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What's actually in Taste of the Wild?
We analyzed the 2026 reformulated Taste of the Wild Canyon River Grain-Free Trout & Smoke-Flavored Salmon Cat Food. The first five ingredients are trout, fish meal, salmon meal, sweet potatoes, and lentils.
Three named fish proteins in the top three positions is a meaningful upgrade from the prior recipe. Trout leads — a named, whole fish you can identify. Fish meal at number two is a concentrated animal protein with roughly three times the protein density of whole fish by weight. Salmon meal at number three (new in this reformulation) adds a second concentrated animal protein, raising the food's animal-protein density meaningfully above the prior recipe. Sweet potatoes at number four provide complex carbohydrates with fiber, beta-carotene, and a lower glycemic impact than corn or wheat.
Lentils now appear at #5 (replacing potatoes in the prior recipe), with peas at #6. Smoke-flavored salmon appears further down the list, with the rest of the formula filled out by canola oil, taurine, prebiotic dried chicory root, and a five-strain probiotic blend. Shop on Amazon →
The good stuff
The protein diversity is the headline. Trout, ocean fish meal, and smoked salmon each bring a slightly different amino acid profile and nutrient set. Fish-based proteins are naturally rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which support coat health, skin integrity, and joint function in cats. You're getting omega-3s built into the protein itself, not just from an added oil.
The fruit and vegetable inclusions are more than decorative. Blueberries and raspberries provide natural antioxidants. Tomatoes add lycopene, another antioxidant. These aren't present in large quantities, but they contribute real micronutrients that you won't find in cheaper formulas built around corn and wheat.
Dried chicory root is a prebiotic fiber that feeds beneficial gut bacteria — the same ingredient used in higher-end cat foods for digestive support. Taurine is supplemented, which is essential for cats. No artificial colors, no artificial flavors, no artificial preservatives. The ingredient list is clean and relatively transparent.
The price is competitive. Taste of the Wild is manufactured by Diamond Pet Foods, and that manufacturing scale keeps costs well below what you'd pay for comparable ingredient quality from smaller brands.
The not-so-good stuff
The starch and legume load remains a real concern. Sweet potatoes, lentils, and peas occupy positions four through six. That's a significant amount of plant-based starch and legume content in a food for an obligate carnivore — and the reformulation actually moved lentils into the top five (it was potatoes in the prior recipe), which keeps the legume question current.
The grain-free question applies here, though it's less clear-cut for cats than for dogs. The FDA's investigation into a potential link between grain-free diets and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) has focused primarily on dogs. Cats are less commonly affected, and their obligate carnivore biology arguably makes a grain-free diet more natural for them. Still, the lentils-and-peas top-six load is worth noting — and is what KibbleIQ's updated dry rubric specifically penalizes via the legume-density rule.
Canola oil appears in the upper-middle of the ingredient list. It's a functional fat source, but it's a plant oil with less nutritional value for cats than animal-based fats. Chicken fat or fish oil would be preferable here. The smoke-flavored salmon (a label rename from "smoked salmon" in the prior recipe) appears further down — a genuine animal source, but ranked too low to drive significant protein contribution.
How it compares
Following the 2026 reformulation, Taste of the Wild now ties with Wellness (A/90) at the top of the B tier and edges past Blue Buffalo (B/75). The salmon meal addition at #3 raised animal-protein density meaningfully — that's the lift driving the +2 score change.
Where Taste of the Wild pulls ahead is protein diversity. Three named fish sources (trout, fish meal, salmon meal) versus Wellness's chicken-only approach gives cats a broader amino acid profile and more of the omega-3s they need. If your cat does well on fish-based foods, this formula has an argument.
Compared to the vet-recommended brands, the gap is significant. Hill's Science Diet (C/63) and Purina Pro Plan (C/58) both score a full grade lower. Royal Canin (C/58) scores 20 points lower. Taste of the Wild delivers better ingredients at a comparable or lower price.
Read the full breakdowns in our head-to-head comparisons: Blue Buffalo vs Taste of the Wild, Wellness vs Taste of the Wild, and Canidae vs Taste of the Wild.
The bottom line
Taste of the Wild Canyon River earns a A grade (90/100) from KibbleIQ following its 2026 reformulation. Three named fish proteins (trout, fish meal, salmon meal) in the top three positions, antioxidant-rich berries, prebiotic chicory root, a five-strain probiotic blend, and no artificial anything — at a price that undercuts most brands with comparable ingredients. The legume content (lentils + peas top six) is the main rubric drag, and the obligate-carnivore caveat applies, but this is a genuinely good cat food at a fair price. If your cat likes fish and you want quality without overpaying, Canyon River delivers. Shop on Amazon →