10/04/2026
🟧 A LENGTHY READ - BUT I THINK IT'S WORTH THE TIME.
If you share your life with cats, what goes into their food matters. This post is longer than my usual posts because I wanted to share the actual study, what was tested, what was found, the foods tested, and the Clean Sixteen rather than simply giving you a headline or a list of “good” and “bad” foods.
My goal is not to tell anyone what they should feed their cat. It's to provide information that may help cat parents make more informed choices.
SOURCE: Clean Label Project, 2026 Cat Food Study. Their full study and product list are available online: https://cleanlabelproject.org/cat-food-category-tested-products/
🟧 WHAT'S REALLY IN OUR CATS' FOOD?
I recently came across the 2026 cat food study by the Clean Label Project (CLP), and I found the results quite interesting and, in some ways, surprising.
The Clean Label Project is a national nonprofit organization that looks beyond the information we normally see on a pet-food label. Its 2026 study tested 100 cat foods from 62 brands, including dry, freeze-dried and wet foods, for more than 122 environmental and industrial contaminants.
And one thing really caught my attention personally.
I always assumed that the most expensive, premium cat foods would automatically be among the healthiest choices. But this study reminded me that price doesn't necessarily tell us what's in the food.
Some more expensive foods were not among the foods with the lowest contaminant levels, while some more reasonably priced foods appeared in the Clean Sixteen.
That certainly doesn't mean expensive food is “bad” or inexpensive food is “better.” It simply made me realize that we can't always judge what's inside the bag or can by the price tag on the outside.
And that's one of the reasons I found this study worth looking at.
🟧 HOW WERE THE FOODS TESTED?
One thing I particularly appreciated about the methodology is that the products weren't simply supplied by manufacturers.
For category studies, Clean Label Project says it buys products off the shelf at full retail price, like an ordinary shopper would. Brands do not select, supply or ship the samples.
The samples are then sent to an independent, ISO 17025-accredited laboratory, Ellipse A**lytics, for testing.
CLP also states that brands or trade groups in the category being studied cannot fund the study.
That matters because it means the manufacturers aren't choosing which samples get tested.
🟧 WHAT DID THEY TEST FOR?
The testing looked at six broad categories of contaminants, including:
• Heavy metals - lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury
• Pesticide residues
• Glyphosate
• Phthalates and other plasticizers
• Bisphenols, including BPA/BPS
• Acrylamide and other processing-related contaminants
These aren't things we're generally going to find listed on the nutritional label.
🟧 SOME OF THE FINDINGS
According to CLP:
🔹 Lead was detected in 99% of the foods tested.
🔹 Cadmium was detected in 96%.
🔹 Arsenic was detected in 94%.
🔹 Fish and seafood foods contained about 18 times more mercury than other foods.
🔹 Dry food had about 3 times more lead than wet or air-dried food.
🔹 84.8% of poultry-based foods met CLP's purity standard, compared with 25.7% of fish and seafood foods.
🔹 In 35 of the 100 foods, the meat or fish listed first wasn't actually the main ingredient when the first ten ingredients were considered.
One important point here:
“Detected” does NOT automatically mean “dangerous.”
Finding a contaminant in a food does not, by itself, tell us whether the amount is harmful. Concentration, serving size, frequency of exposure and the individual animal all matter.
This study is looking at contaminant levels and purity, not whether a food is nutritionally appropriate for every cat.
🟧 THE FISH QUESTION
This was probably one of the most interesting findings for me.
Fish-based foods had substantially higher mercury levels than foods based on other proteins.
That doesn't mean cats should never eat fish.
But if a cat is eating a fish-based food exclusively, it may be worth considering some variety in protein sources rather than assuming that “fish” automatically means a healthier choice.
🟧 THE 100 FOODS TESTED
CLP says the study included 100 products. Here is the product list published by CLP, separated into dry/freeze-dried and wet foods.
DRY & FREEZE-DRIED
• Meow Mix – Original Choice
• Purina – Cat Chow Naturals, Original
• Purina – Cat Chow Naturals, Indoor
• Hill’s – Science Diet Adult 1-6 Chicken Recipe
• Hill’s – Science Diet Adult 1-6 Salmon & Brown Rice
• Iams – Proactive Health, Healthy Adult with Chicken
• Purina – One Tender Selects Blend, Salmon
• Purina – Friskies, Seafood Sensation
• Iams – Proactive Health – Indoor Weight and Hairball Care
• Purina – Friskies Gravy Swirlers
• Blue Buffalo – Tastefuls, Adult Indoor Cat
• Purina – Cat Chow Hairball, Healthy Weight, Indoor
• Nutrish – Indoor Complete
• Purina – Pro Plan Indoor + Hairball
• Whole Hearted – Grain Free Chicken & Pea Recipe
• Solid Gold – Weight Management
• Chicken Soup for the Soul – Classic
• I and Love and You – Naked Essentials
• Wellness Core+ – Hairball, Grain Free
• Go! Solutions – Digestion + Gut Health
• Optimeal – Skin & Digestive Support
• Special Kitty (Walmart) – Gourmet Formula
• Merrick – Purrfect Bistro Complete Care Sensitive Stomach
• Acana – Meadowlands
• Natural & Delicious – Prime Lamb & Blueberry
• Tiki Cat – Born Carnivore High Protein
• Open Farm – Wild-Caught Salmon
• Kirkland Signature – Chicken & Rice
• Diamond Naturals – Indoor Cat Chicken & Rice
• Fromm – Gold
• Bixbi Liberty – Salmon Recipe, Grain Free
• Smallbatchcat – Freeze Dried Meal Bites – Turkey Recipe
• Bixbi Rawbble – Turkey Recipe (Freeze Dried)
• Open Farm – Open Prairie Recipe
• Whole Life – Nature’s Remedy Recover Stomach Distress
• Honest Kitchen – Chicken & Fish
• Stella’s & Chewy’s – Duck Duck Goose
• Stella’s & Chewy’s – Tummy Ticklin’ Turkey
• Redbarn – Original
• Purpose Pet Food – Carnivore Duck
• Primal – Chicken & Fish
• PawTree – Freeze-dried raw food – Real Wild Alaskan Salmon & Beef
• Nulo Freestyle – Chicken & Salmon Recipe
• Natural Pet Food Group – New Zealand Chicken Feast
• Nature’s Diet – Ultimate Raw
• Ziwi Peak – Chicken with Whole Mackerel
• Instinct Pet Food – Raw meals, cage-free chicken recipe
• The Simple Food Project – Whitefish & Duck Recipe
• Green Juju – Duck & Sardine Recipe
• Weruva – Paw Lickin' Chicken
• Grandma Lucy’s – Artisan Chicken & Fish Recipe
• Quest Cat Food (Go Raw) – Freeze-dried Raw Cat Food, White Fish Recipe
• Fresh Is Best – Freeze Dried Cat Food, Chicken Recipe
• Nature’s Feast (Dr. Marty’s Pets) – Beef, Salmon & Poultry
• Vital Essentials – Rabbit Entrée
• Nature’s Advantage – Turkey & Tuna Dinner
• McLovin’s Pet Food – Purrfect Poultry Recipe
• Boss Cat Complete & Balanced – Boss Pork Recipe
• Carna4 (Bio Biscuit) – Fish
• Open Farm (Barrett Petfood) – Freeze Dried Raw Surf & Turf Recipe
WET
• Sheba – Cuts in Gravy – Roasted Chicken Entrée
• Sheba – Cuts in Gravy – with Sustainable Salmon
• Sheba – Cuts in Gravy – Tender Turkey Entrée
• Purina – Fancy Feast Grilled Chicken Feast in Gravy
• Purina – Fancy Feast Grilled Turkey Feast in Gravy
• Blue Buffalo – Tastefuls Flaked, Chicken Entrée in Gravy
• Blue Buffalo – Tastefuls Flaked, Fish and Shrimp Entrée in Gravy
• Blue Buffalo – Tastefuls Flaked, Tuna Entrée in Gravy
• Purina – Fancy Feast Petites, Grilled Chicken Entrée with Rice
• Purina – Fancy Feast Petites, Ocean Whitefish with Tomato
• Purina – Fancy Feast Petites, Seared Salmon Entrée with Spinach
• Blue Buffalo – Wilderness
• American Journey – Grain Free Chicken Recipe
• Weruva – Cats in the Kitchen Lamb Burger
• Tiki Cat – Chicken & Pumpkin Recipe in Broth
• Tiki Cat – Chicken, Pumpkin & Duck Recipe in Broth
• Tiki Cat – Chicken, Pumpkin & Lamb Recipe in Broth
• Tiki Cat – Chicken, Pumpkin & Tuna Recipe in Broth
• Reveal – Grain Free Tuna Fillet in Broth
• Reveal – Grain Free Chicken Breast in Broth
• Reveal – Grain Free Tuna Fillet with Crab in Broth
• Hill’s Science Diet – Tender Tuna Dinner
• Hill’s Science Diet – Tender Chicken Dinner
• Hill’s Science Diet – Tender Ocean Fish Dinner
• Nulo Medal Series – Mackerel, Shrimp & Mussels Recipe in Broth
• Nulo Medal Series – Yellowfin Tuna & Crab Recipe in Broth
• Nulo Medal Series – Chicken, Duck & Pumpkin Recipe in Broth
• Nulo Medal Series – Chicken & Chicken Liver Recipe in Broth
• Instinct – Original Grain Free Kitten
• Instinct – Original Grain Free Pate
• Purina – Pro Plan Chicken & Rice Entrée
• Purina – Pro Plan White Meat Chicken & Vegetables Entrée
• Friskies – Salmon Dinner Pate
• Friskies – Turkey Dinner in Gravy Prime Filets
• Acana – Salmon & Chicken Recipe, Chunks in Broth
• Applaws – Chicken Breast & Duck in Broth
• Wellness Signature Selects – Skipjack Tuna & Shrimp Entrée
• Royal Canin – Adult Instinctive Loaf in Sauce
• Orijen – Beef & Tuna Entrée Chunks & Shreds in Bone Broth
• Fussie Cat – Tuna with Chicken Liver Formula in Aspic
⭐ THE CLEAN SIXTEEN
The Clean Sixteen is not a list of the “16 healthiest cat foods.”
It identifies the 16 products in each category that had the lowest overall levels of contaminants in this particular study.
They are listed alphabetically - not from #1 to #16.
Dry/Freeze-Dried Clean Sixteen:
🐾 Bixbi Rawbble – Turkey Recipe
🐾 Boss Cat Complete & Balanced – Boss Pork Recipe
🐾 Fresh Is Best – Freeze Dried Cat Food, Chicken Recipe
🐾 Green Juju – Duck & Sardine Recipe
🐾 Hill’s Science Diet – Adult 1-6 Chicken Recipe
🐾 Kirkland Signature – Chicken & Rice
🐾 McLovin’s Pet Food – Purrfect Poultry Recipe
🐾 Natural Pet Food Group – New Zealand Chicken Feast
🐾 Nulo Freestyle – Chicken & Salmon Recipe
🐾 Purpose Pet Food – Carnivore Duck
🐾 Smallbatchcat – Freeze-Dried Meal Bites – Turkey Recipe
🐾 Stella & Chewy’s – Duck Duck Goose
🐾 Stella & Chewy’s – Tummy Ticklin’ Turkey
🐾 Vital Essentials – Rabbit Entrée
🐾 Weruva – Paw Lickin’ Chicken
🐾 Whole Life – Nature’s Remedy Recover Stomach Distress
Wet Clean Sixteen:
🐾 Smalls – Smooth Bird & Fish Dish, Chicken & Salmon
🐾 Applaws – Chicken Breast & Duck in Broth
🐾 FreshPet – Chicken & Beef Pâté
🐾 Friskies – Salmon Dinner Pâté
🐾 Instinct – Original Grain-Free Pâté
🐾 Nulo Medal Series – Chicken & Chicken Liver Recipe in Broth
🐾 Nulo Medal Series – Chicken, Duck & Pumpkin Recipe in Broth
🐾 Purina Fancy Feast – Grilled Turkey Feast in Gravy
🐾 Purina Pro Plan – White Meat Chicken & Vegetables Entrée
🐾 Reveal – Grain-Free Chicken Breast in Broth
🐾 Reveal – Grain-Free Tuna Fillet in Broth
🐾 Sheba – Cuts in Gravy, Roasted Chicken Entrée
🐾 Tiki Cat – Chicken & Pumpkin Recipe in Broth
🐾 Tiki Cat – Chicken, Pumpkin & Duck Recipe in Broth
🐾 Tiki Cat – Chicken, Pumpkin & Lamb Recipe in Broth
🐾 Tiki Cat – Chicken, Pumpkin & Tuna Recipe in Broth
Again, being absent from the Clean Sixteen does not mean a food is unsafe or nutritionally poor. It simply means it wasn't among the 16 products with the lowest overall contaminant levels in this particular category study.
🟧 A GENTLE NOTE ABOUT VETERINARY GUIDANCE
Information like this can be useful when we're looking at the bigger picture of our cats' nutrition, but it shouldn't replace veterinary advice.
Every cat is an individual. Age, weight, hydration, kidney function, urinary health, allergies, digestive issues and other medical conditions can all affect what diet is appropriate.
If your cat has a diagnosed medical condition - particularly urinary crystals or stones, kidney disease, diabetes, or another condition requiring a therapeutic diet - please talk with your veterinarian before making a significant change to their food.
The goal isn't to create fear around pet food.
It's to ask better questions, look beyond the label, and make informed decisions for our individual cats. ❤️🐱
Because what's printed on the label is only part of the story.
🟧 MY BIGGEST TAKEAWAY:
1. SWITCH UP FISH/SEAFOOD VERSUS CHICKEN OR OTHER PROTEIN TO HELP REDUCE CONTAMINANTS
2. YOU CAN'T ALWAYS JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER
The Clean Label Project (CLP) performed a comprehensive analysis of the Cat Food category that included the following 100 products(Dry/Freeze-Dried and Wet). CLP’s Clean Sixteen highlights the 16 products with the lowest levels of contaminants. Please note that the absence of a product from the Cl...
