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Whole Earth Farms Cat Food Ingredients

According to our research, Whole Earth Farms manufactures 22 cat food recipes using 85 unique ingredients. To evaluate the quality of ingredients used by Whole Earth Farms, we've studied all 85 ingredients. In this article, we'll share our findings on Whole Earth Farms ingredients.

Cat Food Recipes	22
Unique Ingredients	85
Artificial Colors	0
Animal By-Products	0
Anonymous Meats	0
Controversial	2
Harmful	1

First 5 Ingredients

Cat food ingredients in the United States are listed in descending order of pre-cooked weight. The first 5 ingredients typically constitute a significant portion of the recipe.

For Whole Earth Farms, these are the most common ingredients found within the first 5 cat food ingredients.

chicken
chicken broth
chicken
chicken liver
dried egg product

As you can see, the most common first ingredient in Whole Earth Farms is chicken. The most common 2nd ingredient is chicken broth, followed by chicken, chicken liver, and dried egg product.

Artificial Food Coloring Dyes

Whole Earth Farms does not use any artificial food coloring dyes. According to our records, none of the 22 Whole Earth Farms cat foods contain artificial food dyes.

Artificial food coloring dyes are unnecessary and potentially harmful ingredients. In general, we not not recommend feeding any pet foods that contain artificial dyes.

In 2010, the CSPI raised serious concerns regarding the safety of many artificial dyes. Most of the studies referenced by the CSPI involved prolonged or excessive consumption. Since most cats consume the same foods throughout their lives, concerns raised by the CSPI are alarming to say the least.

To read more about Artificial Food Dyes, click here.

Animal By-Products

According to our records, Whole Earth Farms does not contain any animal by-products.

Animal by-products are basically the leftover parts of the the carcass after its been processed for meat. AAFCO defines by-products as the non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals.

Although by-products are still fairly nutritious ingredients, consumers have equated them with slaughterhouse waste. Therefore, most premium brands, including Whole Earth Farms have decided to remove by-products and instead use named organ meats (beef liver, chicken gizzards).

For further reading on the controversy over animal by-products, click here.

Anonymous Meat Ingredients

Anonymous meats are inexpensive low-quality ingredients that can come from practically any animal. These type of ingredients are often used to produce very inexpensive cat foods.

In general, we prefer ingredients which specify the animal source used to derive the ingredient. For example, ingredients such as duck fat are much better than animal fat or poultry fat.

In our analysis, we've looked through all 85 Whole Earth Farms ingredients. According to our data, Whole Earth Farms does not contain any anonymous animal-based ingredients.

Cereal Grains

For cats, we typically recommend choosing a grain-free recipe. Cats are obligate carnivores and therefore grains are not species appropriate.

According to our data, Whole Earth Farms cat food recipes do not contain grains. In other words, all recipes are grain-free.

Please note, kibble production requires a binding agent. Grains are commonly used for this purpose in cat food. When purchasing grain-free cat food, grains are often replaced with another starchy source. This is also not ideal.

To avoid grains and other starchy additions, consider feeding wet or frozen recipes.

Controversial Ingredients

In most cases, ingredients which are given the controversial classification can be substituted with higher-quality alternatives. You should evaluate each controversial ingredient independently to see if there is truly a valid cause for concern.

Keep in mind, certain sacrifices often must be made to produce cat foods at a reasonable price. In general, the more expensive the product, the fewer controversial ingredients you'll find.

In our analysis, we've identified 2 controversial ingredients inside Whole Earth Farms products. These controversial ingredients are listed below. Click on each ingredient for more information.

pea protein

5 Recipes

Pea protein is produced by removing the starchy parts of peas. Pea protein is considered controversial because it provides a substantial plant based protein boost. This boost is undesirable because plant based protein is typically lower in biological value when compared to meat based proteins.

The following recipes contain pea protein:

caramel color

5 Recipes

Caramel color is a concentrated form of caramel, a natural food colorant. Caramel color has been linked to cancer in laboratory animals. Since our pets do not care about food color, caramel color is an unnecessary addition with possible health risks.

The following recipes contain caramel color:

Potentially Harmful Ingredients

Harmful ingredients are those which have been linked to adverse health effects. In general, we do not recommend feeding any product which contains any harmful ingredients.

There are certain situations where these ingredients may be necessary. We always recommend contacting Whole Earth Farms for further clarification regarding any harmful or controversial ingredient.

We have identified 1 harmful ingredient used in certain Whole Earth Farms recipes. To learn more, click on the ingredient's name.

menadione sodium bisulfite complex

12 Recipes

Menadione sodium bisulfite complex is a synthetic version of vitamin K that has been linked to many health concerns. Research has suggested possible toxic reactions in liver cells and red blood cells among other serious problems. In fact, one large chemical supplier warns, "The substance is toxic to kidneys, lungs, liver, mucous membranes. Repeated or prolonged exposure to the substance can produce target organs damage."

The following recipes contain menadione sodium bisulfite complex: