NARA Archives - North American Renderers Association

Keeping Spooky Black Cats (and ALL cats) Healthy with Sustainable, Rendered Products

Posted on October 29, 2020 (October 25, 2021) by Anna

a scoop of dog food is poured into a pile of dog food

Renderers, and those who support the rendering industry are always thinking about how to be more sustainable and keep our pet’s diets nutritious. Since October is the season for spooky black cats, and also the month of National Cat Day, we thought it was a great time to talk about our feline friends and how rendering helps to keep their food sustainability and healthy! National Cat Day National Cat Day is observed every October 29th

The Importance of Rendering Education

Posted on September 29, 2020 (November 19, 2021) by Anna

an Infographic that says "rendering the facts" on it

From the perspective of NARA’s newest staff member, Communications Director Anna Wilkinson When I started work at NARA nearly two years ago, I was struck by the scant amount of information publicly available about rendering when I searched for it. Yes, our association had an informative website with educational resourcces on rendering specifically, but a general, online search of “rendering” yielded every definition except the one that explains what we do. Top results were

Wag Woof Bow-Wow…Translation: Happy National Dog Day!

Posted on August 26, 2020 (April 25, 2023) by Anna

At NARA, the safety of your pets is of the utmost importance. The pet food industry is now the largest user of rendered fats and proteins. Renderers follow safety procedures to the letter to ensure that these rendered ingredients and end products are nutritious and safe for your pets (and livestock). Rendered protein meals such as meat and bone meal, poultry by-product meal, and fish meal are highly sustainable and almost universally used in pet

A Very “Green” Interview

Posted on July 30, 2020 (October 25, 2021) by Anna

a person's finger is pointing at a recycling symbol

After NARA’s recent donation of surgical masks to Greenspring Village assisted living community, (read about that here) they reached out to us curious to learn more about rendering. Watch the below interview with NARA President and CEO, Nancy Foster, and Communications Director, Anna Wilkinson, with Greenspring to learn more about what rendering and why it’s environmentally-friendly and so important to sustainability. NARA’s Greenspring Village Interview In short, rendering takes leftover animal

Happy Summersgiving (and Turkey Lovers Month)!

Posted on June 30, 2020 (August 19, 2024) by Anna

Isn’t it nice when things come together perfectly? We think so. Especially in the summer. So what could be more perfect than Summersgiving falling within National Turkey Lovers month in June? …What’s that? …You haven’t heard of either of those? Read on! Summersgiving is a national day observed on the Saturday after the Summer Solstice. It was started in 2009 by Robert Solomon because he loved Thanksgiving so much and wanted to do something similar

“Social Sustainability” = Supporting our Communities

Posted on May 29, 2020 (July 8, 2022) by Anna

a man leaning on a fence with a cow in the background

When we think of the three pillars of sustainability – Environmental, Economic and Social – the third can get less attention, when in fact each is equally important. Considering the current state of the world, it is even more important now. You may find yourself asking “what is social sustainability?”. Though the definition of Social Sustainability has many iterations such as “The formal and informal processes; systems; structures; and relationships that actively support the capacity

Why Rendering is so #Sustainable

Posted on April 30, 2020 (April 23, 2024) by Anna

When you think of Earth Day you probably think of #Sustainabilty, right? But do you think of rendering? In honor of April as Earth Month and the 50th anniversary of #EarthDay, we invite you to learn why rendering is one of the most sustainable practices to avoid food waste and recycle leftovers into fresh ingredients for new products. First, let’s begin with a definition of rendering. Render, from the French verb rendre, meaning “to give

Focusing on the Essentials

Posted on March 31, 2020 (April 15, 2022) by Anna

the word "covid-19" is on a green background

During these trying times as the nation faces the novel coronavirus and the illness it causes, many of us are making decisions about what’s essential in our lives. Most will likely find our essential priorities are similar: safety, shelter, access to health care, and sustenance like food, water, pet food, and basic supplies. When we take a step back and look at the big picture, we can see that certain industries and services are essential

Welcome to the NARA Blog!

Posted on February 20, 2020 (August 7, 2024) by Anna

Welcome to the North American Renderers Association (NARA) blog! Positive changes are happening here at NARA. In addition to a new name (National Renderers Association (NRA) was changed to NARA in 2019), increased sustainability focus, rendering education and awareness, and a brand-new website, we are also launching our official blog! In these posts we will educate about Rendering: what it is, how it works, and why it is so integral to sustainability, reduced food

Podcast: North American Renderers Association