Meal is the term for a food that’s ground into small particles to make a powder, and it’s commonly used in dog food. It’s an easy way to get the required nutrients into recipes. Meal is only unhealthy when it is made from unhealthy ingredients. Rachael Ray dog food contains no poultry by-product meal, which tends to include less-sought-after chicken parts, like feet and intestines. Nutrish dog food may contain turkey meal or chicken meal. ;