Wellness CORE Tiny Tasters (Wet) Review

Wellness CORE Tiny Tasters product range is made of 12 recipes which all receive the Cat Food Advisor above average rating, 4-stars.

Made from natural ingredients, this range is high in protein and contains essential fatty acids to help maintain your cat’s healthy coat.

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

Recipe and Label Analysis

Wellness CORE Tiny Tasters Paté Tuna 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 tuna. Tuna is an oily marine fish not only high in protein but also omega-3 fatty acids, essential oils needed by cats to sustain life. This item is typically sourced from clean, undecomposed whole fish and fish cuttings of commercial fish operations.

The second ingredient is chicken. This is an organ meat sourced from a named animal and thus considered a beneficial component.

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 water sufficient for processing. This adds nothing but moisture to food and is a routine finding in most wet cat foods.

The fifth ingredient is sunflower oil which is nutritionally similar to safflower oil. Since these oils are high in omega-6 fatty acids and contain no omega-3s, they’re considered less nutritious than canola or flaxseed oils. Sunflower oil is notable for its resistance to heat damage during cooking.

The sixth ingredient is tapioca starch, a gluten-free, starchy carbohydrate extract made from the root of the cassava plant.

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.

This recipe receives an above average rating – 4 stars.

Nutrient Analysis

Based on its ingredients alone, Wellness CORE Tiny Tasters Paté Tuna looks like an above average wet product and is relatively low fat too.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 50%, a fat level of 27.3% and an estimated carbohydrate level of 14.7%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 62% and a mean fat level of 27%. Together these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 12%, alongside a fat-to-protein ratio of 50%.

This means this Wellness CORE Tiny Tasters product line contains above average protein and carbohydrate content and below average fat when compared to typical wet cat food.

Has Wellness cat food been recalled in the past?

Wellness has had a few cat food recalls. The most recent was in February 2017, when a number of canned cat foods were recalled due to the potential for foreign material.

In February 2011, the following Wellness canned cat foods were recalled due to inadequate levels of thiamine (Vitamin B1);

• Wellness (all flavors and sizes, including CORE) with “best by” dates of April 14–Sept. 30, 2013
• Wellness Chicken & Herring (all sizes) with “best by” dates of either Nov. 10, 2013 OR Nov. 17, 2013

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

Wellness Pet Company’s headquarters is just outside Boston, in Tewksbury, Massachusetts. It maintains the Farm Fresh Kitchen manufacturing facility in Minnesota and a manufacturing plant in Indiana. 

The company consists of Wellness Natural Pet Food, Old Mother Hubbard by Wellness, WHIMZEES by Wellness, Sojos, Eagle Pack and Holistic Select.