Clean Label Project Reveals Contaminants in Cat Foods

DENVER, CO, UNITED STATES, October 2, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- Clean Label Project, a national nonprofit focused on truth and transparency in consumer product labeling, has released a new study examining contaminants in 100 of the nation’s top-selling cat food products across 62 brands. The study tested products for more than 122 industrial and environmental contaminants and toxins, including heavy metals, phthalates, pesticides, herbicide residues, and processing by-products.

The findings reveal that heavy metals are widespread across the cat food category. Lead was detected in 99% of products, cadmium in 96%, and arsenic in 94%. The study highlights significant differences in contaminant levels based on protein source and food format. Nearly 85% of poultry-based foods met Clean Label Project’s purity standard, compared with only 25.7% of fish and seafood products.

Fish-based foods contained far more mercury, with fish and seafood products carrying about 18 times more mercury overall, and fish-based wet foods about 28 times more than other wet foods. Dry cat food was found to carry roughly three times more lead than wet or air-dried products. Each additional plant ingredient among the first 10 was associated with about 40% higher glyphosate levels. Canned and pouched foods carried about five times more DEHP than bagged products where it was detected.

Seafood stood out as a clear pattern in the study. Nearly half of fish and seafood products ranked among those with the highest mercury levels, while no poultry-based products did. Fish-based products also contained approximately 2.5 times more cadmium than other products. The findings do not imply that these contaminants are intentionally added to cat food. Heavy metals can occur naturally in soil, water, and marine environments and enter products through both animal and plant ingredients. Other contaminants may be introduced through processing or packaging.

Clean Label Project's analysis indicates that lower contaminant levels are achievable through ingredient sourcing, supplier testing, and stronger quality controls. The study follows the organization's dog food research released earlier this year and represents its continued expansion of independent testing across the pet food category. Together, the studies aim to give pet owners greater visibility into how ingredients, sourcing, processing, and product format may influence contaminants in foods their pets consume daily.

The full Clean Label Project Cat Food Category Report, along with the organization’s Clean Sixteen lists recognizing the highest-rated wet and dry cat foods for purity, is available at Clean Label Project.