PFI rejects findings on heavy metals in cat food

The US non-profit Clean Label Project has tested 100 cat food products from 62 brands for more than 122 contaminants and reports detecting lead in 99%, cadmium in 96% and arsenic in 94% of them. The organisation did not measure the results against regulatory limits, which in its view do not exist in applicable form for cat food, but ranked the products against one another and against its own standard. According to the report, the study does not determine whether a specific product will harm a cat; each product was tested from a single batch.

The US industry association Pet Food Institute (PFI) has rejected the conclusions. The study ‘risks misleading cat owners because it lacks important scientific and regulatory context needed to interpret its findings’, CEO Elise Fennig told the trade publication Petfood Industry. The mere presence of a metal does not indicate harm, she said; it was also unclear whether the research had undergone scientific or veterinary review.