1. Home
›
2. Feeding Dogs
›
3. Dog Food Company Claims: Buyer Beware

Ten Dog Food Company Claims They Hope You will Believe

By Janice Jones     |Last Updated 02-03-2020

Buyer Beware!

Reading dog food company claims on some  food packaging, one might assume that the food is highly superior to everything else on the market. 

Superfood, Natural, Real Chicken, Farm Raised Fruit.

However, what do those claims actually mean?  Not much, according to Linda Case  the author of Dog Food Logic.

I often wonder how much dog food companies pay their advertising staff to come up with such fantastic descriptions and unique wording to make their food sound like it is out of this world. 

Ten Dog Food Company Claims

When you look closely at these claims,
you’ll see that most are meaningless and some even silly. 

Natural Chicken

Natural Chicken as the first ingredient,  (as opposed to unnatural chicken?  The last thing you want to do is feed your dog an unnatural chicken product.) 

How many times have you seen the word, "Natural" on your dog food label.  It sounds impressive at first glance, but then again, most dog food manufactures only want you to take that "first glance."

Whether it's chicken, or turkey, or exotic kangaroo food, all food is natural.  If you find a synthetic food, run, don't walk away.

---

Butcher Quality Chicken

Butcher quality chicken:  What does that even mean?  I never realized that butchers had a rating scale.  All meats at one time or another come from a butcher.

---

Health Fruits

Healthy fruits:  versus unhealthy fruits.  I thought that all fruits were healthy.  Silly me.

Many dog food manufacturers promote their products that include healthy fruits and vegetables.  Healthy fruits and vegetables are a plus, but most dog foods include these veggies and fruits in such a small amount that makes them rather useless because they occur in such small quantities.

---

Active Ingredients (in food?)

Active ingredients versus inactive ingredients? Active ingredients sound like something in an over the counter medication.   And, here I thought they were talking about dog food.  Dog food should not include words such as active ingredients.

According to Wikipedia, the term, "Active Ingredient," refers to an ingredient in a pharmaceutical drug, or pesticide but a dog food?  Dog foods don't have active ingredients so dismiss this self-serving claim.

---

Real Lamb

Real Lamb versus fake lamb?  So who would have guessed there was such a thing as a fake lamb?  Which scientist thought up that one? 

I am always intrigued by the use of real lamb, real chicken, real beef, or real salmon. It sounds good but in reality there's no such thing. 

The take a way,

Wait for it. 

Real water included in each can of dog food.

---

Protein Focused

Protein focused versus protein unfocused?  Does that mean the protein needs glasses?  Maybe they should put that protein on ADHD medication?

What is protein focused anyway?  A dog food for your favorite carnivore canine that is protein unfocused.

---

Powerful Antioxidants

Powerful antioxidants versus powerless antioxidants. Poor pitiful, weak, powerless antioxidants—you sure don’t want those in your dog’s food.

Powerful antioxidants are a common claim in food and other products but what does it even mean. 

---

Accented

Accented with vitamin rich vegetables:  How exactly do you accent a vegetable?

---

Life Protection Formula

Life Protection Formula:  Glad to know my dog food will protect my dog for life.  Protect him from what?

---

Smart Blend

I'm glad they made the blend smart as I sure wouldn't want to feed my dog a dumb blend.

The Takeaway

Companies go to great lengths to sell their products.  Sometimes the taglines are memorable but sometimes they come across as nonsensical.  

Dog food companies, to be sure, have plenty of competition even within a large marketplace.  

These claims are meaningless and have no value other than to convince consumers to purchase products.

Adding hype to their label is one way to grab the dog owner’s attention.  Don’t fall victim to such claims.  They mean nothing. 

Better to spend time reading the dog food label, the guaranteed analysis or the AAFCO statement and learning about canine nutrition than to put any stock into gimmicky statements.

---

More Resources

---