extraction, with protein and varying amounts of fibrous hull.
Made from
Sunflower seeds after oil extraction
Main job
Plant protein and fiber
Typical amount
Not published
Watch for
High hull content and low lysine
Not the same as
Sunflower oil

Our read // In our catalog

In 1 of every 110 foods we track

Share of foods that list it

1%

23 of the 2,523 foods with an ingredient list on file, from 3 brands. All dry dog food.

Each square is 1% of the catalog

Where it sits on the label

Median position 10. In the top five of 1 food, so it is usually a supporting ingredient.

Top five List position, heaviest first

Above the salt

100%

Almost always listed before the salt, so there is more of it than a pinch.

Price per lb

Foods with it $2.66
All foods $3.23

Median of the cheapest bag price across 20 priced foods, 18% below the catalog. The price is the food's, not the ingredient's.

Who leans on it

83%

of the foods that list it are from NutriSource. 3 brands use it in total.

What it is

How it is made

Sunflowers are grown for oil. Mills press the seeds and may extract more oil from the pressed solids. The residue exists because the oil is removed; dried, it becomes a feed ingredient.3

  1. 01 // Source Sunflower seeds Oilseed sunflower kernels arrive inside hulls that a mill may remove before extracting the oil.
  2. 02 // Process Hulls removed Processors may strip away some hulls; the amount left sets much of the meal's fiber content.
  3. 03 // Process Oil extracted Screw presses squeeze out oil, and many mills use solvent to remove more from the pressed cake.
  4. 04 // Output Dry meal The remaining solids are dried, then ground or pelleted for handling before use in pet food.

What is in it

Composition, dry matter

28

% crude fiber

The average in solvent-extracted meal. Hulls make this protein source unusually bulky, and the fiber content differs sharply between batches.

Crude protein 23.9-44.7%3
Crude fiber 16.1-37.4%3
Lignin 6.1-13.6%3
Crude fat 0.4-5.6%3
Ash 5.5-9.4%3

These ranges describe solvent-extracted meal. Removing more hull raises the protein share and lowers fiber; press-only meal retains more oil, so its fat content can fall outside this table.3

Why it is in the bag

What the manufacturer gets

  1. 01

    Adds plant protein

    Removing oil concentrates the seed solids, which contribute to a food's crude protein figure. Sunflower meal is low in lysine, so the complete recipe must supply enough from elsewhere.2,3

  2. 02

    Supplies bulky fiber

    Hulls bring fiber and lignin that add bulk. This gives formulators another way to adjust fiber, though a dog trial did not show firmer stools from sunflower press cake.1,3

  3. 03

    Uses an oil coproduct

    Oil production leaves meal at worldwide scale. Feedipedia says its economic value depends on meal quality and the price of competing protein sources, so cheap is not a fixed property.3

How much A small dog trial tested a diet containing 20% sunflower press cake; that is a tested amount, not a typical commercial inclusion.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.

  1. Brands say

    Sunflower meal supplies usable protein

    Evidence

    1. Strong
    2. Some
    3. Thin
    4. None

    In an 8-dog crossover trial, a diet containing 20% sunflower press cake had about 84% apparent protein digestibility. That measures the whole, balanced diet and one pressed batch, not the digestibility of every sunflower meal.1,3

  2. Brands say

    Its fiber keeps stools firm

    Outruns the evidence

    Evidence

    1. Strong
    2. Some
    3. Thin
    4. None

    Fiber is abundant, but the 8-dog trial found no difference in fecal consistency between diets, even with 20% sunflower press cake. There is no demonstrated stool-firming advantage for this ingredient.1,3

  3. Brands say

    Sunflower meal replaces meat on its own

    Outruns the evidence

    Evidence

    1. Strong
    2. Some
    3. Thin
    4. None

    The trial diet with 20% sunflower press cake also contained potato protein and added amino acids. Sunflower meal is low in lysine, so the trial does not show it can carry a complete diet alone.1,2,3

  4. Critics say

    Sunflower meal is just cheap filler

    Outruns the evidence

    Evidence

    1. Strong
    2. Some
    3. Thin
    4. None

    Feedipedia reports 23.9 to 44.7% protein and 16.1 to 37.4% crude fiber in solvent-extracted meal. Those are nutritional contributions, even though hull-heavy batches provide less useful energy.3

Straight answers

What owners ask

  1. Q01

    Is it just filler?

    No

    It supplies protein and fiber. The fair concern is quality: a meal with more hull carries less protein and energy, and the ingredient name does not tell you which grade the manufacturer used.3

  2. Q02

    Is it the same as sunflower oil?

    No

    Sunflower oil is the extracted fat. Meal is the dry protein and fiber left behind. Pressed cake retains more oil than solvent-extracted meal, so even two sunflower meals can differ substantially.3

  3. Q03

    Can it replace chicken protein?

    With balancing

    A recipe can use it as part of its protein mix, but sunflower meal is low in lysine. The dog trial paired its sunflower press cake with potato protein and added amino acids. Judge the complete food's nutritional adequacy statement.1,3,4

  4. Q04

    Will it upset my dog's stomach?

    Not shown

    In the small crossover trial, dogs eating the sunflower press cake diet had fecal consistency similar to dogs eating the comparison diets. That result does not predict how every dog will handle a hull-heavy batch.1,3

Who uses it

Brands, best sellers and the company it keeps

Top brands, by foods that list it

  1. NutriSource 19
  2. Zignature 3
  3. Rachael Ray Nutrish 1

Usually listed with, share of the foods that list it

  1. Barley 48%
  2. Peas 48%
  3. Chicken Fat 48%
  4. Pea Starch 43%
  5. Dried Plain Beet Pulp 43%
  6. Dried Yeast 39%
  7. Flax Seed 39%
  8. Sunflower Oil 39%
  9. Turkey Meal 35%
  10. Green Lentils 35%
  11. Garbanzo Beans 35%
  12. Red Lentils 30%

On the shelf

Foods that list it

23 foods in our reviews list it. Here are some of them.

NutriSource PureVita Grain-Free Venison & Red Lentils Entree Dry Dog Food28.9% proteinZignature Select Cuts Lamb & Lamb Meal Formula with Super Grains Dry Dog Food27.8% protein
Show 22 more NutriSource Chicken Puppy Dry Dog Food28.9% proteinNutriSource Choice Performance Chicken Dry Dog Food33.3% proteinNutriSource Choice Large Breed Beef Dry Dog Food25.6% proteinNutriSource Choice Large Breed Chicken Dry Dog Food26.7% proteinRachael Ray Nutrish Grain Free Chicken & Sweet Potato Recipe Dry Dog Food28.9% proteinZignature Select Cuts Puppy Formula with Super Grains Dry Dog Food29.4% proteinZignature Original Puppy Formula with Probiotics Dry Dog Food34.4% proteinZignature Select Cuts Turkey Formula with Super Grains Dry Dog Food31.1% proteinNutriSource Choice Beef Meal & Barley Dry Dog Food25.6% proteinNutriSource PureVita Grain-Free Beef & Red Lentils Entree Dry Dog Food31.1% proteinNutriSource PureVita Grain-Free Duck & Green Lentils Entree Dry Dog Food28.9% proteinNutriSource Grain-Free High Plains Select Recipe Dry Dog Food31.1% proteinNutriSource Grain-Free Small Bites Woodlands Select Recipe Dry Dog Food28.9% proteinNutriSource Grain-Free Small Bites High Plains Select Recipe Dry Dog Food31.1% proteinNutriSource Grain-Free Prairie Select Recipe Dry Dog Food28.9% proteinNutriSource Grain-Free Heartland Select Recipe Dry Dog Food27.8% proteinNutriSource Grain-Free Woodlands Select Recipe Dry Dog Food28.9% proteinNutriSource Large Breed Lamb Meal & Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food25.6% proteinNutriSource Lamb Meal & Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food24.4% proteinNutriSource Choice Chicken Meal & Barley Recipe Dry Dog Food26.7% proteinNutriSource Choice Turkey Meal & Barley Recipe Dry Dog Food25.6% proteinNutriSource Choice Whitefish Meal & Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food24.4% protein

Our read // On the bag

Check the recipe around the sunflower meal

Sunflower meal below a named animal protein is a useful supporting source of protein and fiber. Near the top, it deserves a closer look because the label does not reveal its hull content or lysine balance. Read the other protein ingredients and the nutritional adequacy statement before judging the food.

Sources

What we read

Checked September 1, 2026.

  1. 1 Investigation of the Digestibility, Fecal Characteristics, and Palatability of Oil Mil By-Products as a Plant-Based Protein Source in Canine Diets Animals, 2025 // Journal
  2. 2 Digestible indispensable amino acid scores of animal and plant ingredients potentially used in dog diet formulation: how this protein quality metric is affected by ingredient characteristics and reference amino acid profile Journal of Animal Science, 2022 // Journal
  3. 3 Sunflower meal Feedipedia (INRAE, CIRAD, AFZ, FAO), n.d. // Database
  4. 4 Reading Labels AAFCO, n.d. // Regulator
An ingredient on its own tells you very little. What matters is how much of it there is and where it sits in the list. That is why we weigh the top five rather than reacting to any single name further down. Back to the wiki

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