Adirondack Cat Food Ingredients
According to our research, Adirondack manufactures 7 cat food recipes using 83 unique ingredients. To evaluate the quality of ingredients used by Adirondack, we've studied all 83 ingredients. In this article, we'll share our findings on Adirondack ingredients.
| Cat Food Recipes | 7 |
| Unique Ingredients | 83 |
| Artificial Colors | 0 |
| Animal By-Products | 0 |
| Anonymous Meats | 0 |
| Controversial | 3 |
| Harmful | 0 |
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 Adirondack, these are the most common ingredients found within the first 5 cat food ingredients.
- chicken meal
- brown rice
- chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols)
- ground grain sorghum
- oat groats
As you can see, the most common first ingredient in Adirondack is chicken meal. The most common 2nd ingredient is brown rice, followed by chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), ground grain sorghum, and oat groats.
Artificial Food Coloring Dyes
Adirondack does not use any artificial food coloring dyes. According to our records, none of the 7 Adirondack 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, Adirondack 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 Adirondack 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 83 Adirondack ingredients. According to our data, Adirondack does not contain any anonymous animal-based ingredients.
Cereal Grains
Certain Adirondack 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.
Ground grain sorghum is a gluten-free carbohydrate source. This cereal grain also provides a modest amount of B vitamins and minerals such as magnesium, iron, phosphorus, and manganese.
The following recipes contain ground grain sorghum:
Brown rice is naturally rich in fiber and various minerals including manganese, phosphorus, and magnesium. Relative to other grains, brown rice is easy to digest.
The following recipes contain brown rice:
Pearled barley is barley with the outer husk and bran layers removed. Similar to regular barley, pearled barley provides carbohydrates and dietary fiber. Pearled barley is however not as nutritious as regular whole grain barley.
The following recipes contain pearled barley:
Oat groats are obtained by removing the inedible outer husk of oats. Unlike other ingredients derived from oats, groats are not processed further and therefore contain the whole grain.
Oat groats provide a notable amount of dietary fiber, B vitamins, and various minerals. Whats more, non-contaminated oats are gluten free; however, oats are typically processed and grown near ingredients which contain gluten and therefore contamination is not unusual. Always check the packaging to ensure the product is gluten free if your pet has allergies to gluten.
The following recipes contain oat groats:
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 3 controversial ingredients inside Adirondack products. These controversial ingredients are listed below. Click on each ingredient for more information.
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:
Canola oil is a plant-derived oil from the seeds of canola plants. Although fat is an essential component of any diet, canola oil is controversial in pet food. Proponents claim that canola oil provides a better fat profile in comparison to other plant based oils. However, opponents claim that canola oil is typically produced with genetically modified rapeseed and that rapeseed oil has multiple adverse health affects.
The following recipes contain canola oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols):
Canola oil is a plant-derived oil from the seeds of canola plants. Although fat is an essential component of any diet, canola oil is controversial in pet food. Proponents claim that canola oil provides a better fat profile in comparison to other plant based oils. However, opponents claim that canola oil is typically produced with genetically modified rapeseed and that rapeseed oil has multiple adverse health affects.
The following recipes contain canola oil:
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 Adirondack ingredients analyzed were classified as harmful by our system. The absence of harmful ingredients is indicative of a relatively premium cat food brand.
Adirondack Cat Food Ingredient Lists
Adirondack
Classic
Adult Cats Of All Life Stages Recipe
Adirondack
Classic Adult Cats Of All Life Stages Recipe
First Five Ingredients
chicken mealbrown rice
ground grain sorghum
chicken fat
oat groats
Adirondack
Classic
Kitten Protein-Rich, High-Fat Recipe For Active & Growing Cats
Adirondack
Classic Kitten Protein-Rich, High-Fat Recipe For Active & Growing Cats
First Five Ingredients
chicken mealbrown rice
chicken fat
ground grain sorghum
egg product
Adirondack
Classic
Lean Low-Fat, High-Fiber Recipe For Adult & Senior Cats
Adirondack
Classic Lean Low-Fat, High-Fiber Recipe For Adult & Senior Cats
First Five Ingredients
chicken mealbrown rice
pearled barley
ground grain sorghum
oat groats
Adirondack
Grain-Free Limited Ingredient
Chicken & Chicken Meal Recipe For Indoor Cats
Adirondack
Grain-Free Limited Ingredient Chicken & Chicken Meal Recipe For Indoor Cats
First Five Ingredients
chickenchicken meal
pea
lentil
fava bean
Adirondack
Grain-Free Limited Ingredient
Whitefish & Lentils Recipe For Indoor Cats
Adirondack
Grain-Free Limited Ingredient Whitefish & Lentils Recipe For Indoor Cats
First Five Ingredients
whitefishmenhaden meal
lentil
pea
tapioca starch
Adirondack
Freeze-Dried Cat Treats
Pure Chicken Breast
Adirondack
Freeze-Dried Cat Treats Pure Chicken Breast
First Five Ingredients
chicken breast
