Natural Balance vs. American Journey
In this comparison article for Natural Balance vs American Journey, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Natural Balance and American Journey, 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 American Journey vs Natural Balance comparison, we've utilized average data to make general comparisons. If you'd like to see individual product reviews, visit our Natural Balance Review Page or American Journey Review Page.
Guaranteed Analysis: American Journey vs. Natural Balance
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.
Natural Balance Dog Food vs. American Journey Dog Food
Dry Dog Food | Natural Balance | American Journey |
Crude Protein | 27.6% | 31.8% |
Crude Fat | 14.4% | 14.7% |
Crude Fiber | 5.2% | 6.4% |
Wet/Canned Dog Food | Natural Balance | American Journey |
Crude Protein | 39.7% | 40.7% |
Crude Fat | 20.5% | 27.6% |
Crude Fiber | 8.5% | 7.0% |
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 American Journey guarantees 4.15% more protein than Natural Balance dry dog food recipes. For wet dog foods, American Journey and Natural Balance provide roughly the same amount of protein.
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.
Natural Balance and American Journey both provide roughly the same amount of crude fat. For wet dog foods, American Journey provides more fat (about 7.10% more).
There is a relatively insignificant difference between the crude fiber content of the two brands. With regards to wet dog food, Natural Balance and American Journey also provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber.
Natural Balance Cat Food vs. American Journey Cat Food
Dry Cat Food | Natural Balance | American Journey |
Crude Protein | 36.8% | 39.8% |
Crude Fat | 14.3% | 16.2% |
Crude Fiber | 5.5% | 5.5% |
Wet/Canned Cat Food | Natural Balance | American Journey |
Crude Protein | 46.7% | 52.9% |
Crude Fat | 20.2% | 20.8% |
Crude Fiber | 7.1% | 5.8% |
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.
According to our data, American Journey guarantees 3.05% more protein than Natural Balance. Although this difference is relatively small, it's still a notable difference. In addition, American Journey wet cat foods also provide more protein than Natural Balance wet foods.
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.
Both brands provide roughly the same amount of crude fat. With regards to wet cat food, American Journey and Natural Balance also provide roughly the same amount of crude fat.
As you can see, Natural Balance and American Journey guarantee a similar amount of crude fiber. With regards to wet cat food, Natural Balance and American Journey also provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber.
Natural Balance Pet Food Ingredients vs. American Journey Pet Food Ingredients
Natural Balance and American Journey both use the following controversial ingredients in many of their products:
Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Natural Balance.
Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by American Journey.
We believe that certain pet food ingredients are linked to adverse health affects; these ingredients are classified as harmful.
Natural Balance and American Journey both use the following harmful ingredients in many of their products:
Here are some of the harmful ingredients used only by Natural Balance.
Product Safety: Recall History of Natural Balance & American Journey?
Natural Balance has been recalled 6 times.
- July 21, 2007: ofbotulinum toxin
- May 4, 2012: Salmonella
- June 18, 2010: Salmonella
- April 27, 2007: Melamine
- April 17, 2007: Melamine
- July 3, 2020: elevated levels of choline chloride
According to our records, American Journey has never been recalled.
Price Comparison: Which Brand Is More Expensive?
Dry Dog Food | Natural Balance | American Journey |
Per Pound | $5.23 | $2.16 |
Per Calorie | $0.0029 | $0.0014 |
Dry Cat Food | Natural Balance | American Journey |
Per Pound | $3.69 | $2.96 |
Per Calorie | $0.0023 | $0.0018 |
Wet Dog Food | Natural Balance | American Journey |
Per Pound | $6.27 | $2.83 |
Per Calorie | $0.0137 | $0.0054 |
Wet Cat Food | Natural Balance | American Journey |
Per Pound | $7.63 | $6.24 |
Per Calorie | $0.0183 | $0.0141 |
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 Natural Balance or American Journey, 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 Natural Balance or American Journey will depend on your shopping habits.
Pet owners who use our price comparison feature typically save more than 25% off retail prices for Natural Balance and American Journey. In addition, we currently have some great coupons for our readers.
- 20% Off First Auto-Ship @ PetFlow (Use Code PAWDIET20)
- 35% Off First Auto-Ship @ Chewy (No Code Required)
- 15% Off The Entire Site @ OnlyNaturalPet (Use Code AFPAWDIET)
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 Natural Balance Pet Foods
You can purchase Natural Balance pet foods from the following stores:
Where To Buy American Journey Pet Foods
You can purchase American Journey pet food products from these retailers:
Type Of Pet Foods Available
Product | Natural Balance | American Journey |
Dry Dog Food | 39 Recipes | 43 Recipes |
Wet Dog Food | 27 Recipes | 11 Recipes |
Dog Treats | 33 Treats | 44 Treats |
Dry Cat Food | 16 Recipes | 14 Recipes |
Wet Cat Food | 43 Recipes | 23 Recipes |
Cat Treats | None | 5 Treats |