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Supreme Source vs Vital Essentials

Supreme Source vs. Vital Essentials

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

Guaranteed Analysis: Vital Essentials vs. Supreme Source

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.

Supreme Source Dog Food vs. Vital Essentials Dog Food

Dry Dog FoodSupreme SourceVital Essentials
Crude Protein28.9%52.2%
Crude Fat12.8%28.7%
Crude Fiber9.0%4.1%

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.

On average, Vital Essentials dry dog food recipes contain 23.26% more protein than Supreme Source recipes. Clearly, there is a significant difference between the protein content of Supreme Source and Vital Essentials.


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.

When you look at the average percentages of crude fat for dry dog food, it's clear that Vital Essentials provides significantly more fat. On average, Vital Essentials guarantees about 15.88% more protein than Supreme Source.


The table shows that Vital Essentials provides far less fiber than Supreme Source. The difference in fiber content is roughly 4.91%.

Supreme Source Cat Food vs. Vital Essentials Cat Food

Dry Cat FoodSupreme SourceVital Essentials
Crude Protein38.9%54.0%
Crude Fat16.7%27.5%
Crude Fiber5%5.1%

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.

The comparison table above shows that Vital Essentials dry cat foods provide significantly more protein than Supreme Source. More specifically, Vital Essentials guarantees at least 15.10% more 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):

  • 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.

Vital Essentials dry cat foods clearly provides more fat than Supreme Source. In fact, the difference between the fat content is roughly 10.87%, which is a significant amount.


As you can see, Supreme Source and Vital Essentials guarantee a similar amount of crude fiber.

Supreme Source Pet Food Ingredients vs. Vital Essentials Pet Food Ingredients

Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Supreme Source.

Pea Protein
Tomato Pomace
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 Supreme Source.

Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex

Product Safety: Recall History of Supreme Source & Vital Essentials?

According to our records, Supreme Source has never been recalled.

Vital Essentials has been recalled 4 times.

  • July 8, 2015: Listeria monocytogenes
  • Jan. 15, 2016: Salmonella
  • Feb. 24, 2018: Salmonella
  • April 16, 2018: Salmonella

Price Comparison: Which Brand Is More Expensive?

Dry Dog FoodSupreme SourceVital Essentials
Per Pound$2.15$37.19
Per Calorie$0.0014$0.0186
Dry Cat FoodSupreme SourceVital Essentials
Per Pound$3.29$39.03
Per Calorie$0.0020$0.0200

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 Supreme Source or Vital Essentials, 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 Supreme Source or Vital Essentials will depend on your shopping habits.

Pet owners who use our price comparison feature typically save more than 25% off retail prices for Supreme Source and Vital Essentials. 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 Supreme Source Pet Foods

You can purchase Supreme Source pet foods from the following stores:


8 Recipes In-Stock Today

Where To Buy Vital Essentials Pet Foods

You can purchase Vital Essentials pet food products from these retailers:


47 Recipes In-Stock Today

43 Recipes In-Stock Today

22 Recipes In-Stock Today

23 Recipes In-Stock Today

Type Of Pet Foods Available

ProductSupreme SourceVital Essentials
Dry Dog Food4 RecipesNone
Wet Dog FoodNoneNone
Dog Treats2 Treats30 Treats
Dry Cat Food2 RecipesNone
Wet Cat FoodNoneNone
Cat TreatsNone8 Treats

Top Rated Supreme Source Recipes

Dog Food
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Super-Premium Dog Food Turkey Meal and Sweet Potato Recipe
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Super-Premium Dog Food Pork, Peas and Wild Boar Recipe
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Super-Premium Dog Food Lamb Meal and Potato Recipe
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Cat Food
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Grain Free Dry Cat Food Whitefish Meal and Salmon Meal Recipe
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Top Rated Vital Essentials Recipes

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Freeze-Dried Entrees Beef Mini Nibs
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Frozen Entrees Beef Mini Patties
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VitalCat Freeze-Dried Duck Mini Nibs For Cats
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VitalCat Frozen Rabbit Entree Mini Patties For Cats
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