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Scanned by Randall Saunders · April 12, 2026
Friskies Friskies Tasty Treasures Prime Filets with Chicken & Tuna in Gravy
39/100
Grade F — Avoid at All Costs
📦 Product Overview
BrandFriskies
TypeCat Food - Wet/Soft
Life Stageadult
Size5.5 oz (156g)
AAFCO Compliant✅ Yes
Label states this food is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Cat Food Nutrient Profiles for maintenance of adult cats. This is a formulation claim, not a feeding trial claim.
☠ Rendering / 4D Animal Warning

This food contains unspecified 'Meat By-Products' as the primary protein source. Under current FDA and AAFCO regulations, this ingredient can legally include rendered material from dead, dying, diseased, or disabled animals (4D animals), euthanized shelter animals, roadkill, and zoo animals. The FDA confirmed pentobarbital (euthanasia drug) in rendered pet food ingredients in 2002 and 2018. Since no species is named, there is zero transparency about what animal this came from or how it died. This is the lowest tier of pet food protein.

🧪 Ingredient Breakdown
✅
Water
Sufficient for gravy cat food. Water is the #1 ingredient, which is normal for wet food but means meat content is diluted.
❌
Meat By-Products
Unspecified 'meat by-products' — no species named. This can legally include 4D animals (dead, dying, diseased, disabled), euthanized shelter animals, and rendered scraps from unknown species. Pentobarbital contamination risk. The worst kind of protein source.
−3 pts
✅
Chicken
Named whole meat protein. Good. But listed after water and meat by-products, meaning there's less chicken than mystery scraps.
🟡
Wheat Gluten
Cheap plant protein used to inflate crude protein numbers. Cats are obligate carnivores — they need animal protein, not wheat gluten.
−1 pts
🟡
Chicken By-Products
Named by-product (chicken). Low-value parts like heads, feet, intestines, but at least the species is identified.
−1 pts
❌
Soy Flour
Highly processed soy filler. Common allergen for cats. Used to bulk up the food cheaply. No place in quality cat food.
−3 pts
❌
Corn Starch-Modified
Modified corn starch — a lab-altered thickener with zero nutritional value. Used as a binder for the gravy.
−3 pts
✅
Tuna
Named fish protein. Good inclusion, though listed far down the ingredient list meaning there's very little actual tuna. Mercury accumulation concern with tuna in general.
❌
Artificial and Natural Flavors
Contains artificial flavors — chemical mimics of real food taste. Also contains undisclosed 'natural flavors' which could be animal digest in disguise.
−3 pts
⚠
Natural Scallop Flavor
Source undisclosed. 'Natural flavor' is a vague term — could be anything from actual scallop extract to a chemical process.
−2 pts
✅
Tricalcium Phosphate
Mineral supplement — calcium and phosphorus source.
❌
Vegetable Oil
Unspecified vegetable oil. Could be any cheap blend — soybean, cottonseed, palm. No transparency. Not a quality fat source for cats.
−3 pts
✅
Potassium Chloride
Standard potassium supplement.
✅
Sodium Tripolyphosphate
Used as a preservative and emulsifier. Generally recognized as safe in pet food.
✅
Taurine
Essential amino acid for cats — mandatory supplementation. Good that it's included; deficiency causes blindness and heart failure in cats.
🟡
Casein
Milk protein — moderate lactose/dairy concern for cats. Most adult cats are lactose intolerant.
−1 pts
✅
Manganese Sulfate
Standard mineral supplement.
✅
Copper Sulfate
Standard mineral supplement.
✅
Potassium Iodide
Standard mineral supplement.
✅
Zinc Sulfate
Standard mineral supplement.
✅
Ferrous Sulfate
Standard iron supplement.
✅
Sodium Sulfate
Sodium and sulfur supplement.
✅
Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B-1)
Essential B vitamin.
✅
Riboflavin Supplement (Vitamin B-2)
Essential B vitamin.
✅
Niacin (Vitamin B-3)
Essential B vitamin.
✅
Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B-5)
Essential B vitamin.
✅
Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B-6)
Essential B vitamin.
✅
Biotin (Vitamin B-7)
Essential B vitamin.
✅
Folic Acid (Vitamin B-9)
Essential B vitamin.
✅
Vitamin D-3 Supplement
Essential vitamin.
✅
Vitamin A Supplement
Essential for cats — they cannot convert beta-carotene.
✅
Choline Chloride
Essential nutrient for liver function.
⚠
Menadione Sodium Bisulfite
Synthetic Vitamin K3. Banned in human supplements in multiple countries due to toxicity concerns. Linked to liver damage and oxidative stress. There are safer forms of Vitamin K available.
−2 pts
🟡
Non-Fat Dry Milk
Dairy ingredient — most adult cats are lactose intolerant. Can cause GI upset.
−1 pts
☠️
Sodium Nitrite
Known carcinogen. Forms carcinogenic nitrosamines under heat — and this food is heat-processed. Used as a color fixative. There is zero reason to include a cancer-causing preservative in cat food.
−5 pts
⚖ What's Good / What's Bad
Good
✅ Contains named whole chicken and tuna
✅ Taurine supplemented — essential for cats
✅ Complete vitamin and mineral profile included
✅ AAFCO compliant for adult cat maintenance
✅ Wet food format supports hydration — important for cats
Bad
❌ Unspecified 'Meat By-Products' is the #1 protein — unknown species, 4D animal risk, pentobarbital contamination risk
❌ Soy flour — common allergen, no place in quality cat food
❌ Modified corn starch — nutritionally void filler
❌ Artificial flavors present — chemical taste mimics with no nutritional value
❌ Unspecified vegetable oil — zero transparency on fat source
❌ Wheat gluten inflates protein numbers cheaply instead of real meat
❌ Sodium nitrite — a confirmed carcinogen forming nitrosamines under heat
❌ Menadione sodium bisulfite — synthetic Vitamin K3 banned in human supplements
❌ Multiple dairy ingredients (casein, non-fat dry milk) despite most adult cats being lactose intolerant
🧬 Potential Cancer-Linked Ingredients
☠️
Sodium Nitrite −8 pts — Forms carcinogenic nitrosamines when heated. This is a heat-processed canned food — meaning nitrosamine formation is virtually guaranteed. Used only as a color fixative. A manufacturer that puts a known carcinogen in cat food to make it look prettier is not prioritizing the animal's health.
📊 Score Breakdown
Start score100 pts
Ingredient penalties−28 pts
❌ No Named Whole-Meat Protein in Top 3 — Water is #1, Meat By-Products is #2 (doesn't count — unspecified by-products), Chicken is #3. Chicken IS a named whole meat, so this deduction does NOT apply.−0 pts
❌ Primary Protein Source is By-Product/Unspecified — 'Meat By-Products' (unspecified species) is the first protein ingredient−15 pts
❌ Artificial Colors Present — Sodium Nitrite functions as a color fixative (artificial coloring agent)−8 pts
❌ Three or More Filler Starches/Refined Carbs — Soy Flour, Modified Corn Starch, Wheat Gluten (protein inflator functioning as filler)−10 pts
Final score39/100
💬 The Verdict

Friskies Tasty Treasures is a textbook example of a budget cat food that prioritizes cost-cutting over feline health. The primary protein is unspecified 'Meat By-Products' — literally mystery animal scraps with pentobarbital contamination risk. The protein numbers are inflated by wheat gluten, soy flour, and casein instead of actual meat. The inclusion of sodium nitrite — a confirmed carcinogen — in a heat-processed food is indefensible. Menadione (synthetic Vitamin K3) is banned in human supplements for good reason. Purina/Nestlé is one of the largest pet food companies on earth with billions in revenue, and this is what they choose to put in a can.

🧨 Final Verdict

Randall™ says: This is a 39/100 — an F grade, and it earned every bit of that failure. Nestlé Purina makes billions of dollars in profit annually. They employ board-certified veterinary nutritionists. They have the resources to make a decent product. Instead, they chose to fill this can with unspecified meat by-products (the rendering industry's mystery bin), inflate the protein with wheat gluten and soy flour, thicken it with modified corn starch, and then add sodium nitrite — a known carcinogen that forms cancer-causing nitrosamines during heat processing — all to make a cheap can of cat food look and taste acceptable. The 'prime filets' name is marketing theater. There is nothing prime about unspecified animal scraps padded with soy and wheat. Cats are obligate carnivores. They deserve named animal proteins, not a chemistry experiment in a can. There are better wet cat foods available at comparable price points. This one is not recommended.