I used to think that FF was "junk" too...but then I started to look at the ingredients. The pet food industry isn't catering to the pets, it caters to the humans. They know that we equated fruits and veggies with good health so they load cat food with unnecessary veggies like carrots, potatoes, spinach, PEAS, etc. Cats do not need them- they are simply fillers that get pooped right on out. "Premium" brands also tend to be high in carbs because of the carby fillers, like potatoes and carrots (NOTE: Not all brands are high in carbs but many are). Cats do not process carbs very well, or at all.Let me just add that going to a cheaper food is NOT the answer! You get what you pay for...my cats' health is more important than few dollars a month. I refuse to feed them junky food.
That being said...if you look at Fancy Feast ingredients, you will only see animal products before you reach the vitamin supplements. Even "by-products" are good, because those products (liver, offal in birds, feet, gizzards, etc.) are what a cat would naturally consume if it were a wild animal and are full of important vitamins and minerals. Gross to humans, but a delicacy to our tiny tigers.
I personally feed half homemade raw and half canned. Fancy Feast is in our canned rotation, and it is what I feed our growing kitten Dexter. He has absolutely thrived on it and cleans his plate every time. And it is WORLDS cheaper than some of the so-called "premium" brands that just have fillers with a smaller percentage of meat and charge $2+ a can.
Of course, I'm not telling you what to do and what you should feed your cats. I'm giving you information based off of information I have garnered from this website and from the link below. If you want to go down that rabbit hole, you can check it out!
CatFoodDB - Cat Food Reviews to help you find the best cat food for your cat