Shark DNA found in 32 cat foods: Sheba, Whiskas, Kit Cat…

Scientists suggested that endangered silky sharks and other species ended up in pet foods. However, the researchers couldn’t determine the route by which the shark meat made its way into the pet food supply chain.

Tim Wall

March 9, 2022

A silky shark swims past offshore of Oahu

Swims with Fish | Bigstock.com

Researchers identified shark genetic material in cat foods purchased in Singapore, including Fancy Feast, Sheba, Whiskas, Kit Cat 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.

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“This is the 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 silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis), listed as CITES Appendix II, 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.