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Pure Balance Dog Food Ingredients

According to our research, Pure Balance manufactures 22 dog food recipes using 162 unique ingredients. To evaluate the quality of ingredients used by Pure Balance, we've studied all 162 ingredients. In this article, we'll share our findings on Pure Balance ingredients.

Dog Food Recipes	22
Unique Ingredients	162
Artificial Colors	1
Animal By-Products	0
Anonymous Meats	2
Controversial	5
Harmful	1

First 5 Ingredients

Dog food ingredients in the United States are listed in descending order of pre-cooked weight. The first 5 ingredients typically constitute a significant portion of the recipe.

For Pure Balance, these are the most common ingredients found within the first 5 dog food ingredients.

chicken
chicken meal
dried ground pea
turkey liver
sweet potato

As you can see, the most common first ingredient in Pure Balance is chicken. The most common 2nd ingredient is chicken meal, followed by dried ground pea, turkey liver, and sweet potato.

Artificial Food Coloring Dyes

Our records indicate that Pure Balance does use artificial food coloring dyes. More specifically, we've identified 1 artificial food dye used by Pure Balance.

Although these food dyes are classified as Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) by the FDA, we recommend avoiding them when possible.

According to the Center For Research In The Public Interest (CSPI), there are many potential health risks associated with the consumption of artificial food coloring dyes.

Given that most pets consume the same products for prolonged periods of time, these concerns should be taken seriously. In general, we recommend pet owners avoid feeding products which contain artificial food coloring dyes.

For more information regarding the CSPI's findings, read our artificial food coloring article.

added color

1 Recipes

The ingredient "added color" is ambiguous and may include various artificial dyes. Most artificial dyes have been linked to various chronic diseases.

The following recipes contain added color:

Pure Balance Canned Dog Food Beef, Vegetables & Brown Rice Stew For Adult Dogs

Animal By-Products

According to our records, Pure Balance does not contain any animal by-products.

Animal by-products are basically the leftover parts of the the carcass after its been processed for meat. AAFCO defines by-products as the non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals.

Although by-products are still fairly nutritious ingredients, consumers have equated them with slaughterhouse waste. Therefore, most premium brands, including Pure Balance have decided to remove by-products and instead use named organ meats (beef liver, chicken gizzards).

For further reading on the controversy over animal by-products, click here.

Anonymous Meat Ingredients

Anonymous meats are animal-based ingredients which do not provide the source animal's name. These ingredients are controversial because they can come from almost any animal.

In addition, anonymous animal-based ingredients are very inexpensive and often the lowest quality meats that are still allowed to be used in pet food.

In general, we do not recommend feeding any products which contain anonymous meats. When in doubt, always contact the brand's customer service desk for further clarification.

Unfortunately, we've identified 2 anonymous meat ingredients used by Pure Balance.

fish meal

2 Recipes

Fish meal is defined by AAFCO as "the clean, dried, ground tissue of undecomposed whole fish or fish cutting, either or both, with or without the extraction of part of the oil." Since the specific type of fish is not mentioned, we cannot discuss any specific qualities of this ingredient. In general, anonymous ingredients are low quality inclusions when compared to ingredients such as tuna meal, salmon meal, catfish meal, etc.

The following recipes contain fish meal:

poultry fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols)

6 Recipes

Poultry fat is a by-product of poultry tissue rendering. Poultry fat is a controversial ingredient because the specific protein is not specified. Such ingredients are typically low-quality in comparison to named poultry fats (e.g. chicken fat, turkey fat).

The following recipes contain poultry fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols):

Controversial Ingredients

In most cases, ingredients which are given the controversial classification can be substituted with higher-quality alternatives. You should evaluate each controversial ingredient independently to see if there is truly a valid cause for concern.

Keep in mind, certain sacrifices often must be made to produce dog foods at a reasonable price. In general, the more expensive the product, the fewer controversial ingredients you'll find.

In our analysis, we've identified 5 controversial ingredients inside Pure Balance products. These controversial ingredients are listed below. Click on each ingredient for more information.

brewers rice

2 Recipes

Brewer's rice is the small fragments of rice kernel that are separated from the larger kernels of milled rice. The fragments do not contain the same nutrition profile of the whole kernel and therefore brewer's rice is a lower quality grain. Brewer's rice is typically regarded as an inexpensive and low quality filler.

The following recipes contain brewers rice:

pea protein

8 Recipes

Pea protein is produced by removing the starchy parts of peas. Pea protein is considered controversial because it provides a substantial plant based protein boost. This boost is undesirable because plant based protein is typically lower in biological value when compared to meat based proteins.

The following recipes contain pea protein:

garlic powder

1 Recipes

Garlic powder in very small quantities can be an acceptable addition, however, garlic can also be toxic. Therefore many pet owners choose to completely avoid garlic.

The following recipes contain garlic powder:

Pure Balance Canned Dog Food Beef, Vegetables & Brown Rice Stew For Adult Dogs

canola oil

1 Recipes

Canola oil is a plant-derived oil from the seeds of canola plants. Although fat is an essential component of any diet, canola oil is controversial in pet food. Proponents claim that canola oil provides a better fat profile in comparison to other plant based oils. However, opponents claim that canola oil is typically produced with genetically modified rapeseed and that rapeseed oil has multiple adverse health affects.

The following recipes contain canola oil:

Pure Balance Dog Food Rolls Grain Free Formula - Savory Beef With Carrots & Spinach Recipe

poultry fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols)

6 Recipes

The following recipes contain poultry fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols):

Potentially Harmful Ingredients

Harmful ingredients are those which have been linked to adverse health effects. In general, we do not recommend feeding any product which contains any harmful ingredients.

There are certain situations where these ingredients may be necessary. We always recommend contacting Pure Balance for further clarification regarding any harmful or controversial ingredient.

We have identified 1 harmful ingredient used in certain Pure Balance recipes. To learn more, click on the ingredient's name.

added color

1 Recipes

The ingredient "added color" is ambiguous and may include various artificial dyes. Most artificial dyes have been linked to various chronic diseases.

The following recipes contain added color: