beneful salmon dog food ingredients
Beneful Dog Food Ingredients
Beneful Dog Food Ingredients
According to our research, Beneful manufactures 44 dog food recipes using 131 unique ingredients. To evaluate the quality of ingredients used by Beneful, we've studied all 131 ingredients. In this article, we'll share our findings on Beneful ingredients.
| Dog Food Recipes | 44 |
| Unique Ingredients | 131 |
| Artificial Colors | 5 |
| Animal By-Products | 2 |
| Anonymous Meats | 2 |
| Controversial | 17 |
| Harmful | 6 |
First 5 Ingredients
Dog food ingredients in the United States are listed in descending order of pre-cooked weight. The first 5 ingredients typically constitute a significant portion of the recipe.
For Beneful, these are the most common ingredients found within the first 5 dog food ingredients.
- chicken
- chicken
- wheat gluten
- liver
- meat by-products
As you can see, the most common first ingredient in Beneful is chicken. The most common 2nd ingredient is chicken, followed by wheat gluten, liver, and meat by-products.
Artificial Food Coloring Dyes
Our records indicate that Beneful does use artificial food coloring dyes. More specifically, we've identified 5 artificial food dyes used by Beneful.
Although these food dyes are classified as Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) by the FDA, we recommend avoiding them when possible.
According to the Center For Research In The Public Interest (CSPI), there are many potential health risks associated with the consumption of artificial food coloring dyes.
Given that most pets consume the same products for prolonged periods of time, these concerns should be taken seriously. In general, we recommend pet owners avoid feeding products which contain artificial food coloring dyes.
For more information regarding the CSPI's findings, read our artificial food coloring article.
Red 40 is the most widely used artificial dye in consumer goods. Studies have shown that red 40 may accelerate the appearance of immune-system tumors in mice, cause allergy-like reactions and trigger hyperactivity in children.
The following recipes contain red 40:
Yellow 6 is an artificial food dye which may be contaminated with cancer-causing chemicals. According to the Center For Science In The Public Interest, yellow 6 can cause adrenal tumors in animals.
The following recipes contain yellow 6:
Yellow 5 is an artificial dye which may be contaminated with several cancer-causing chemicals. Like other dyes, yellow 5 does not provide any nutritional value.
The following recipes contain yellow 5:
The ingredient "added color" is ambiguous and may include various artificial dyes. Most artificial dyes have been linked to various chronic diseases.
The following recipes contain added color:
Blue 1 is an artificial dye with serious but unconfirmed health concerns. Like other dyes, blue 1 does not provide any nutritional value.
The following recipes contain blue 1:
Animal By-Products
Beneful does indeed use animal by-products. More specifically, 2 animal by-product ingredients were found during our analysis of Beneful dog food ingredients.
According to AAFCO, by-products are defined as the non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals. In other words, animal by-products are the leftover ingredients that humans typically do not consume (lung, heart, tongue, stomach, intestine, blood, etc).
Many consumers have equated animal by-products with slaughterhouse waste. Animal by-products are still very controversial. Most premium brands have abandoned them in favor of specific named organ ingredients (duck liver, chicken heart, etc).
If you must feed a product with animal by-products, ensure that the specific animal source is specified. In other words, avoid ingredients such as meat by-products or poultry by-products.
By-products are defined by AAFCO as the "non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals." Thus, meat by-products contain nearly all parts of the animal which are typically not consumed by humans. These parts include the liver, lung, spleen, kidney, stomach, blood, intestine, bone, etc.
This ingredient is marked controversial because the meat source is not identified. Anonymous ingredients such as meat by-products are typically very low quality additions. The most unpleasing property of this ingredient is that the animal source can contain any mammal, even dogs & cats.
The following recipes contain meat by-products:
- Beneful Chopped Blends With Beef, Carrots, Peas & Barley
- Beneful Chopped Blends With Chicken, Carrots, Peas & Wild Rice
- Beneful Chopped Blends With Turkey, Sweet Potatoes, Brown Rice & Spinach
- Beneful Chopped Blends With Salmon, Sweet Potatoes, Brown Rice & Spinach
- Beneful Chopped Blends With Chicken, Liver, Peas, Brown Rice & Sweet Potatoes
- Beneful Chopped Blends With Lamb, Brown Rice, Carrots, Tomatoes & Spinach
- Beneful Medleys Tuscan Style With Beef, Carrots, Tomatoes & Rice
- Beneful Medleys Romana Style With Chicken, Carrots, Pasta & Spinach
- Beneful Medleys Mediterranean Style With Lamb, Tomatoes, Brown Rice & Spinach
- Beneful Prepared Meals Beef Stew
- Beneful Prepared Meals Chicken Stew
- Beneful Prepared Meals Simmered Beef Entree
- Beneful Prepared Meals Simmered Chicken Medley
- Beneful Prepared Meals Beef & Chicken Medley
- Beneful Prepared Meals Roasted Chicken Recipe
- Beneful Prepared Meals Roasted Turkey Medley
- Beneful Prepared Meals Savory Rice & Lamb Stew
- Beneful IncrediBites With Real Salmon, Tomatoes, Carrots & Wild Rice
- Beneful IncrediBites With Real Chicken, Tomatoes, Carrots & Wild Rice
- Beneful IncrediBites With Real Beef, Tomatoes, Carrots & Wild Rice
- Beneful Superfood Blend With Chicken & Oceanfish, Apples, Kale & Accents of Millets
- Beneful Superfood Blend With Lamb & Trout, Sweet Potatoes, Quinoa & Accents of Blueberries
- Beneful Superfood Blend With Beef & Salmon, Pumpkin, Spinach & Sorghum
- Beneful IncrediBites Pat With Real Beef, Tomatoes, Carrots & Spinach
- Beneful IncrediBites Pat With Real Chicken, Tomatoes, Carrots & Spinach
- Beneful IncrediBites Pat With Real Salmon, Tomatoes, Carrots & Spinach
Chicken by-product meal is produced by cooking chicken by-products using a process called rendering. By-products are defined by AAFCO as the "non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals." Thus, chicken by-products contain nearly all parts of chickens which are typically not consumed by humans. These parts include the liver, lung, spleen, kidney, stomach, blood, intestine, bone, etc.
Like other meat by-products, chicken by-products are considered controversial, mainly because they are inexpensive ingredients which consumers have equated with slaughterhouse waste. However, manufactures and many experts claim that animal by-products are unjustly criticized. Proponents state that "named" by-products, such as chicken by-products, supply many important nutrients required by dogs.
The following recipes contain chicken by-product meal:
Anonymous Meat Ingredients
Anonymous meats are animal-based ingredients which do not provide the source animal's name. These ingredients are controversial because they can come from almost any animal.
In addition, anonymous animal-based ingredients are very inexpensive and often the lowest quality meats that are still allowed to be used in pet food.
In general, we do not recommend feeding any products which contain anonymous meats. When in doubt, always contact the brand's customer service desk for further clarification.
Unfortunately, we've identified 2 anonymous meat ingredients used by Beneful.
Animal fat is a by-product of tissue rendering. The source animal is not specific and therefore we cannot be certain that the source does not include diseased animals or even euthanized dogs and cats.
The following recipes contain animal fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols):
By-products are defined by AAFCO as the "non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals." Thus, meat by-products contain nearly all parts of the animal which are typically not consumed by humans. These parts include the liver, lung, spleen, kidney, stomach, blood, intestine, bone, etc.
This ingredient is marked controversial because the meat source is not identified. Anonymous ingredients such as meat by-products are typically very low quality additions. The most unpleasing property of this ingredient is that the animal source can contain any mammal, even dogs & cats.
The following recipes contain meat by-products:
- Beneful Chopped Blends With Beef, Carrots, Peas & Barley
- Beneful Chopped Blends With Chicken, Carrots, Peas & Wild Rice
- Beneful Chopped Blends With Turkey, Sweet Potatoes, Brown Rice & Spinach
- Beneful Chopped Blends With Salmon, Sweet Potatoes, Brown Rice & Spinach
- Beneful Chopped Blends With Chicken, Liver, Peas, Brown Rice & Sweet Potatoes
- Beneful Chopped Blends With Lamb, Brown Rice, Carrots, Tomatoes & Spinach
- Beneful Medleys Tuscan Style With Beef, Carrots, Tomatoes & Rice
- Beneful Medleys Romana Style With Chicken, Carrots, Pasta & Spinach
- Beneful Medleys Mediterranean Style With Lamb, Tomatoes, Brown Rice & Spinach
- Beneful Prepared Meals Beef Stew
- Beneful Prepared Meals Chicken Stew
- Beneful Prepared Meals Simmered Beef Entree
- Beneful Prepared Meals Simmered Chicken Medley
- Beneful Prepared Meals Beef & Chicken Medley
- Beneful Prepared Meals Roasted Chicken Recipe
- Beneful Prepared Meals Roasted Turkey Medley
- Beneful Prepared Meals Savory Rice & Lamb Stew
- Beneful IncrediBites With Real Salmon, Tomatoes, Carrots & Wild Rice
- Beneful IncrediBites With Real Chicken, Tomatoes, Carrots & Wild Rice
- Beneful IncrediBites With Real Beef, Tomatoes, Carrots & Wild Rice
- Beneful Superfood Blend With Chicken & Oceanfish, Apples, Kale & Accents of Millets
- Beneful Superfood Blend With Lamb & Trout, Sweet Potatoes, Quinoa & Accents of Blueberries
- Beneful Superfood Blend With Beef & Salmon, Pumpkin, Spinach & Sorghum
- Beneful IncrediBites Pat With Real Beef, Tomatoes, Carrots & Spinach
- Beneful IncrediBites Pat With Real Chicken, Tomatoes, Carrots & Spinach
- Beneful IncrediBites Pat With Real Salmon, Tomatoes, Carrots & Spinach
Controversial Ingredients
In most cases, ingredients which are given the controversial classification can be substituted with higher-quality alternatives. You should evaluate each controversial ingredient independently to see if there is truly a valid cause for concern.
Keep in mind, certain sacrifices often must be made to produce dog foods at a reasonable price. In general, the more expensive the product, the fewer controversial ingredients you'll find.
In our analysis, we've identified 17 controversial ingredients inside Beneful products. These controversial ingredients are listed below. Click on each ingredient for more information.
Canola meal is a high protein by-product of canola oil production. This ingredient is marked controversial because it may be derived from genetically modified rapeseed, which is associated with multiple adverse health affects.
The following recipes contain canola meal:
Whole grain wheat contains the entire grain of wheat (the germ, bran, and endosperm). Wheat is the second most-produced cereal grain in the world (corn is the first). Although wheat is a controversial ingredient, it is not necessarily undesirable because it provides dietary fiber and many other nutrients. However, wheat contains a notable amount of plant based protein, which is inferior to meat based protein and therefore an undesirable substitution.
Wheat is also one of the most common ingredients to cause food allergies or intolerance. However, grains such as wheat are typically low offenders in comparison to certain protein sources (such as beef).
The following recipes contain whole grain wheat:
Iron oxide is an FDA approved natural food coloring agent. It's commonly found in rusting metal and provides a reddish-brown color.
We believe food colorants are unnecessary ingredients in dog food. Other than potential harm, food colorants do not provide any nutritional value. These type of ingredients are used only to make the food look appealing to humans.
The following recipes contain iron oxide:
Soybean flour contains more than 50% protein. Therefore, soybean can significantly boost the protein content of the product. The inclusion of non-meat protein typically degrades the overall quality of protein in the recipe. This degradation is due to the inferior amino acid profile of plant based proteins.
The following recipes contain soybean flour:
- Beneful Chopped Blends With Beef, Carrots, Peas & Barley
- Beneful Chopped Blends With Chicken, Carrots, Peas & Wild Rice
- Beneful Chopped Blends With Turkey, Sweet Potatoes, Brown Rice & Spinach
- Beneful Chopped Blends With Salmon, Sweet Potatoes, Brown Rice & Spinach
- Beneful Chopped Blends With Chicken, Liver, Peas, Brown Rice & Sweet Potatoes
- Beneful Chopped Blends With Lamb, Brown Rice, Carrots, Tomatoes & Spinach
- Beneful Medleys Tuscan Style With Beef, Carrots, Tomatoes & Rice
- Beneful Medleys Romana Style With Chicken, Carrots, Pasta & Spinach
- Beneful Medleys Mediterranean Style With Lamb, Tomatoes, Brown Rice & Spinach
- Beneful Prepared Meals Beef Stew
- Beneful Prepared Meals Chicken Stew
- Beneful Prepared Meals Simmered Beef Entree
- Beneful Prepared Meals Simmered Chicken Medley
- Beneful Prepared Meals Beef & Chicken Medley
- Beneful Prepared Meals Roasted Chicken Recipe
- Beneful Prepared Meals Roasted Turkey Medley
- Beneful Prepared Meals Savory Rice & Lamb Stew
- Beneful IncrediBites With Real Salmon, Tomatoes, Carrots & Wild Rice
- Beneful IncrediBites With Real Beef, Tomatoes, Carrots & Wild Rice
- Beneful Simple Goodness With Farm-Raised Beef
- Beneful Simple Goodness With Farm-Raised Chicken
- Beneful Superfood Blend With Chicken & Oceanfish, Apples, Kale & Accents of Millets
- Beneful Superfood Blend With Lamb & Trout, Sweet Potatoes, Quinoa & Accents of Blueberries
- Beneful Superfood Blend With Beef & Salmon, Pumpkin, Spinach & Sorghum
Soybean protein concentrate is produced by removing the water soluble carbohydrates from soybeans. The inclusion of non-meat protein typically degrades the overall quality of protein in the recipe. This degradation is due to the inferior amino acid profile of plant based proteins.
The following recipes contain soybean protein concentrate:
Animal fat is a by-product of tissue rendering. The source animal is not specific and therefore we cannot be certain that the source does not include diseased animals or even euthanized dogs and cats.
The following recipes contain animal fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols):
Corn gluten meal is a by-product from the production of various corn products (corn starch, corn syrup, etc). It's very high in protein (nearly 60% protein) and therefore can significant boost the protein content of the product. Because plant based proteins such as corn gluten meal are inferior to meat based proteins (lack many essential amino acids), they are not suitable substitutes.
The following recipes contain corn gluten meal:
Brewer's rice is the small fragments of rice kernel that are separated from the larger kernels of milled rice. The fragments do not contain the same nutrition profile of the whole kernel and therefore brewer's rice is a lower quality grain. Brewer's rice is typically regarded as an inexpensive and low quality filler.
The following recipes contain brewers rice:
Soybean hulls are a by-product of soybean oil and meal processing. They are typically regarded as low quality and inexpensive fillers which lack any significant nutritional value.
The following recipes contain soybean hulls:
Ground wheat is regarded as an inexpensive and low-quality filler in pet food. However, wheat does provide plant-based protein and makes pet food more affordable for consumers. It's important to note that plant based protein does not provide the same amino acid profile as meat based protein.
The following recipes contain ground wheat:
Wheat gluten is the main protein of wheat. Although wheat gluten is mostly protein, wheat gluten is considered controversial because it significantly boosts the protein content of the product. This is undesirable because plant based protein does not provide the same amino acid profile as meat based protein.
The following recipes contain wheat gluten:
- Beneful Chopped Blends With Beef, Carrots, Peas & Barley
- Beneful Chopped Blends With Chicken, Carrots, Peas & Wild Rice
- Beneful Chopped Blends With Turkey, Sweet Potatoes, Brown Rice & Spinach
- Beneful Chopped Blends With Salmon, Sweet Potatoes, Brown Rice & Spinach
- Beneful Chopped Blends With Chicken, Liver, Peas, Brown Rice & Sweet Potatoes
- Beneful Chopped Blends With Lamb, Brown Rice, Carrots, Tomatoes & Spinach
- Beneful Medleys Tuscan Style With Beef, Carrots, Tomatoes & Rice
- Beneful Medleys Romana Style With Chicken, Carrots, Pasta & Spinach
- Beneful Medleys Mediterranean Style With Lamb, Tomatoes, Brown Rice & Spinach
- Beneful Prepared Meals Beef Stew
- Beneful Prepared Meals Chicken Stew
- Beneful Prepared Meals Simmered Beef Entree
- Beneful Prepared Meals Simmered Chicken Medley
- Beneful Prepared Meals Beef & Chicken Medley
- Beneful Prepared Meals Roasted Chicken Recipe
- Beneful Prepared Meals Roasted Turkey Medley
- Beneful Prepared Meals Savory Rice & Lamb Stew
- Beneful IncrediBites With Real Salmon, Tomatoes, Carrots & Wild Rice
- Beneful IncrediBites With Real Chicken, Tomatoes, Carrots & Wild Rice
- Beneful IncrediBites With Real Beef, Tomatoes, Carrots & Wild Rice
- Beneful Superfood Blend With Chicken & Oceanfish, Apples, Kale & Accents of Millets
- Beneful Superfood Blend With Lamb & Trout, Sweet Potatoes, Quinoa & Accents of Blueberries
- Beneful Superfood Blend With Beef & Salmon, Pumpkin, Spinach & Sorghum
Whole grain corn is the entire corn kernel (the germ, bran, and endosperm). Corn is a cereal grain which provides a modest amount of vitamins, minerals, and plant based protein. It also happens to be one of the most controversial ingredients in dog food.
Proponents of corn claim that corn is highly digestible and an excellent source of protein, energy, vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids.
Opponents however believe that positive claims in regards to corn are either half-truths or completely false, we'll discuss a few of the opposing arguments.
In regards to digestibility, the claims of "highly digestible" are only true if corn is processed into a meal or flour and subsequently cooked. In regards to the protein contribution, we must note that corn is a plant based protein which does not contain all of the necessary amino acids required by dogs to sustain life. Therefore substituting corn for meat is an unsuitable substitution and actually degrades the overall protein quality of the product.
Finally, we'll discuss the claims about vitamins and minerals in corn. Although corn does provide many vitamins and minerals, it not necessarily an exceptional ingredient in this regards. There are many other ingredients which are more complete and biologically appropriate. Therefore the usage of corn as the primary ingredient in dog food should certainly warrant further questioning.
The following recipes contain whole grain corn:
Ground yellow corn is a cereal grain which provides a modest amount of vitamins, minerals, and plant based protein. It also happens to be one of the most controversial ingredients in dog food.
Proponents of corn claim that corn is highly digestible and an excellent source of protein, energy, vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids.
Opponents however believe that positive claims in regards to corn are either half-truths or completely false, we'll discuss a few of the opposing arguments.
In regards to digestibility, the claims of "highly digestible" are only true if corn is processed into a meal or flour and subsequently cooked. In regards to the protein contribution, we must note that corn is a plant based protein which does not contain all of the necessary amino acids required by dogs to sustain life. Therefore substituting corn for meat is an unsuitable substitution and actually degrades the overall protein quality of the product.
Finally, we'll discuss the claims about vitamins and minerals in corn. Although corn does provide many vitamins and minerals, it not necessarily an exceptional ingredient in this regards. There are many other ingredients which are more complete and biologically appropriate. Therefore the usage of corn as the primary ingredient in dog food should certainly warrant further questioning.
The following recipes contain ground yellow corn:
Liver is a controversial ingredient because the source animal is not specified. Anonymous animal ingredients are typically very low quality and may contain almost any animal, including dogs and cats!
The following recipes contain liver:
- Beneful Chopped Blends With Beef, Carrots, Peas & Barley
- Beneful Chopped Blends With Chicken, Carrots, Peas & Wild Rice
- Beneful Chopped Blends With Turkey, Sweet Potatoes, Brown Rice & Spinach
- Beneful Chopped Blends With Salmon, Sweet Potatoes, Brown Rice & Spinach
- Beneful Chopped Blends With Chicken, Liver, Peas, Brown Rice & Sweet Potatoes
- Beneful Chopped Blends With Lamb, Brown Rice, Carrots, Tomatoes & Spinach
- Beneful Medleys Tuscan Style With Beef, Carrots, Tomatoes & Rice
- Beneful Medleys Romana Style With Chicken, Carrots, Pasta & Spinach
- Beneful Medleys Mediterranean Style With Lamb, Tomatoes, Brown Rice & Spinach
- Beneful Prepared Meals Beef Stew
- Beneful Prepared Meals Chicken Stew
- Beneful Prepared Meals Simmered Beef Entree
- Beneful Prepared Meals Simmered Chicken Medley
- Beneful Prepared Meals Beef & Chicken Medley
- Beneful Prepared Meals Roasted Chicken Recipe
- Beneful Prepared Meals Roasted Turkey Medley
- Beneful Prepared Meals Savory Rice & Lamb Stew
- Beneful IncrediBites With Real Salmon, Tomatoes, Carrots & Wild Rice
- Beneful IncrediBites With Real Chicken, Tomatoes, Carrots & Wild Rice
- Beneful IncrediBites With Real Beef, Tomatoes, Carrots & Wild Rice
- Beneful Superfood Blend With Chicken & Oceanfish, Apples, Kale & Accents of Millets
- Beneful Superfood Blend With Lamb & Trout, Sweet Potatoes, Quinoa & Accents of Blueberries
- Beneful Superfood Blend With Beef & Salmon, Pumpkin, Spinach & Sorghum
- Beneful IncrediBites Pat With Real Beef, Tomatoes, Carrots & Spinach
- Beneful IncrediBites Pat With Real Chicken, Tomatoes, Carrots & Spinach
- Beneful IncrediBites Pat With Real Salmon, Tomatoes, Carrots & Spinach
By-products are defined by AAFCO as the "non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals." Thus, meat by-products contain nearly all parts of the animal which are typically not consumed by humans. These parts include the liver, lung, spleen, kidney, stomach, blood, intestine, bone, etc.
This ingredient is marked controversial because the meat source is not identified. Anonymous ingredients such as meat by-products are typically very low quality additions. The most unpleasing property of this ingredient is that the animal source can contain any mammal, even dogs & cats.
The following recipes contain meat by-products:
- Beneful Chopped Blends With Beef, Carrots, Peas & Barley
- Beneful Chopped Blends With Chicken, Carrots, Peas & Wild Rice
- Beneful Chopped Blends With Turkey, Sweet Potatoes, Brown Rice & Spinach
- Beneful Chopped Blends With Salmon, Sweet Potatoes, Brown Rice & Spinach
- Beneful Chopped Blends With Chicken, Liver, Peas, Brown Rice & Sweet Potatoes
- Beneful Chopped Blends With Lamb, Brown Rice, Carrots, Tomatoes & Spinach
- Beneful Medleys Tuscan Style With Beef, Carrots, Tomatoes & Rice
- Beneful Medleys Romana Style With Chicken, Carrots, Pasta & Spinach
- Beneful Medleys Mediterranean Style With Lamb, Tomatoes, Brown Rice & Spinach
- Beneful Prepared Meals Beef Stew
- Beneful Prepared Meals Chicken Stew
- Beneful Prepared Meals Simmered Beef Entree
- Beneful Prepared Meals Simmered Chicken Medley
- Beneful Prepared Meals Beef & Chicken Medley
- Beneful Prepared Meals Roasted Chicken Recipe
- Beneful Prepared Meals Roasted Turkey Medley
- Beneful Prepared Meals Savory Rice & Lamb Stew
- Beneful IncrediBites With Real Salmon, Tomatoes, Carrots & Wild Rice
- Beneful IncrediBites With Real Chicken, Tomatoes, Carrots & Wild Rice
- Beneful IncrediBites With Real Beef, Tomatoes, Carrots & Wild Rice
- Beneful Superfood Blend With Chicken & Oceanfish, Apples, Kale & Accents of Millets
- Beneful Superfood Blend With Lamb & Trout, Sweet Potatoes, Quinoa & Accents of Blueberries
- Beneful Superfood Blend With Beef & Salmon, Pumpkin, Spinach & Sorghum
- Beneful IncrediBites Pat With Real Beef, Tomatoes, Carrots & Spinach
- Beneful IncrediBites Pat With Real Chicken, Tomatoes, Carrots & Spinach
- Beneful IncrediBites Pat With Real Salmon, Tomatoes, Carrots & Spinach
Chicken by-product meal is produced by cooking chicken by-products using a process called rendering. By-products are defined by AAFCO as the "non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals." Thus, chicken by-products contain nearly all parts of chickens which are typically not consumed by humans. These parts include the liver, lung, spleen, kidney, stomach, blood, intestine, bone, etc.
Like other meat by-products, chicken by-products are considered controversial, mainly because they are inexpensive ingredients which consumers have equated with slaughterhouse waste. However, manufactures and many experts claim that animal by-products are unjustly criticized. Proponents state that "named" by-products, such as chicken by-products, supply many important nutrients required by dogs.
The following recipes contain chicken by-product meal:
Soy protein isolate is a highly refined/purified form of soy bean protein. Roughly 90% of soy protein isolate is protein. The inclusion of non-meat protein typically degrades the overall quality of protein in the recipe. This degradation is due to the inferior amino acid profile of plant based proteins.
The following recipes contain soybean protein isolate:
Potentially Harmful Ingredients
Harmful ingredients are those which have been linked to adverse health effects. In general, we do not recommend feeding any product which contains any harmful ingredients.
There are certain situations where these ingredients may be necessary. We always recommend contacting Beneful for further clarification regarding any harmful or controversial ingredient.
We have identified 6 harmful ingredients used in certain Beneful recipes. To learn more, click on the ingredient's name.
Red 40 is the most widely used artificial dye in consumer goods. Studies have shown that red 40 may accelerate the appearance of immune-system tumors in mice, cause allergy-like reactions and trigger hyperactivity in children.
The following recipes contain red 40:
Yellow 6 is an artificial food dye which may be contaminated with cancer-causing chemicals. According to the Center For Science In The Public Interest, yellow 6 can cause adrenal tumors in animals.
The following recipes contain yellow 6:
Yellow 5 is an artificial dye which may be contaminated with several cancer-causing chemicals. Like other dyes, yellow 5 does not provide any nutritional value.
The following recipes contain yellow 5:
The ingredient "added color" is ambiguous and may include various artificial dyes. Most artificial dyes have been linked to various chronic diseases.
The following recipes contain added color:
Menadione sodium bisulfite complex is a synthetic version of vitamin K that has been linked to many health concerns. Research has suggested possible toxic reactions in liver cells and red blood cells among other serious problems. In fact, one large chemical supplier warns, "The substance is toxic to kidneys, lungs, liver, mucous membranes. Repeated or prolonged exposure to the substance can produce target organs damage."
The following recipes contain menadione sodium bisulfite complex:
Blue 1 is an artificial dye with serious but unconfirmed health concerns. Like other dyes, blue 1 does not provide any nutritional value.
The following recipes contain blue 1:
