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Nutro vs Purina One

Nutro vs. Purina One

In this comparison article for Nutro vs Purina One, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Nutro and Purina One, 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 Purina One vs Nutro comparison, we've utilized average data to make general comparisons. If you'd like to see individual product reviews, visit our Nutro Review Page or Purina One Review Page.

Guaranteed Analysis: Purina One vs. Nutro

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.

Nutro Dog Food vs. Purina One Dog Food

Dry Dog FoodNutroPurina One
Crude Protein27.0%32.0%
Crude Fat15.3%17.4%
Crude Fiber4.7%4.1%
Wet/Canned Dog FoodNutroPurina One
Crude Protein42.6%45.6%
Crude Fat24.2%26.0%
Crude Fiber6.1%7.1%

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.

There is a relatively large difference between the protein content of Purina One and Nutro. On average, Nutro dry dog food recipes contain 5.01% less protein than Purina One recipes. For wet dog foods, Purina One typically provides a little more protein (about 3.03% 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 small difference between the fat content of Purina One and Nutro. We can see that Purina One guarantees about 2.10% more fat than Nutro. For wet dog foods, Purina One and Nutro provide roughly the same amount of fat.


There is a relatively insignificant difference between the crude fiber content of the two brands. With regards to wet dog food, Purina One and Nutro also provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber.

Nutro Cat Food vs. Purina One Cat Food

Dry Cat FoodNutroPurina One
Crude Protein37.3%40.4%
Crude Fat17.2%15.2%
Crude Fiber5.9%3.7%
Wet/Canned Cat FoodNutroPurina One
Crude Protein54.8%52.9%
Crude Fat23.1%16.8%
Crude Fiber5.1%7.6%

Crude Protein Comparison For Cat Food

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

According to our average data, Nutro typically provides less protein than Purina One. However, this difference is relatively small and doesn't represent a significant difference between the two brands. For wet cat foods, Nutro and Purina One provide roughly the same amount of protein.


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. For wet cat foods, Nutro provides more fat (about 6.32% more).


If you look at the average percentages of crude fiber, you'll notice that Nutro typically guarantees 2.18% more fiber. This is a fairly small difference between Nutro and Purina One, but still worth mentioning. In addition, Purina One wet cat foods also provide more fiber than Nutro wet foods.

Nutro Pet Food Ingredients vs. Purina One Pet Food Ingredients

Nutro and Purina One both use the following controversial ingredients in many of their products:

Pea Protein
Brewers Rice
Wheat Gluten
Caramel Color
Powdered Cellulose

Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Nutro.

Bone Broth
Iron Oxide
Pork Plasma
Whole Wheat
Animal Plasma
Tomato Pomace
Vegetable Oil
Feeding Oatmeal
Dried Corn Syrup
Dried Tomato Pomace
Pea Protein Isolate
Canola Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols)

Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Purina One.

Liver
Canola Meal
Animal Digest
Soybean Flour
Soybean Hulls
Corn Germ Meal
Corn Gluten Meal
Meat By-Products
Whole Grain Corn
Whole Grain Wheat
Ground Yellow Corn
Poultry By-Products
Chicken By-Product Meal
Soybean Protein Isolate
Soybean Protein Concentrate
Animal Fat (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols)

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

Nutro and Purina One both use the following harmful ingredients in many of their products:

Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex

Here are some of the harmful ingredients used only by Purina One.

Red 3
Corn Oil
Added Color

Product Safety: Recall History of Nutro & Purina One?

Nutro has been recalled 4 times.

  • Sept. 30, 2009: small pieces of melted plastic
  • Dec. 13, 2015: Mold
  • May 21, 2009: incorrect levels of zinc and potassium
  • March 16, 2007: Melamine

Purina One has been recalled once.

  • Aug. 30, 2013: Salmonella

Price Comparison: Which Brand Is More Expensive?

Dry Dog FoodNutroPurina One
Per Pound$2.24$2.24
Per Calorie$0.0014$0.0013
Dry Cat FoodNutroPurina One
Per Pound$3.36$2.05
Per Calorie$0.0020$0.0012
Wet Dog FoodNutroPurina One
Per Pound$6.55$2.17
Per Calorie$0.0136$0.0043
Wet Cat FoodNutroPurina One
Per Pound$7.99$6.24
Per Calorie$0.0167$0.0142

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 Nutro or Purina One, 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 Nutro or Purina One will depend on your shopping habits.

Pet owners who use our price comparison feature typically save more than 25% off retail prices for Nutro and Purina One. 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 Nutro Pet Foods

You can purchase Nutro pet foods from the following stores:


77 Recipes In-Stock Today

44 Recipes In-Stock Today

64 Recipes In-Stock Today

Where To Buy Purina One Pet Foods

You can purchase Purina One pet food products from these retailers:


47 Recipes In-Stock Today

23 Recipes In-Stock Today

47 Recipes In-Stock Today

Type Of Pet Foods Available

ProductNutroPurina One
Dry Dog Food56 Recipes19 Recipes
Wet Dog Food45 Recipes17 Recipes
Dog Treats12 Treats4 Treats
Dry Cat Food11 Recipes11 Recipes
Wet Cat Food41 Recipes16 Recipes
Cat TreatsNoneNone

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