Purina Beyond (Wet) Review

Purina Beyond wet product range is made of twelve pate recipes which all receive the Cat Food Advisor second highest rating, 4 stars.

Purina Beyond wet food is made from natural ingredients and added vitamins, minerals and nutrients.  The range includes limited-ingredient recipes, USDA organic options, and mixers to support digestive and immune health.

The table below shows each recipe in this range including our rating and the AAFCO nutrient profile: Growth (kitten), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.

Recipe and Label Analysis

Purina Beyond Grain Free Wild Salmon Recipe Paté was selected to represent the other products in the line for a detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.

Label and nutrient data below are calculated using dry matter basis.

Ingredients Analysis

The first ingredient is salmon, an oily marine and freshwater fish not only high in protein but also omega-3 fatty acids, essential oils needed by every cat to sustain life.

The second ingredient is chicken, which is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of chicken”. ¹  

Chicken is naturally rich in the 11 essential amino acids required by a cat to sustain life.

The third ingredient is fish broth. Broths are nutritionally empty. But because they add both flavor and moisture to a cat food they are a common addition component in many canned products.The fourth ingredient is liver. Normally, liver can be considered a quality component. However, in this case, the source of the liver is not identified. For this reason, it’s impossible to judge the quality of this item.

The fifth ingredient is egg product, which is an unspecified (wet or dry?) form of shell-free eggs. Quality can vary significantly. Lower grade egg-product can even come from commercial hatcheries – from eggs that have failed to hatch.  In any case, eggs are easy to digest and have an exceptionally high biological value.

The sixth ingredient is carrots which are rich in beta-carotene, minerals and dietary fiber.

The seventh ingredient is potassium chloride, a nutritional supplement sometimes used as a replacement for the sodium found in table salt.

From here the list goes on to include a number of other items. But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of the product.

However there is one notable exception:

This recipe includes menadione, a controversial form of vitamin K linked to liver toxicity, allergies and the abnormal break-down of red blood cells.

Since vitamin K isn’t required by AAFCO in its nutrient profiles, we question the use of this item in any feline recipe.

This recipe receives a 4-star rating.

Nutrient Analysis

Based on its ingredients alone, Purina Beyond Grain Free Wild Salmon Recipe Pate looks like an above-average wet product.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 45.5%, a fat level of 22.7% and an estimated carbohydrate level of 23.8%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 44.3% and a mean fat level of 18.9%. Together these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 28.8% for the overall product line, alongside a fat-to-protein ratio of 45%.

This means the Purina Beyond wet product line contains above-average protein, near-average carbs and above-average fat when compared to typical wet cat food.

Has Purina Beyond cat food been recalled in the past?

Yes, Purina has had a number of cat food recalls over the years.

The last one was in July 2021 when cans of Purina Pro Plan Complete Essentials Tuna Entree in Sauce Wet Cat Food were recalled as they may have contained plastic.

In March 2019, Purina issued a recall of one of its Muse cat foods.

In 2012, a single lot of Purina Veterinary Diets OM Overweight Management Feline Formula was recalled due to low levels of thiamine. Production Code #11721159.

In June 2011, Friskies issued a small recall due to the potential risk of salmonella contamination. This recall only affected a small range of Friskies products, – the Friskies Grillers Blend dry cat food recipe in 3.15lb and 16lb bags with best-by dates of August 2012.

In the same year, some other Purina dry cat foods were recalled due to suspected salmonella contamination. The products affected were: Purina ONE Vibrant Maturity 7+ dry cat food, 3.5 lb. and 7 lb. bags, with a “Best by” date of May 2012 and Production Code #03341084 or #03351084 and Purina Cat Chow Naturals, 6.3 lb., Production Code #10331083 13, with “Best by” date of August 2012.

You can view a complete list of all cat food recalls since 2021 here.

To stay on top of any cat food product recalls, sign up for our free email alerts, here.

About

Nestlé Purina PetCare is an American subsidiary of the Swiss corporation Nestlé, based in St. Louis, Missouri. It produces and markets pet food, treats, cat and dog litter. 

The cat food brands owned by Purina are: Beyond, Breeze, DenaLife, Fancy Feast, Friskies, Kit & Kaboodle, Petivity, Purina Cat Chow, Purina ONE, Purina Pro Plan, Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets, Tidy Cats and Whisker Lickin’s.