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Cat Food Ingredient

Yellow 6

Our ingredient score: 0 / 5 · Artificial color · How We Score

Artificial colors are synthetic dyes added for one reason: to make kibble look like meat or vegetable pieces to the person buying it. Cats do not see color the way people do, and the dyes add no nutrition. Because some dyes can contain impurities such as benzidine from manufacturing, the US sets a legal limit on benzidine in Yellow 5 and Yellow 6. The European Union requires a warning label on human foods containing Red 40, Yellow 5 or Yellow 6, citing possible effects on activity and attention in children. Long-term safety studies in cats are almost nonexistent.

Common Questions

Is Yellow 6 bad for cats?

Yellow 6, or FD&C Yellow No. 6, is a synthetic orange-yellow dye. FDA lists it among color additives that must be batch certified before use in food. Long-term research on Yellow 6 in cats is close to nonexistent, and it has no nutritional purpose. If your cat has a medical condition or reacts to its food, ask your veterinarian.

Source: ecfr.gov

Why is Yellow 6 in cat food?

Yellow 6 is added to give kibble an orange or golden tone, often in mixes meant to look like carrots or cooked meat. The color is chosen for the shopper. Cats judge food mostly by smell and taste. Yellow 6 adds no nutrients.

Is Yellow 6 the same as Sunset Yellow?

FDA's listing describes FD&C Yellow No. 6 by its chemistry rather than by a common name: it is principally the disodium salt of an azo naphthalenesulfonic acid. It is a separate dye from Yellow 5, which FDA also names tartrazine. Labels may list it as Yellow 6 or as Yellow 6 Lake.

Source: ecfr.gov

What does FDA batch certification mean for Yellow 6?

It means every batch of Yellow 6 must be certified under FDA's color certification rules before it can be used in food. Each batch must meet FDA specifications that cap impurities, such as leftover manufacturing intermediates, aniline, benzidine, lead and arsenic, and set a minimum total color content. Certification covers purity. It is not a finding that the dye does anything for the animal eating it.

Source: ecfr.gov

How does Pettings score Yellow 6?

Pettings gives Yellow 6 0 out of 5 and lists it as an artificial color. It appears on 10 of the 149 dry cat foods we list. Synthetic dyes get our lowest score because they change only how the food looks and add nothing for the cat. Each food's page shows how it scores overall.

How Foods With Yellow 6 Compare

Yellow 6 is on the label of 10 of the 149 dry cat foods we list. Their average Ingredients score is 35 out of 100. The 139 foods without it average 59.

An average describes the foods, not this ingredient alone: one ingredient is only a small part of a food's score.

Top-Ranked Foods Without Yellow 6

  1. Orijen Guardian 8 (91)
  2. Orijen Kitten (91)
  3. Orijen Original Cat (91)
  4. Acana Highest Protein Wild Atlantic (90)
  5. Go! Solutions Carnivore Grain Free Chicken, Turkey + Duck Recipe (90)

Ranked the same way as our best lists: nothing on the Avoid List and a Nutrition score of at least 6/10 first, then by Ingredients score.

Foods With Yellow 6 (10)