Merrick Cat Food Ingredients | 2022 Ingredient Review (2023)

Merrick Cat Food Ingredients | 2022 Ingredient Review (1)

According to our research, Merrick manufactures 77 cat food recipes using 147 unique ingredients. To evaluate the quality of ingredients used by Merrick, we've studied all 147 ingredients. In this article, we'll share our findings on Merrick ingredients.

Cat Food Recipes	77
Unique Ingredients	147
Artificial Colors	0
Animal By-Products	0
Anonymous Meats	0
Controversial	2
Harmful	1

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

chicken
chicken broth
chicken liver
chicken liver
pea

As you can see, the most common first ingredient in Merrick is chicken. The most common 2nd ingredient is chicken broth, followed by chicken liver, chicken liver, and pea.

Artificial Food Coloring Dyes

Merrick does not use any artificial food coloring dyes. According to our records, none of the 77 Merrick 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, Merrick 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 Merrick 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 147 Merrick ingredients. According to our data, Merrick does not contain any anonymous animal-based ingredients.

Cereal Grains

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

According to our data, Merrick cat food recipes do not contain grains. In other words, all recipes are grain-free.

Please note, 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.

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 2 controversial ingredients inside Merrick products. These controversial ingredients are listed below. Click on each ingredient for more information.

powdered cellulose

8 Recipes

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:

Merrick Purrfect Bistro Healthy Senior Recipe
Merrick Purrfect Bistro Healthy Weight Recipe
Merrick Purrfect Bistro Beef Wellington Morsels In Gravy
Merrick Purrfect Bistro Chicken Casserole Morsels In Gravy
Merrick Purrfect Bistro Chicken Divan Morsels In Gravy
Merrick Purrfect Bistro Grammy's Pot Pie Minced In Gravy
Merrick Purrfect Bistro Thanksgiving Day Dinner Minced In Gravy
Merrick Purrfect Bistro Tuna Nicoise Morsels In Gravy

pea protein

28 Recipes

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:

Merrick Purrfect Bistro Real Chicken + Sweet Potato Recipe
Merrick Purrfect Bistro Real Salmon + Sweet Potato Recipe
Merrick Purrfect Bistro Real Duck + Sweet Potato Recipe
Merrick Purrfect Bistro Gourmet Shreds Braised Beef Recipe
Merrick Purrfect Bistro Gourmet Shreds Ocean Whitefish + Tuna Recipe
Merrick Purrfect Bistro Gourmet Shreds Oven Roasted Chicken Recipe
Merrick Purrfect Bistro Gourmet Shreds Tender Turkey Recipe
Merrick Backcountry Grain Free Real Chicken Recipe Pate
Merrick Backcountry Grain Free Real Salmon Recipe Pate
Merrick Backcountry Grain Free Kitten Chicken Recipe Pate
Merrick Backcountry Grain Free Real Turkey Recipe Pate
Merrick Backcountry Grain Free Real Rabbit Recipe Pate
Merrick Backcountry Grain Free Real Duck Recipe Pate
Merrick Backcountry Grain Free Real Beef Recipe Pate
Merrick Backcountry Grain Free Mature Chicken Recipe Pate
Merrick Backcountry Raw Infused Mature Recipe
Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet Real Tuna + Chickpeas Recipe
Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet Real Chicken Recipe Pate For Adult Cats
Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet Real Duck Recipe Pate For Adult Cats
Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet Real Salmon Recipe Pate For Adult Cats
Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet Real Turkey Recipe Pate For Adult Cats
Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet Real Tuna Recipe Pate For Adult Cats
Merrick Purrfect Bistro Indoor Senior Recipe With Real Chicken + Sweet Potato
Merrick Purrfect Bistro Indoor Adult Recipe With Real Chicken + Sweet Potato
Merrick Purrfect Bistro Complete Care Weight Control Recipe With Real Chicken + Sweet Potato For Adult Cats
Merrick Purrfect Bistro Complete Care Sensitive Stomach Recipe With Real Chicken + Sweet Potato For Adult Cats
Merrick Purrfect Bistro Complete Care Hairball Control With Real Chicken + Sweet Potato Recipe For Adult Cats
Merrick Purrfect Bistro Indoor Senior Chicken Recipe Pate

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.

There are certain situations where these ingredients may be necessary. We always recommend contacting Merrick for further clarification regarding any harmful or controversial ingredient.

We have identified 1 harmful ingredient used in certain Merrick recipes. To learn more, click on the ingredient's name.

menadione sodium bisulfite complex

2 Recipes

Menadione sodium bisulfite complex is a synthetic version of vitamin K that has been linked to many health concerns. Research has suggested possible toxic reactions in liver cells and red blood cells among other serious problems. In fact, one large chemical supplier warns, "The substance is toxic to kidneys, lungs, liver, mucous membranes. Repeated or prolonged exposure to the substance can produce target organs damage."

The following recipes contain menadione sodium bisulfite complex:

Merrick Purrfect Bistro Indoor Senior Chicken Recipe Pate
Merrick Purrfect Bistro Indoor Adult Chicken + Turkey Recipe Pate

Merrick Cat Food Ingredient Lists