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Essence vs Nature's Recipe

Essence vs. Nature's Recipe

In this comparison article for Essence vs Nature's Recipe, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Essence and Nature's Recipe, we'll use up-to-date nutritional and price information.

There are many factors to consider when choosing the best pet food brand for your pet. Factors such as ingredient quality, guaranteed analysis, product safety, brand history, and cost are among the most important factors to consider.

Throughout this Nature's Recipe vs Essence comparison, we've utilized average data to make general comparisons. If you'd like to see individual product reviews, visit our Essence Review Page or Nature's Recipe Review Page.

Guaranteed Analysis: Nature's Recipe vs. Essence

According to AAFCO, all pet food labels must provide a guaranteed analysis of nutrient content. The analysis must provide guaranteed minimum percentages of crude protein and crude fat, and maximum percentages of crude fiber and moisture.

All percentages used in this comparison are averages reported on a dry matter basis.

Essence Dog Food vs. Nature's Recipe Dog Food

Dry Dog FoodEssenceNature's Recipe
Crude Protein40.9%27.6%
Crude Fat19.3%13.5%
Crude Fiber5.7%4.8%
Wet/Canned Dog FoodEssenceNature's Recipe
Crude Protein46.2%53.9%
Crude Fat32.6%13.5%
Crude Fiber6.0%6.6%

Crude Protein Comparison For Dog Food

Dogs require twenty-two amino acids to sustain life. Twelve of these amino acids are synthesized naturally, the remaining ten are consumed. Protein is the nutrient which provides some or all of these ten essential amino acids.

The comparison table above shows that Essence dry dog foods provide significantly more protein than Nature's Recipe. More specifically, Essence guarantees at least 13.25% more protein. For wet dog foods, Nature's Recipe provides more protein (about 7.67% more).


Crude Fat Comparison For Dog Food

Fats are an absolutely vital component of a balanced canine diet. Not only do fats provide energy, but they also serve important roles in the normal development and function of your dog's body. For example, fats help dogs produce prostaglandins, which reduce inflammation among many other significant functions.

There is a relatively large difference between the fat content of Essence and Nature's Recipe. On average, Nature's Recipe dry dog food recipes contain 5.86% less fat than Essence recipes. In addition, Essence wet dog foods also provide more fat than Nature's Recipe wet foods.


There is a relatively insignificant difference between the crude fiber content of the two brands. With regards to wet dog food, Nature's Recipe and Essence also provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber.

Essence Pet Food Ingredients vs. Nature's Recipe Pet Food Ingredients

Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Nature's Recipe.

Wheat
Garlic
Beet Pulp
Canola Oil
Canola Meal
Fat Product
Pea Protein
Brewers Rice
Garlic Spice
Caramel Color
Garlic Powder
Soybean Flour
Tomato Pomace
Ground Whole Wheat
Dried Tomato Pomace
Soybean Protein Isolate
Soybean Protein Concentrate
Canola Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols)
Poultry Fat (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols)

We believe that certain pet food ingredients are linked to adverse health affects; these ingredients are classified as harmful.

Here are some of the harmful ingredients used only by Nature's Recipe.

Menadione Sodium Bisulfate Complex
Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex

Product Safety: Recall History of Essence & Nature's Recipe?

According to our records, neither brand has issued any product recalls. Therefore, consumers have no reason to question the safety of Essence or Nature's Recipe pet food products.

Price Comparison: Which Brand Is More Expensive?

Dry Dog FoodEssenceNature's Recipe
Per Pound$4.11$1.93
Per Calorie$0.0024$0.0012
Wet Dog FoodEssenceNature's Recipe
Per Pound$4.99$4.91
Per Calorie$0.0090$0.0114

The average cost-per-lb is heavily influenced by the varying amounts of moisture present in each brand's food products (wet vs. dry food, dry vs. freeze-dried food, etc). However, the average cost-per-kcal eliminates the influence of moisture. Therefore, the average cost-per-kcal is the better metric to consider.

If you'd like to calculate the average cost-per-day or cost-pet-year of feeding Essence or Nature's Recipe, input your pet's weight into our cost analyzer widget.

Averages price data can identify whether or not there exists a significant price difference between two brands. However, the actual price that you'll pay for Essence or Nature's Recipe will depend on your shopping habits.

Pet owners who use our price comparison feature typically save more than 25% off retail prices for Essence and Nature's Recipe. In addition, we currently have some great coupons for our readers.


Disclosure: PawDiet has an affiliate relationship with stores featured (or linked-to) in this article. We are compensated for referring customers. Thank you for shopping with our retail partners!

Where To Buy Essence Pet Foods

You can purchase Essence pet foods from the following stores:


12 Recipes In-Stock Today

13 Recipes In-Stock Today

Where To Buy Nature's Recipe Pet Foods

You can purchase Nature's Recipe pet food products from these retailers:


27 Recipes In-Stock Today

10 Recipes In-Stock Today

10 Recipes In-Stock Today

Type Of Pet Foods Available

ProductEssenceNature's Recipe
Dry Dog Food6 Recipes19 Recipes
Wet Dog Food6 Recipes17 Recipes
Dog TreatsNoneNone
Dry Cat Food3 RecipesNone
Wet Cat Food3 RecipesNone
Cat TreatsNoneNone

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