Iams Original Chunks (Canine)
 |  |  |
FOOD COMPARISON: IAMS CHUNKS AND WELLNESS SUPER5MIX CHICKEN (CANINE)
So many of our clients feed Iams, Purina, Purina One, Purina Beneful, Science Diet, and other foods
that are recommended to them, and which have slick advertising campaigns telling everyone how
incredible these foods are. This image gets in your mind, and makes it look like a great food choice…
until you read the label! We encourage you to read the front page of our food handout, which tells
you how to understand your pet’s food label. Once you learn what sounds good in an ingredient list,
and what actually is good, you’re better able to choose the right food for your pet.
Below, we compare Iams Chunks (a chicken-based food) and Wellness Super5Mix Chicken Formula, a
higher-quality chicken-based food. Questionable ingredients are in bold type, with explanation below.
IAMS CHUNKS INGREDIENTS (Top 18 ingredients):
Chicken, Corn Meal, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Chicken By-Product Meal, Fish Meal, Chicken
Fat, Dried Beet Pulp (sugar removed), Natural Chicken Flavor, Potassium Chloride, Dried Egg
Product, Brewers Dried Yeast, Salt, Flax Meal, Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Vitamins, Calcium
Carbonate, Choline Chloride, Minerals
Interpretation: “Corn Meal” has no official definition under pet food manufacturing guidelines, so
could be anything, including the corn, cob, gluten, etc. In addition, corn is a carbohydrate that is
extremely difficult for dogs to digest and use, and is a leading cause of allergies. “Sorghum” is
another carbohydrate source. While it is a plus that they use whole grain sorghum rather than some
fragment of the grain, it is still very low in digestibility. The official definition of “Chicken By-Product
Meal” is as follows: “Consists of the ground, rendered, clean parts of the carcass of slaughtered
chicken, such as necks, feet, undeveloped eggs and intestines, exclusive of feathers, except in such
amounts as might occur unavoidable in good processing practice.” Note that this is an inconsistent
ingredient, because of the multiple organs used and their constantly changing proportions. They are
cheaper and less digestible than chicken or chicken meal. Anything called a “by-product” means it is
not deemed fit for human consumption, and may even contain diseased or chemically tainted tissue.
“Fish Meal” denotes a generic source. What kind of fish? Some are healthier than others. It is
better to list a specific protein source such as salmon meal or Menhaden fish meal, rather than the
generic “fish meal.” “Beet Pulp” is a source of sweetening and fiber. This says they remove the
sugar, so that makes it somewhat less objectionable. What, exactly, is “Natural Chicken Flavor?” It’
s the 8th ingredient, so there must be rather a lot of it. Manufacturers don’t want to tell you, if you
care to ask, but in reality it is usually some blood product. Maybe natural, but necessary?
"Potassium Chloride" is used as a salt substitute and to replenish electrolytes, but it is also used in
fertilizer and in massive doses for lethal injections! The official definition for “Dried Egg Product” is
“USDA inspected whole eggs without the shell in a dehydrated form.” These egg products are often
those seen as unfit for human consumption. “Salt” is not something we should be adding to our
pets’ food. “Sodium Hexametaphosphate” is another substance used industrially, but it is another
form of salt. Some studies indicate it may help decrease plaque buildup (it is an ingredient in human
toothpaste), but why add another salt to your pet’s food? “Vitamins” sound like a good thing to add,
but if they are using quality ingredients, why do they need to add a bunch of vitamins, and how many
of these vitamins are still viable after going through the cooking process? As for “Calcium
Carbonate,” it is a source of calcium, but that is what raw bones are for! Calcium Carbonate is also
an ingredient in many antacids. “Minerals,” same as with Vitamins… why do they need to be added,
and how many are still of any value after the high-heat cooking process?
WELLNESS SUPER5MIX CHICKEN FORMULA (Top 18 ingredients):
Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Oatmeal, Ground Barley, Ground Brown Rice, Rice Ban (from brown
rice), Rye Flour, Canola Oil, Whitefish, Tomatoes, Natural Chicken Flavor, Flaxseed, Ground Millet,
Carrots, Apples, Spinach, Blueberries, Sweet Potatoes
Interpretation: There are essentially no objectionable ingredients in the top 18 in this food. The only
somewhat questionable ingredient is Natural Chicken Flavor, for the reasons listed above. Oatmeal
is a good carbohydrate source, rich in B vitamins, a high quality protein, and easy on the stomach.
Brown Rice is a superior carbohydrate source, much better than processed white rice (which loses key
nutrients during processing). Brown Rice is rich in B vitamins. By using Brown Rice, Barley, and
Oatmeal, this food avoids the wheat, corn, white rice (often just fragments) and soy commonly used,
which are difficult to digest and are leading allergens in pet food. Flaxseed is the whole ground seed,
not a “meal” or fragment of the seed. Flax Seed is rich in essential fatty acids and B vitamins.
Whitefish is a specific high-quality fish protein, high in essential fatty acids. As for the remaining
ingredients on the list, they are whole, natural foods, minimally processed. These help round out the
variety of nutrition in the food. Wellness also makes a Fish & Sweet Potato variety that is a good
choice if you suspect your pet may have allergies to ingredients in other foods.
So many of our clients feed Iams, Purina, Purina One, Purina Beneful, Science Diet, and other foods
that are recommended to them, and which have slick advertising campaigns telling everyone how
incredible these foods are. This image gets in your mind, and makes it look like a great food choice…
until you read the label! We encourage you to read the front page of our food handout, which tells
you how to understand your pet’s food label. Once you learn what sounds good in an ingredient list,
and what actually is good, you’re better able to choose the right food for your pet.
Below, we compare Iams Chunks (a chicken-based food) and Wellness Super5Mix Chicken Formula, a
higher-quality chicken-based food. Questionable ingredients are in bold type, with explanation below.
IAMS CHUNKS INGREDIENTS (Top 18 ingredients):
Chicken, Corn Meal, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Chicken By-Product Meal, Fish Meal, Chicken
Fat, Dried Beet Pulp (sugar removed), Natural Chicken Flavor, Potassium Chloride, Dried Egg
Product, Brewers Dried Yeast, Salt, Flax Meal, Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Vitamins, Calcium
Carbonate, Choline Chloride, Minerals
Interpretation: “Corn Meal” has no official definition under pet food manufacturing guidelines, so
could be anything, including the corn, cob, gluten, etc. In addition, corn is a carbohydrate that is
extremely difficult for dogs to digest and use, and is a leading cause of allergies. “Sorghum” is
another carbohydrate source. While it is a plus that they use whole grain sorghum rather than some
fragment of the grain, it is still very low in digestibility. The official definition of “Chicken By-Product
Meal” is as follows: “Consists of the ground, rendered, clean parts of the carcass of slaughtered
chicken, such as necks, feet, undeveloped eggs and intestines, exclusive of feathers, except in such
amounts as might occur unavoidable in good processing practice.” Note that this is an inconsistent
ingredient, because of the multiple organs used and their constantly changing proportions. They are
cheaper and less digestible than chicken or chicken meal. Anything called a “by-product” means it is
not deemed fit for human consumption, and may even contain diseased or chemically tainted tissue.
“Fish Meal” denotes a generic source. What kind of fish? Some are healthier than others. It is
better to list a specific protein source such as salmon meal or Menhaden fish meal, rather than the
generic “fish meal.” “Beet Pulp” is a source of sweetening and fiber. This says they remove the
sugar, so that makes it somewhat less objectionable. What, exactly, is “Natural Chicken Flavor?” It’
s the 8th ingredient, so there must be rather a lot of it. Manufacturers don’t want to tell you, if you
care to ask, but in reality it is usually some blood product. Maybe natural, but necessary?
"Potassium Chloride" is used as a salt substitute and to replenish electrolytes, but it is also used in
fertilizer and in massive doses for lethal injections! The official definition for “Dried Egg Product” is
“USDA inspected whole eggs without the shell in a dehydrated form.” These egg products are often
those seen as unfit for human consumption. “Salt” is not something we should be adding to our
pets’ food. “Sodium Hexametaphosphate” is another substance used industrially, but it is another
form of salt. Some studies indicate it may help decrease plaque buildup (it is an ingredient in human
toothpaste), but why add another salt to your pet’s food? “Vitamins” sound like a good thing to add,
but if they are using quality ingredients, why do they need to add a bunch of vitamins, and how many
of these vitamins are still viable after going through the cooking process? As for “Calcium
Carbonate,” it is a source of calcium, but that is what raw bones are for! Calcium Carbonate is also
an ingredient in many antacids. “Minerals,” same as with Vitamins… why do they need to be added,
and how many are still of any value after the high-heat cooking process?
WELLNESS SUPER5MIX CHICKEN FORMULA (Top 18 ingredients):
Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Oatmeal, Ground Barley, Ground Brown Rice, Rice Ban (from brown
rice), Rye Flour, Canola Oil, Whitefish, Tomatoes, Natural Chicken Flavor, Flaxseed, Ground Millet,
Carrots, Apples, Spinach, Blueberries, Sweet Potatoes
Interpretation: There are essentially no objectionable ingredients in the top 18 in this food. The only
somewhat questionable ingredient is Natural Chicken Flavor, for the reasons listed above. Oatmeal
is a good carbohydrate source, rich in B vitamins, a high quality protein, and easy on the stomach.
Brown Rice is a superior carbohydrate source, much better than processed white rice (which loses key
nutrients during processing). Brown Rice is rich in B vitamins. By using Brown Rice, Barley, and
Oatmeal, this food avoids the wheat, corn, white rice (often just fragments) and soy commonly used,
which are difficult to digest and are leading allergens in pet food. Flaxseed is the whole ground seed,
not a “meal” or fragment of the seed. Flax Seed is rich in essential fatty acids and B vitamins.
Whitefish is a specific high-quality fish protein, high in essential fatty acids. As for the remaining
ingredients on the list, they are whole, natural foods, minimally processed. These help round out the
variety of nutrition in the food. Wellness also makes a Fish & Sweet Potato variety that is a good
choice if you suspect your pet may have allergies to ingredients in other foods.