Study Detects Contaminants in 100 Cat-Food Products

The Clean Label Project reported detecting lead, cadmium and arsenic in nearly all of 100 cat-food products it tested, along with mercury, glyphosate and chemicals associated with plastics. The Colorado nonprofit said the products came from 62 brands and were screened for more than 122 potential contaminants. The results show substances were present in the tested samples but do not establish that any product causes harm to cats. Lead was detected in 99 samples, cadmium in 96 and arsenic in 94, according to the project’s findings. Mercury was also among the substances tested. The project reported that contaminant levels varied by food format, protein source and ingredients. Dry food contained roughly three times as much lead as wet or air-dried food, the analysis found. Fish- and seafood-based formulas had about 18 times more mercury and 2.5 times more cadmium than foods based on other proteins. Within wet foods, seafood products had nearly 28 times as much mercury as wet foods made with other meats, according to the report.