Blue Buffalo Family Favorite Grain-Free Recipes Sunday Chicken Dinner

The average dog food we reviewed has 39 total ingredients, with 1 controversial ingredient. This product does have an artificial color called Caramel Color, which is controversial. More on that below.

Top 5 Ingredients

Dog food ingredients are listed in descending order of weight. So when looking at dog food label, take a close look at the first 5 ingredients. They make up about 80% of the total weight.

• Chicken
  Chicken is a nutritious meat which provides protein, fat and other nutrients to dogs. Raw meat contains about 75% water which is cooked off during the making of dog food. This leaves only a fraction of the protein content in the final product's weight. We recommend looking for dog foods that also include meat meals in the first five ingredients (pre-cooked meat powder that contains four times the amount of protein). However, chicken is generally a healthy dog food ingredient.

• Dried Egg
  Dried eggs are a powder made by drying shell-free eggs. Eggs are a high-quality protein source that offers excellent amino acid availability to dogs. They also provide healthy nutrients like vitamin A, calcium and iron. We consider this a healthy dog food ingredient.

• Chicken Liver
  Chicken liver is an organ that contains healthy nutrients like calories, protein, vitamins and minerals. Specifically, it's rich in iron, copper, vitamin A and B. We consider it a high-quality dog food ingredient.

• Water
  Water doesn't add nutrients to the food but is routinely used in dog food manufacturing (especially for canned foods). It's a standard dog food ingredient.

• Chicken Broth
  Chicken broth is often used as a healthy natural flavor or instead of water when making dog food. It makes dogs more likely to eat the food and adds moisture but doesn't provide a lot of nutritional value. Chicken Broth is generally a healthy dog food ingredient.

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‍Controversial Ingredients

1. Caramel Color
2. A more concentrated form of caramel used in pet food to change the color of the food. It contains 4-methylimidazole (4-MIE), which has been shown to potentially produce cancer in animals.

‍Country of Origin

Blue Buffalo products are made in the United States.

Meat & Fat Quality

This product uses three clearly named sources of protein - Chicken, Chicken Liver, and Dried Egg. This is a good thing because it tells us exactly which animal and which part of the animal the ingredient comes from. Beyond the meat, there are also Chicken Fat and Chicken Broth which are named sources of fat, moisture, and other nutrients. It’s a good sign of quality to see all the Meat and Fat sources coming from named species and sources.  

Artificial Preservatives

This product does not have any controversial preservatives. It’s good to know that ‍not all artificial preservatives are bad. That’s because they serve an important purpose, which is to prevent food from spoiling. However, we consider 11 artificial preservatives controversial because of their potential link to cancer and other serious health conditions.

Artificial Colors

This recipe includes Caramel Coloring. In addition to the potential health risks and the zero nutritional value, it's simply not something that your dog cares about.  

Artificial Flavors

No artificial flavors are used in this product either, that’s what we like to see.