Summit Cat Food Ingredients
According to our research, Summit manufactures 1 cat food recipes using 45 unique ingredients. To evaluate the quality of ingredients used by Summit, we've studied all 45 ingredients. In this article, we'll share our findings on Summit ingredients.
| Cat Food Recipes | 1 |
| Unique Ingredients | 45 |
| Artificial Colors | 0 |
| Animal By-Products | 0 |
| Anonymous Meats | 0 |
| Controversial | 0 |
| 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 Summit, these are the most common ingredients found within the first 5 cat food ingredients.
- chicken meal
- whole brown rice
- oatmeal
- potato
- pea
As you can see, the most common first ingredient in Summit is chicken meal. The most common 2nd ingredient is whole brown rice, followed by oatmeal, potato, and pea.
Artificial Food Coloring Dyes
Summit does not use any artificial food coloring dyes. According to our records, none of the 1 Summit 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, Summit 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 Summit 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 45 Summit ingredients. According to our data, Summit does not contain any anonymous animal-based ingredients.
Cereal Grains
Certain Summit 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.
Whole 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 whole brown rice:
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 Summit is one of these top-notch brands. We've looked through all 45 Summit 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 Summit ingredients analyzed were classified as harmful by our system. The absence of harmful ingredients is indicative of a relatively premium cat food brand.
Summit Cat Food Ingredient Lists
Summit
Original
Three Meat Indoor Cat Recipe
Summit
Original Three Meat Indoor Cat Recipe
First Five Ingredients
chicken mealwhole brown rice
oatmeal
potato
pea
