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Purina One vs Natural Balance

Purina One vs. Natural Balance

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

Guaranteed Analysis: Natural Balance vs. Purina One

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.

Purina One Dog Food vs. Natural Balance Dog Food

Dry Dog FoodPurina OneNatural Balance
Crude Protein32.0%27.6%
Crude Fat17.4%14.4%
Crude Fiber4.1%5.2%
Wet/Canned Dog FoodPurina OneNatural Balance
Crude Protein45.6%39.7%
Crude Fat26.0%20.5%
Crude Fiber7.1%8.5%

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 table shows that Natural Balance provides far less protein than Purina One. The difference in protein content is roughly 4.39%. In addition, Purina One wet dog foods also provide more protein than Natural Balance wet foods.


Crude Fat Comparison For Dog Food

Like protein, fats are an essential part of a dog's body. Fats are needed for the proper development and function of the canine body.

If you look at the average percentages of crude fat, you'll notice that Purina One typically guarantees 3.05% more fat. This is a fairly small difference between Purina One and Natural Balance, but still worth mentioning. In addition, Purina One wet dog foods also provide more fat than Natural Balance wet foods.


As you can see, Purina One and Natural Balance guarantee a similar amount of crude fiber. With regards to wet dog food, Natural Balance and Purina One also provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber.

Purina One Cat Food vs. Natural Balance Cat Food

Dry Cat FoodPurina OneNatural Balance
Crude Protein40.4%36.8%
Crude Fat15.2%14.3%
Crude Fiber3.7%5.5%
Wet/Canned Cat FoodPurina OneNatural Balance
Crude Protein52.9%46.7%
Crude Fat16.8%20.2%
Crude Fiber7.6%7.1%

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 data, Purina One guarantees 3.63% more protein than Natural Balance. Although this difference is relatively small, it's still a notable difference. In addition, Purina One 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):

  • Help transport nutrients across cell membranes
  • Fats produce metabolites, which help control inflammation
  • Maintain healthy blood pressure
  • Slow the growth of yeast infections
  • Fats improve the taste/texture of food.

Natural Balance and Purina One both provide roughly the same amount of crude fat. For wet cat foods, Natural Balance typically provides a little more fat (about 3.40% more).


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

Purina One Pet Food Ingredients vs. Natural Balance Pet Food Ingredients

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

Pea Protein
Brewers Rice
Caramel Color

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

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

Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Natural Balance.

Giblets
Beet Pulp
Canola Oil
Tomato Pomace
Feeding Oatmeal
Poultry Giblets
Dried Tomato Pomace
Canola Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols)

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

Purina One and Natural Balance 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

Here are some of the harmful ingredients used only by Natural Balance.

Menadione Sodium Bisulfate Complex

Product Safety: Recall History of Purina One & Natural Balance?

Purina One has been recalled once.

  • Aug. 30, 2013: Salmonella

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

Price Comparison: Which Brand Is More Expensive?

Dry Dog FoodPurina OneNatural Balance
Per Pound$2.24$5.23
Per Calorie$0.0013$0.0029
Dry Cat FoodPurina OneNatural Balance
Per Pound$2.05$3.69
Per Calorie$0.0012$0.0023
Wet Dog FoodPurina OneNatural Balance
Per Pound$2.17$6.27
Per Calorie$0.0043$0.0137
Wet Cat FoodPurina OneNatural Balance
Per Pound$6.24$7.63
Per Calorie$0.0142$0.0183

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 Purina One or Natural Balance, 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 Purina One or Natural Balance will depend on your shopping habits.

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

You can purchase Purina One pet foods from the following stores:


47 Recipes In-Stock Today

23 Recipes In-Stock Today

47 Recipes In-Stock Today

Where To Buy Natural Balance Pet Foods

You can purchase Natural Balance pet food products from these retailers:


96 Recipes In-Stock Today

79 Recipes In-Stock Today

82 Recipes In-Stock Today

16 Recipes In-Stock Today

Type Of Pet Foods Available

ProductPurina OneNatural Balance
Dry Dog Food19 Recipes39 Recipes
Wet Dog Food17 Recipes27 Recipes
Dog Treats4 Treats33 Treats
Dry Cat Food11 Recipes16 Recipes
Wet Cat Food16 Recipes43 Recipes
Cat TreatsNoneNone

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