Diamond Cat Food Ingredients
According to our research, Diamond manufactures 9 cat food recipes using 100 unique ingredients. To evaluate the quality of ingredients used by Diamond, we've studied all 100 ingredients. In this article, we'll share our findings on Diamond ingredients.
| Cat Food Recipes | 9 |
| Unique Ingredients | 100 |
| Artificial Colors | 0 |
| Animal By-Products | 1 |
| Anonymous Meats | 2 |
| Controversial | 5 |
| 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 Diamond, these are the most common ingredients found within the first 5 cat food ingredients.
- chicken meal
- chicken meal
- grain sorghum
- chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols)
- grain sorghum
As you can see, the most common first ingredient in Diamond is chicken meal. The most common 2nd ingredient is chicken meal, followed by grain sorghum, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), and grain sorghum.
Artificial Food Coloring Dyes
Diamond does not use any artificial food coloring dyes. According to our records, none of the 9 Diamond 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
Diamond does indeed use animal by-products. More specifically, 1 animal by-product ingredient was found during our analysis of Diamond cat food ingredients.
According to AAFCO, by-products are defined as the non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals. In other words, animal by-products are the leftover ingredients that humans typically do not consume (lung, heart, tongue, stomach, intestine, blood, etc).
Many consumers have equated animal by-products with slaughterhouse waste. Animal by-products are still very controversial. Most premium brands have abandoned them in favor of specific named organ ingredients (duck liver, chicken heart, etc).
If you must feed a product with animal by-products, ensure that the specific animal source is specified. In other words, avoid ingredients such as meat by-products or poultry by-products.
Chicken by-product meal is produced by cooking chicken by-products using a process called rendering. By-products are defined by AAFCO as the "non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals." Thus, chicken by-products contain nearly all parts of chickens which are typically not consumed by humans. These parts include the liver, lung, spleen, kidney, stomach, blood, intestine, bone, etc.
Like other meat by-products, chicken by-products are considered controversial, mainly because they are inexpensive ingredients which consumers have equated with slaughterhouse waste. However, manufactures and many experts claim that animal by-products are unjustly criticized. Proponents state that "named" by-products, such as chicken by-products, supply many important nutrients required by cats.
The following recipes contain chicken by-product meal:
Anonymous Meat Ingredients
Anonymous meats are animal-based ingredients which do not provide the source animal's name. These ingredients are controversial because they can come from almost any animal.
In addition, anonymous animal-based ingredients are very inexpensive and often the lowest quality meats that are still allowed to be used in pet food.
In general, we do not recommend feeding any products which contain anonymous meats. When in doubt, always contact the brand's customer service desk for further clarification.
Unfortunately, we've identified 2 anonymous meat ingredients used by Diamond.
Fish is typically an excellent protein and fat source. However, the specific type of fish is not mentioned and therefore we cannot discuss any specific qualities of this ingredient. In general, anonymous ingredients are low quality inclusions when compared to ingredients such as mackerel, cod, salmon, etc.
The following recipes contain fish:
Fish meal is defined by AAFCO as "the clean, dried, ground tissue of undecomposed whole fish or fish cutting, either or both, with or without the extraction of part of the oil." Since the specific type of fish is not mentioned, we cannot discuss any specific qualities of this ingredient. In general, anonymous ingredients are low quality inclusions when compared to ingredients such as tuna meal, salmon meal, catfish meal, etc.
The following recipes contain fish meal:
Cereal Grains
Certain Diamond 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.
Wheat flour is produced by grinding uncooked wheat into a powder. In addition to dietary fiber, wheat flour provides various vitamins, minerals, and plant based protein.
Wheat is considered a controversial ingredient because of it's protein content. Plant based proteins degrade the overall protein quality in the product. In addition, many people believe wheat is one of the most common ingredients to cause food allergies or intolerance. However, grains such as wheat are typically low offenders in comparison to certain protein sources such as beef.
The following recipes contain wheat flour:
Brown rice flour is naturally rich in fiber and various minerals including manganese, phosphorus, and magnesium. Relative to other grains, brown rice flour is easy to digest.
The following recipes contain brown rice flour:
Corn gluten meal is a by-product from the production of various corn products (corn starch, corn syrup, etc). It's very high in protein (nearly 60% protein) and therefore can significant boost the protein content of the product. Because plant based proteins such as corn gluten meal are inferior to meat based proteins (lack many essential amino acids), they are not suitable substitutes.
The following recipes contain corn gluten meal:
Brewer's rice is the small fragments of rice kernel that are separated from the larger kernels of milled rice. The fragments do not contain the same nutrition profile of the whole kernel and therefore brewer's rice is a lower quality grain. Brewer's rice is typically regarded as an inexpensive and low quality filler.
The following recipes contain brewers rice:
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:
Ground whole grain corn contains the entire corn kernel (the germ, bran, and endosperm). Corn is a cereal grain which provides a modest amount of vitamins, minerals, and plant based protein. It also happens to be one of the most controversial ingredients in cat food.
Proponents of corn claim that corn is highly digestible and an excellent source of protein, energy, vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids.
Opponents however believe that positive claims in regards to corn are either half-truths or completely false, we'll discuss a few of the opposing arguments.
In regards to digestibility, the claims of "highly digestible" are only true if corn is processed into a meal or flour and subsequently cooked. In regards to the protein contribution, we must note that corn is a plant based protein which does not contain all of the necessary amino acids required by cats to sustain life. Therefore substituting corn for meat is an unsuitable substitution and actually degrades the overall protein quality of the product.
Finally, we'll discuss the claims about vitamins and minerals in corn. Although corn does provide many vitamins and minerals, it not necessarily an exceptional ingredient in this regards. There are many other ingredients which are more complete and biologically appropriate. Therefore the usage of corn as the primary ingredient in cat food should certainly warrant further questioning.
The following recipes contain ground whole grain corn:
Cracked pearled barley is barley with the outer husk and bran layers removed. Similar to regular barley, cracked pearled barley provides carbohydrates and dietary fiber. Cracked pearled barley is however not as nutritious as regular whole grain barley.
The following recipes contain cracked pearled barley:
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 grain sorghum:
Ground white rice is another name for white rice flour, which is a gluten free carbohydrate source.
The following recipes contain ground white rice:
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 5 controversial ingredients inside Diamond products. These controversial ingredients are listed below. Click on each ingredient for more information.
Powdered cellulose is produced from minuscule pieces of wood pulp and plant fibers. Other than its fiber content, powdered cellulose lacks any nutritional contribution.
The following recipes contain powdered cellulose:
Corn gluten meal is a by-product from the production of various corn products (corn starch, corn syrup, etc). It's very high in protein (nearly 60% protein) and therefore can significant boost the protein content of the product. Because plant based proteins such as corn gluten meal are inferior to meat based proteins (lack many essential amino acids), they are not suitable substitutes.
The following recipes contain corn gluten meal:
Brewer's rice is the small fragments of rice kernel that are separated from the larger kernels of milled rice. The fragments do not contain the same nutrition profile of the whole kernel and therefore brewer's rice is a lower quality grain. Brewer's rice is typically regarded as an inexpensive and low quality filler.
The following recipes contain brewers rice:
Ground whole grain corn contains the entire corn kernel (the germ, bran, and endosperm). Corn is a cereal grain which provides a modest amount of vitamins, minerals, and plant based protein. It also happens to be one of the most controversial ingredients in cat food.
Proponents of corn claim that corn is highly digestible and an excellent source of protein, energy, vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids.
Opponents however believe that positive claims in regards to corn are either half-truths or completely false, we'll discuss a few of the opposing arguments.
In regards to digestibility, the claims of "highly digestible" are only true if corn is processed into a meal or flour and subsequently cooked. In regards to the protein contribution, we must note that corn is a plant based protein which does not contain all of the necessary amino acids required by cats to sustain life. Therefore substituting corn for meat is an unsuitable substitution and actually degrades the overall protein quality of the product.
Finally, we'll discuss the claims about vitamins and minerals in corn. Although corn does provide many vitamins and minerals, it not necessarily an exceptional ingredient in this regards. There are many other ingredients which are more complete and biologically appropriate. Therefore the usage of corn as the primary ingredient in cat food should certainly warrant further questioning.
The following recipes contain ground whole grain corn:
Chicken by-product meal is produced by cooking chicken by-products using a process called rendering. By-products are defined by AAFCO as the "non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals." Thus, chicken by-products contain nearly all parts of chickens which are typically not consumed by humans. These parts include the liver, lung, spleen, kidney, stomach, blood, intestine, bone, etc.
Like other meat by-products, chicken by-products are considered controversial, mainly because they are inexpensive ingredients which consumers have equated with slaughterhouse waste. However, manufactures and many experts claim that animal by-products are unjustly criticized. Proponents state that "named" by-products, such as chicken by-products, supply many important nutrients required by cats.
The following recipes contain chicken by-product meal:
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 Diamond ingredients analyzed were classified as harmful by our system. The absence of harmful ingredients is indicative of a relatively premium cat food brand.
Diamond Cat Food Ingredient Lists
Diamond
Care Rx
Urinary Support Formula For Adult Cats
Diamond
Care Rx Urinary Support Formula For Adult Cats
First Five Ingredients
chicken mealbrown rice
brewers rice
corn gluten meal
chicken fat
Diamond
Naturals
Chicken & Rice Formula For Kittens
Diamond
Naturals Chicken & Rice Formula For Kittens
First Five Ingredients
chickenchicken meal
grain sorghum
chicken fat
dried yeast
Diamond
Naturals
Chicken & Rice Formula For Indoor Cats
Diamond
Naturals Chicken & Rice Formula For Indoor Cats
First Five Ingredients
chicken mealchicken
ground white rice
cracked pearled barley
grain sorghum
Diamond
Care Rx
Weight Management Formula For Adult Cats
Diamond
Care Rx Weight Management Formula For Adult Cats
First Five Ingredients
chickenchicken meal
turkey meal
chickpea
lentil
Diamond
Naturals
Chicken Meal & Rice Formula For Active Cats
Diamond
Naturals Chicken Meal & Rice Formula For Active Cats
First Five Ingredients
chicken mealground white rice
chicken fat
natural flavor
flaxseed
Diamond
Dry Cat Food
Maintenance Cat
Diamond
Dry Cat Food Maintenance Cat
First Five Ingredients
chicken by-product mealground whole grain corn
wheat flour
chicken fat
corn gluten meal
Diamond
Naturals
Hairball Control Dinner For Indoor Adult Cats
Diamond
Naturals Hairball Control Dinner For Indoor Adult Cats
First Five Ingredients
chicken brothchicken
chicken liver
fish
brewers rice
Diamond
Naturals
Chicken Dinner
Diamond
Naturals Chicken Dinner
First Five Ingredients
chickenchicken liver
chicken broth
carrot
brown rice flour
Diamond
Naturals
Whitefish Dinner
Diamond
Naturals Whitefish Dinner
First Five Ingredients
whitefishfish broth
chicken
ocean fish
chicken liver
