Researchers identified shark genetic material in cat foods purchased in Singapore, including Fancy Feast, Sheba, Whiskas, Kit Kat and Aixia Yaizu. The scientists suggested that endangered silky sharks and other species ended up in pet foods. However, the study’s authors couldn’t determine the route by which the shark meat made its way into the pet food supply chain. Likewise, they didn’t have easy solutions for how pet food companies could avoid inadvertently allowing endangered sharks into their products.
“This is million-dollar question,” study co-author Benjamin Wainwright, assistant professor of marine biology at Yale-NUS, told Petfood Industry in an email. He suggested better labelling and more accountability throughout the supply chain.
Endangered shark species in pet foods
Wainwright’s team found evidence of sharks from species controlled under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) or classified as threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The CITES Appendix II listed silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis) was the second most frequently encountered species in the pet foods. Silky sharks face tremendous hunting pressure for their fins. The researchers speculated that the presence of the silky sharks may reflect the use of the rest of their carcasses in pet food.
Blue sharks, Prionace glauca, were the most common species in the samples. Blue sharks are not listed in CITES or classified as threatened by the IUCN, but scientists believe it is being overfished and needs regulation.
None of the pet foods’ ingredient decks mentioned sharks. Terms such as “ocean fish,” “white fish” and “white bait” appeared though.
“The vague terminology used to describe pet food ingredients, and in some cases, the mislabeling of contents, prevents consumers, in this case, pet owners, from making informed and environmentally conscious decisions; consequently, pet owners and animal lovers may unwittingly be contributing to the overfishing of endangered sharks,” the study authors wrote in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science.
The brands used in the study were all available on the retail market in Singapore.
Pet foods containing shark DNA signatures
Brand | Recipe | Type | Shark species |
Sheba | Tuna and White Fish in Gravy | Wet | Rhizoprionodon oligolinx, Carcharhinus sorrah |
Fancy Feast | Tender Ocean Whitefish Feast: Kitten | Wet | Carcharhinus sorrah, Carcharhinus falciformis |
Sheba | Tuna and Salmon in Gravy | Wet | Carcharhinus sorrah |
Snappy Tom | Whitemeat Tuna with Flaked Salmon | Wet | Rhizoprionodon porosus |
Fancy Feast | Ocean Whitefish & Tuna Feast in Sauteed Seafood Flavor Gravy | Wet | Carcharias taurus |
Whiskas | Ocean Fish | Wet | Hemigaleus microstoma |
Monge Jelly | Yellowfin Tuna and Whitebait | Wet | Carcharhinus spp. |
Fancy Feast | Tender Ocean Whitefish Feast: Kitten | Wet | Loxodon macrorhinus |
Fancy Feast | Ocean Whitefish & Tuna Feast: Classic Pate | Wet | Carcharhinus falciformis |
Fancy Feast | Seafood Feast: Classic Pate | Wet | Prionace glauca, Prionace glauca |
Snappy Tom | Whitemeat Tuna with Flaked Salmon | Wet | Prionace glauca, Carcharhinus spp. |
Sheba | Tuna and White Fish in Gravy | Wet | Carcharhinus falciformis |
aristo-cats | Tuna with Smoked Fish | Wet | Carcharhinus spp. |
NuTripe | Ocean Fish and Green Tripe | Wet | Prionace glauca |
Whiskas | Seafood Platter | Wet | Carcharhinus spp. |
Aixia Yaizu | Tuna and Chicken with Whitebait | Wet | Carcharhinus spp. |
Kit Cat | Kitten and Pregnant Cat: Complete Premium Cat Food | Wet | Triaenodon obesus |
Whiskas | Mackerel and Sardines | Wet | Carcharhinus falciformis, Loxodon macrorhinus, Carcharias taurus |
Kit Cat | Tuna and Whitebait | Wet | Carcharhinus spp., Carcharhinus spp. |
Fancy Feast | Broth: Creamy, with Tuna, Chicken and Whitefish in a Decadent Creamy Broth | Broth | Carcharhinus spp., Hemigaleus microstoma, Carcharhinus spp. |
Sheba | Tuna and White Fish in Gravy | Wet | Carcharhinus spp., Prionace glauca, Prionace glauca |
Kit Cat | Wild Caught Tuna and Whitebait | Wet | N/A, Prionace glauca, Triaenodon obesus |
Fancy Feast | Broth: Classic, with Tuna, Anchovies, and Whitefish in a Decadent Silky Broth | Broth | Prionace glauca, Carcharhinus spp. |
Fancy Feast | Savory Salmon Feast: Classic Pate | Wet | Triaenodon obesus, Prionace glauca |
Sheba | Tuna with Prawn in Jelly | Wet | Carcharhinus spp. |
Whiskas | Tuna and Whitefish Flavored Broth | Broth | Carcharhinus spp. |
Fancy Feast | Inspirations with Tuna Courgette and Wholegrain Rice | Wet | Carcharhinus spp. |
Sheba | Tuna with Shredded Crab | Wet | Carcharhinus spp. |
Fancy Feast | Ocean Whitefish and Tuna Feast: Classic Pate | Wet | Triaenodon obesus, Carcharhinus spp. |
Sheba | Tuna and Whitefish in Gravy | Wet | Carcharhinus spp., Carcharhinus spp., Loxodon macrorhinus |
Sheba | Tuna and Salmon in Gravy | Wet | Rhizoprionodon porosus |
Sheba | Tuna Fillet in Jelly | Wet | Carcharhinus spp. Carcharhinus spp. |
