Meow Mix: Facts, Recalls & Verified Foods
Meow Mix is made by The J.M. Smucker Company, founded 1973 — it scores green on 1 of 5 WSAVA-aligned criteria we track (0 red, 4 undisclosed), 1 FDA recall on record, and 0 of the 2 Meow Mix foods we've verified carry an AAFCO feeding-trial statement.
· 2 Meow Mix food labels checked
The scorecard
WSAVA-aligned criteria
The World Small Animal Veterinary Association's nutrition guidelines suggest questions to ask any pet food maker before you buy. Here are this brand's answers, each with its source, or marked undisclosed when we could not confirm one.
1 of 5 criteria confirmed yes · 0 confirmed no · 4 undisclosed. Undisclosed is common, especially for smaller brands — it means we couldn't confirm an answer from a public source, not that the answer is unfavorable.
meowmix.com FAQ/About Us did not address manufacturing. Confidence moderate.
source & quote
view source →
No feeding-trial AAFCO statement found on the 2 labels we’ve verified for this brand, and no company-wide claim was found either. Most pet foods are only "formulated to meet" AAFCO profiles (a paper calculation) rather than fed to real animals in trials — this is common, not necessarily a red flag.
meowmix.com/faq (rendered) has no QC or feeding-trial statement.
PubMed has 1 match for Post Holdings (current owner), but none is a paper by someone working there (for example a "present address" note). Not proof no research exists.
source
These five checks come from WSAVA's guidelines on selecting pet foods — not our own opinion score. WSAVA does not approve or list brands. See how all 50 brands we track answer WSAVA's questions → · Our methodology →
The company
Who makes Meow Mix
Ownership and history, each sourced independently — private-label and co-packed brands often hide the actual manufacturer behind the name on the bag.
Parent company
The J.M. Smucker Company
source
view source →
Headquarters
Decatur, Alabama, USA
source
view source →
The cost
What Meow Mix costs, against everything else we have priced
The median Meow Mix dry food we have priced works out at $0.90 per 1,000 kcal, against $2.17 for the median dry food we have priced — so it sits about 2.4x below the market. Cost per 1,000 kcal is the only basis that survives different bag sizes and moisture levels; per pound this comparison would mean nothing. On composition the gap is usually smaller than the price gap implies: 34.1% dry-matter protein against a median of 32.2%.
Meow Mix foods by cost per 1,000 kcal
| Food | Form | Protein (DM) | Cost / 1,000 kcal | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meow Mix Original Choice | dry | 34.1% | $0.90 | Check price |
What Meow Mix actually puts in its food
The ingredients this brand reaches for most across its 2 verified foods, counted once per recipe. Each links to what the ingredient is, what the evidence says, and how common it is industry-wide.
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By-Product Meal (Meat / Poultry By-Product Meal)
In 2 of 2 Meow Mix foods (100%).
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Taurine (supplemental)
In 2 of 2 Meow Mix foods (100%).
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Mixed tocopherols (natural vitamin E)
In 1 of 2 Meow Mix foods (50%).
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Named Meat/Poultry Meal (e.g., Chicken Meal, Lamb Meal)
In 1 of 2 Meow Mix foods (50%).
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Ethoxyquin
In 1 of 2 Meow Mix foods (50%).
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Rosemary extract
In 1 of 2 Meow Mix foods (50%).
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Tapioca
In 1 of 2 Meow Mix foods (50%).
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Wheat Gluten
In 1 of 2 Meow Mix foods (50%).
The safety record
FDA recall history
From the FDA's Animal & Veterinary recall list, last checked 2026-10-19, plus older FDA notices we added by hand. Meow Mix recall page →
Meow Mix Original Choice Dry Cat Food, 30 lb bag, lots 1081804 and 1082804 (best by 9/14/2022 and 9/15/2022), sold at select Walmart stores in IL, MO, NE, NM, OK, UT, WI and WY; no other Meow Mix products affected
Potential Salmonella contamination; no reports of pet illness
The FDA's online recall list is complete for recent years but leaves out many notices from before about 2023. We add older FDA recall notices by hand when we find them.
The labels
What we've verified from Meow Mix's labels
Computed directly from the official-label data we've extracted for this brand — never estimated.
Foods verified
2
0 dog · 2 cat
Feeding-trial validated
0
of 2 (0%)
Formulated to meet
2
AAFCO paper calculation
Label transparency
63%
avg. fields disclosed
The foods
Foods from Meow Mix we've verified
Every one links to its own Verified Label — guaranteed analysis, AAFCO statement, and (where priced) cost per day.