Lead Detected in 99% of Cat Foods Tested
Scout Impact
Contaminant levels varied by recipe and format in this cat-food survey. Detection alone does not establish that a product is unsafe or that eating it caused illness.
Key Takeaways
- Fish and seafood recipes had about 18 times more mercury than other recipes after adjustment for food format.
- Dry foods had roughly three times more lead per calorie than wet or air-dried foods.
- Glyphosate appeared in 37% of products; the plasticizer DEHP appeared in 48%.
Summary
Clean Label Project tested 100 cat foods from 62 brands using an independent ISO 17025-accredited laboratory. Lead was detected in 99%, cadmium in 96%, and arsenic in 94%. The report compared contaminant levels per 1,000 calories across dry, wet, and air-dried or freeze-dried foods.