Merrick vs. The Honest Kitchen
In this comparison article for Merrick vs The Honest Kitchen, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Merrick and The Honest Kitchen, 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 The Honest Kitchen vs Merrick comparison, we've utilized average data to make general comparisons. If you'd like to see individual product reviews, visit our Merrick Review Page or The Honest Kitchen Review Page.
Guaranteed Analysis: The Honest Kitchen vs. Merrick
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.
Merrick Dog Food vs. The Honest Kitchen Dog Food
Dry Dog Food | Merrick | The Honest Kitchen |
Crude Protein | 35.9% | 29.3% |
Crude Fat | 17.2% | 15.7% |
Crude Fiber | 4.2% | 6.3% |
Wet/Canned Dog Food | Merrick | The Honest Kitchen |
Crude Protein | 43.9% | 50.4% |
Crude Fat | 21.1% | 24.5% |
Crude Fiber | 8.3% | 5.1% |
Crude Protein Comparison For Dog Food
Protein is an extremely important part of your dog's diet. Without sufficient protein, dogs can develop a wide-range of serious health problems.
Our analysis shows that Merrick guarantees 6.60% more protein than The Honest Kitchen dry dog food recipes. In addition, The Honest Kitchen wet dog foods also provide more protein than Merrick wet foods.
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.
The Honest Kitchen and Merrick both provide roughly the same amount of crude fat. For wet dog foods, The Honest Kitchen typically provides a little more fat (about 3.44% more).
According to our data, The Honest Kitchen guarantees 2.04% more fiber than Merrick. Although this difference is relatively small, it's still a notable difference. In addition, Merrick wet dog foods also provide more fiber than The Honest Kitchen wet foods.
Merrick Cat Food vs. The Honest Kitchen Cat Food
Dry Cat Food | Merrick | The Honest Kitchen |
Crude Protein | 40.5% | 40.4% |
Crude Fat | 15.7% | 23.1% |
Crude Fiber | 5.1% | 3.5% |
Wet/Canned Cat Food | Merrick | The Honest Kitchen |
Crude Protein | 46.9% | 52.0% |
Crude Fat | 21.3% | 24.6% |
Crude Fiber | 6.0% | 5.1% |
Crude Protein Comparison For Cat Food
Protein is an extremely important part of your cat's diet. Without sufficient protein, cats can develop a wide-range of serious health problems.
There is a relatively insignificant difference between the crude protein content of the two brands. For wet cat foods, The Honest Kitchen provides more protein (about 5.11% more).
Crude Fat Comparison For Cat Food
There are many ways in which dietary fat contributes to the overall health of our feline friends. Here is a short list of benefits provided by fats (not exhaustive):
- Fats help with the digestion and absorption of fat-soluble vitamins
- Reduce inflammation associated with arthritis
- Slow the growth of yeast infections
- Prevent or reduce the likelihood of certain heart problems.
- Aid in the development of the retina and visual cortex.
There is a relatively large difference between the fat content of The Honest Kitchen and Merrick. On average, Merrick dry cat food recipes contain 7.33% less fat than The Honest Kitchen recipes. For wet cat foods, The Honest Kitchen typically provides a little more fat (about 3.34% more).
Both brands provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber. With regards to wet cat food, Merrick and The Honest Kitchen also provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber.
Merrick Pet Food Ingredients vs. The Honest Kitchen Pet Food Ingredients
Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Merrick.
Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by The Honest Kitchen.
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 Merrick.
Product Safety: Recall History of Merrick & The Honest Kitchen?
Merrick has been recalled 6 times.
- Jan. 28, 2011: Salmonella
- Aug. 8, 2011: Salmonella
- July 2, 2010: Salmonella
- Aug. 3, 2010: Salmonella
- Aug. 13, 2010: Salmonella
- May 23, 2018: elevated levels of beef thyroid hormone
The Honest Kitchen has been recalled once.
- Feb. 21, 2013: Salmonella
Price Comparison: Which Brand Is More Expensive?
Dry Dog Food | Merrick | The Honest Kitchen |
Per Pound | $6.15 | $9.66 |
Per Calorie | $0.0036 | $0.0053 |
Dry Cat Food | Merrick | The Honest Kitchen |
Per Pound | $4.09 | $9.67 |
Per Calorie | $0.0025 | $0.0049 |
Wet Dog Food | Merrick | The Honest Kitchen |
Per Pound | $5.97 | $5.73 |
Per Calorie | $0.0126 | $0.0129 |
Wet Cat Food | Merrick | The Honest Kitchen |
Per Pound | $7.55 | $8.41 |
Per Calorie | $0.0168 | $0.0176 |
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 Merrick or The Honest Kitchen, 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 Merrick or The Honest Kitchen will depend on your shopping habits.
Pet owners who use our price comparison feature typically save more than 25% off retail prices for Merrick and The Honest Kitchen. In addition, we currently have some great coupons for our readers.
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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 Merrick Pet Foods
You can purchase Merrick pet foods from the following stores:
Where To Buy The Honest Kitchen Pet Foods
You can purchase The Honest Kitchen pet food products from these retailers:
Type Of Pet Foods Available
Product | Merrick | The Honest Kitchen |
Dry Dog Food | 53 Recipes | 9 Recipes |
Wet Dog Food | 58 Recipes | 10 Recipes |
Dog Treats | 35 Treats | 23 Treats |
Dry Cat Food | 18 Recipes | 3 Recipes |
Wet Cat Food | 50 Recipes | 10 Recipes |
Cat Treats | None | 3 Treats |