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Whole Earth Farms vs Merrick

Whole Earth Farms vs. Merrick

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

Guaranteed Analysis: Merrick vs. Whole Earth Farms

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.

Whole Earth Farms Dog Food vs. Merrick Dog Food

Dry Dog FoodWhole Earth FarmsMerrick
Crude Protein29.0%35.9%
Crude Fat15.1%17.2%
Crude Fiber5.0%4.2%
Wet/Canned Dog FoodWhole Earth FarmsMerrick
Crude Protein39.2%43.9%
Crude Fat21.2%21.1%
Crude Fiber8.1%8.3%

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.

Whole Earth Farms dry recipes contain 6.90% less protein than Merrick dry recipes. This difference in protein content is a notable difference between Merrick and Whole Earth Farms. In addition, Merrick wet dog foods also provide more protein than Whole Earth Farms wet foods.


Crude Fat Comparison For Dog Food

Dietary fats serves a multitude of roles in the proper development and function of our canine companions. Here are some of the benefits (not exhaustive):

  • Help produce prostaglandins, which reduce inflammation among other critical functions.
  • Aid in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins
  • Improve skin and coat health
  • Improve the palatially of your dog's food

According to our average data, Whole Earth Farms typically provides less fat than Merrick. However, this difference is relatively small and doesn't represent a significant difference between the two brands. For wet dog foods, Whole Earth Farms and Merrick provide roughly the same amount of fat.


Both brands provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber. With regards to wet dog food, Merrick and Whole Earth Farms also provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber.

Whole Earth Farms Cat Food vs. Merrick Cat Food

Dry Cat FoodWhole Earth FarmsMerrick
Crude Protein39.6%40.5%
Crude Fat14.8%15.7%
Crude Fiber4.7%5.1%
Wet/Canned Cat FoodWhole Earth FarmsMerrick
Crude Protein42.2%46.9%
Crude Fat19.7%21.3%
Crude Fiber12.4%6.0%

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.

As you can see, Whole Earth Farms and Merrick guarantee a similar amount of crude protein. For wet cat foods, Merrick provides more protein (about 4.75% 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):

  • Aid in the digestion and absorption of fat-soluble vitamins
  • Improve the health of skin/coat
  • Slow the growth of yeast infections
  • Slow the development and spread of certain type of cancers.
  • Maintain healthy blood pressure

Whole Earth Farms and Merrick both provide roughly the same amount of crude fat. With regards to wet cat food, Merrick and Whole Earth Farms also provide roughly the same amount of crude fat.


There is a relatively insignificant difference between the crude fiber content of the two brands. For wet cat foods, Whole Earth Farms provides more fiber (about 6.38% more).

Whole Earth Farms Pet Food Ingredients vs. Merrick Pet Food Ingredients

Whole Earth Farms and Merrick both use the following controversial ingredients in many of their products:

Pea Protein
Caramel Color

Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Whole Earth Farms.

Canola Meal

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

Garlic
Canola Oil
Meaty Femur Bone
Powdered Cellulose
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.

Whole Earth Farms and Merrick both use the following harmful ingredients in many of their products:

Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex

Product Safety: Recall History of Whole Earth Farms & Merrick?

According to our records, Whole Earth Farms has never been recalled.

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

Price Comparison: Which Brand Is More Expensive?

Dry Dog FoodWhole Earth FarmsMerrick
Per Pound$3.33$6.15
Per Calorie$0.0021$0.0036
Dry Cat FoodWhole Earth FarmsMerrick
Per Pound$6.34$4.09
Per Calorie$0.0040$0.0025
Wet Dog FoodWhole Earth FarmsMerrick
Per Pound$5.63$5.97
Per Calorie$0.0108$0.0126
Wet Cat FoodWhole Earth FarmsMerrick
Per Pound$7.73$7.55
Per Calorie$0.0150$0.0168

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 Whole Earth Farms or Merrick, 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 Whole Earth Farms or Merrick will depend on your shopping habits.

Pet owners who use our price comparison feature typically save more than 25% off retail prices for Whole Earth Farms and Merrick. 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 Whole Earth Farms Pet Foods

You can purchase Whole Earth Farms pet foods from the following stores:


11 Recipes In-Stock Today

12 Recipes In-Stock Today

17 Recipes In-Stock Today

Where To Buy Merrick Pet Foods

You can purchase Merrick pet food products from these retailers:


136 Recipes In-Stock Today

107 Recipes In-Stock Today

103 Recipes In-Stock Today

17 Recipes In-Stock Today

Type Of Pet Foods Available

ProductWhole Earth FarmsMerrick
Dry Dog Food9 Recipes53 Recipes
Wet Dog Food15 Recipes58 Recipes
Dog Treats3 Treats35 Treats
Dry Cat Food5 Recipes18 Recipes
Wet Cat Food17 Recipes50 Recipes
Cat TreatsNoneNone

Top Rated Whole Earth Farms Recipes

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Top Rated Merrick Recipes

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