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Acana Cat Food Ingredients

According to our research, Acana manufactures 10 cat food recipes using 127 unique ingredients. To evaluate the quality of ingredients used by Acana, we've studied all 127 ingredients. In this article, we'll share our findings on Acana ingredients.

Cat Food Recipes10
Unique Ingredients127
Artificial Colors0
Animal By-Products0
Anonymous Meats0
Controversial0
Harmful0

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 Acana, these are the most common ingredients found within the first 5 cat food ingredients.

  1. chicken
  2. chicken meal
  3. whole hake
  4. oatmeal
  5. whole pea

As you can see, the most common first ingredient in Acana is chicken. The most common 2nd ingredient is chicken meal, followed by whole hake, oatmeal, and whole pea.

Artificial Food Coloring Dyes

Acana does not use any artificial food coloring dyes. According to our records, none of the 10 Acana 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, Acana 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 Acana 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 127 Acana ingredients. According to our data, Acana does not contain any anonymous animal-based ingredients.

Cereal Grains

Certain Acana cat food recipes contain one or more grains. The specific ingredients are listed below.

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

The 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.

oatmeal
4 Recipes

Oatmeal is simply coarsely ground oats and therefore contains the entire oat grain. As with regular oats, oatmeal is rich in dietary fiber, B vitamins, and various minerals.

The following recipes contain oatmeal:

Controversial Ingredients

Brands which do not use any controversial ingredients are typically top-of-the-line. Avoiding all controversial ingredients indicates that the brand has not sacrificed quality for cost savings.

Our research indicates that Acana is one of these top-notch brands. We've looked through all 127 Acana ingredients and none of these ingredients were classified as controversial in our system

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.

During our review, none of the Acana ingredients analyzed were classified as harmful by our system. The absence of harmful ingredients is indicative of a relatively premium cat food brand.

Acana Cat Food Ingredient Lists

Acana

Regionals (Canadian)
Grasslands
Acana
Regionals (Canadian) Grasslands
First Five Ingredients
duck
chicken
cage free egg
dehydrated chicken
dehydrated turkey

Acana

Regionals (Canadian)
Pacifica
Acana
Regionals (Canadian) Pacifica
First Five Ingredients
whole pacific herring
whole pacific mackerel
whole hake
dehydrated herring
dehydrated blue whiting

Acana

Regionals (Canadian)
Wild Prairie
Acana
Regionals (Canadian) Wild Prairie
First Five Ingredients
chicken
turkey
chicken liver
dehydrated chicken
dehydrated turkey

Acana

First Feast
With Free-Run Chicken & Whole Herring For Kittens
Acana
First Feast With Free-Run Chicken & Whole Herring For Kittens
First Five Ingredients
chicken
chicken meal
herring meal
oatmeal
whole pea

Acana

Wild Atlantic
With Wild-Caught Saltwater Fish For Cats
Acana
Wild Atlantic With Wild-Caught Saltwater Fish For Cats
First Five Ingredients
whole mackerel
whole herring
whole hake
acadian redfish
mackerel meal

Acana

Bountiful Catch
With Wild-Caught Salmon, Catfish & Herring For Adult Cats
Acana
Bountiful Catch With Wild-Caught Salmon, Catfish & Herring For Adult Cats
First Five Ingredients
salmon
salmon meal
catfish meal
oatmeal
whole pea

Acana

Homestead Harvest
With Free-Run Chicken & Turkey For Adult Cats
Acana
Homestead Harvest With Free-Run Chicken & Turkey For Adult Cats
First Five Ingredients
chicken
chicken meal
turkey meal
oatmeal
whole pea

Acana

Indoor Entree
With Free-Run Chicken & Turkey For Indoor Cats
Acana
Indoor Entree With Free-Run Chicken & Turkey For Indoor Cats
First Five Ingredients
chicken
chicken meal
herring meal
oatmeal
whole pea

Acana

Meadowlands
With Free-Run Poultry, Freshwater Fish & Case-Free Eggs For Cats
Acana
Meadowlands With Free-Run Poultry, Freshwater Fish & Case-Free Eggs For Cats
First Five Ingredients
chicken
turkey
chicken liver
chicken meal
catfish meal

Acana

Grasslands
With Free-Run Chicken, Duck & Turkey, and Quail For Cats
Acana
Grasslands With Free-Run Chicken, Duck & Turkey, and Quail For Cats
First Five Ingredients
duck
chicken
egg
chicken meal
turkey meal