Beneful

Baneful original
GUARANTEED ANALYSIS
Crude Protein (Min) 25.0% Calcium (Ca) (Min) 1.1%
Crude Fat (Min) 10.0% Iron (Fe) (Min) 200 mg/kg
Crude Fiber (Max) 4.0% Selenium (Se) (Min) 0.2 mg/kg
Moisture (Max) 14.0% Vitamin A (Min) 10,000 IU/kg
Linoleic Acid (Min) 1.5% Vitamin E (Min) 100 IU/kg

CALORIE CONTENT
Metabolizable Energy (ME)
3689 kcal/kg
1674 kcal/lb
360 kcal/cup

INGREDIENTS
Ground yellow corn, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal, whole wheat flour, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), rice flour, beef, soy flour, sugar, sorbitol, tricalcium phosphate, water, salt, phosphoric acid, animal digest, potassium chloride, dicalcium phosphate, sorbic acid (a preservative), L-Lysine monohydrochloride, dried peas, dried carrots, calcium carbonate, calcium propionate (a preservative), choline chloride, added color (Yellow 5, Red 40, Yellow 6, Blue 2), DL-Methionine, Vitamin E supplement, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, Vitamin A supplement, manganese sulfate, niacin, Vitamin B-12 supplement, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement, copper sulfate, biotin, garlic oil, thiamine hydrochloride, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), calcium iodate, sodium selenite.

So lets get started by going through our ingredients. Ground yellow corn is the entire corn kernel, ground or chopped. While the whole corn kernel is nutritious, corn is considered to be highly allergenic. Chicken by-product meal consists of the dry, 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 unavoidably in good processing practices.

Chicken by-product meal is an inconsistent ingredient because of the multiple organs used, their constantly changing proportions, and their questionable nutritional value. Chicken by-product meal is much less expensive and less digestible than chicken meal.

Corn gluten meal is the dried residue from corn after the removal of the larger part of the starch and germ, and the separation of the bran by the process employed in the wet milling manufacture of corn starch or syrup, or by enzymatic treatment of the endosperm. Corn gluten meal is a low ash source of protein and acts as a urine acidifier in some of our cat food formulas. Cats vs. Dogs: While not the best quality source of protein, the use of corn gluten in small amounts offer preventive health benefits for cats. In addition, unlike dogs, cats do not usually show signs of allergic reactions to corn products. I do feel strongly, however, that there is no justification for the use of corn gluten in dog foods and consider it to be only a cheap protein filler when used in this manner.

Wheat flour consists principally of the soft, finely ground and bolted meal obtained from milling wheat (containing essentially the starch and gluten of the endosperm) together with fine particles of wheat bran, wheat germ, and the offal from the tail of the mill. Whenever flour is part of an ingredient's name, the grain has been processed and some (or all) of the nutritional value has been lost. Frequently these flour ingredients are simply the leftover dust from processing human food ingredients. I try to avoid all processed grains, relying instead on only whole grains for complete carbohydrate nutrition.

Animal fat is obtained from the tissues of mammals and/or poultry in the commercial process of rendering or extracting.
Animal fat is a by-product of meat meal processing. The origin of the contributing animals is never known, and the resulting oil is very low in linoleic acid -- an essential fatty acid that is important for skin and coat health. As with any other unknown ingredient, the control over quality is very limited so I stay away from it.
In a side note, the mixed tocopherals that preserve this are ok. It is a natural preservative.

Rice flour consists principally of the soft, finely ground and bolted meal obtained from milling rice (containing essentially the starch and gluten of the endosperm) together with fine particles of rice bran and the offal from the 'tail of the mill.' Whenever flour is part of an ingredient's name, the grain has been processed and some (or all) of the nutritional value has been lost. Frequently these flour ingredients are simply the leftover dust from processing human food ingredients.

Beef is the clean flesh derived from slaughtered cows and is limited to that part of the striate muscle which is skeletal or that which is found in the tongue, in the diaphragm, in the heart, or in the esophagus; with or without the accompanying and overlying fat and the portions of the skin, sinew, nerve, and blood vessels which normally accompany the flesh. This Protein is a perfectly fine meat, but since it has been used so much in the last 100 years of dog food formulas, it has become an allergenic for some dogs. (so has chicken) Another point I need to make is that on the front of this bag it shows off that this food is made "with real beef". Beef is the 7th ingredient! However, we cannot say that they were lying because they were using the "3%" rule which states that when ingredients are mentioned on the bag and take up less then 25% of the total bag weight, they need to say "with" in front of the afore mentioned item. This ingredient also must take up more than 3% of the total weight.

Soy flour is the finely powdered material resulting from the screened and graded product after removal of most of the oil from selected, sound, cleaned and decupled soybeans by a mechanical or solvent extraction process.
Whenever flour is part of an ingredient's name, the grain has been processed and some (or all) of the nutritional value has been lost. Frequently these flour ingredients are simply the leftover dust from processing human food ingredients. (wow am i a broken record or what!)


Our next ingredient is one which i am most proud of when i see it:SUGAR- The term sugar means sucrose. Commercially produced table sugar comes either from sugar cane or from sugar beets. This ingredient has no purpose, except to get your dog hooked on their food. Dogs don’t need sugar in their diet!

From here on out, we see a lot of minerals and chemicals but in that bunch of items which we don’t recognize are some which we do: Added colors (bad), Dried vegetables(good), and menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity). Chances are you have not ever see that last one but i feel its important to discuss it. This ingredient has been added to increase the amount of vitamin k in your dog. This however is not necessarily a good thing. Since this ingredient has not been approved for long term use in dog food, i stay away from it. Some negative effects from large doses of this ingredient include: cytotoxicity in the liver cells, considerably weakens the immune system, damages the natural vitamin K cycle, causes hemolytic anemia and hyperbilirubinemia (not just linked to large doses), is directly toxic in high doses (vomiting, albuminuria)(unlike natural vitamin K), causes irritation of skin and mucous membranes, and causes allergic reactions and eczema.

When looking at a dog food i find it is important to look at three things.
1.) The guaranteed analysis-This will show you the crude percentages of four main things: Protein, fat, fiber, and moisture. Personally, i like to see the protein over 23%, the fat between 10% and 22%, the fiber will almost always be 4%, and the moisture can be whatever you want it to be. When its higher the kibble is softer and when its lower the kibble is crunchier. But i will say that i have not found a good semi-soft kibble in my research. Plus, it is harder to keep semi-soft dog foods fresh longer. The guaranteed analysis looks ok. The percentages aren’t low enough to say they need improved, but knowing now that the ingredients are not up to par, we can conclude that "ok" percentages doesn’t mean its an "ok" food.
2.) The second thing i look at is the ME, or metabolizable energy. These are shown in kcals per cup, pound, or kg. The higher this number, the better. This formula of Beneful has 360 kcals per cup. This is also an acceptable amount, which proves again that ME alone will not tell you if it is a good dog food. Kcals can come from bad ingredients and good ingredients alike. Some dog foods have upwards of 500 kcals per cup!
3.) The last of the three main things i look at are the ingredients. Usually i look at them first. If the ingredients are bad then i don’t need to look at the other two areas. If the ingredients are good then you can get a better picture of the amounts of those good ingredients from the guaranteed analysis and the ME.

The yearly cost of using this food (for a 75lb dog) is about $232. In that year your dog would have eaten 314 lbs of dog food! All that food has to go somewhere, which leads me to another benefit of buying a better quality dog food: the amount of waste. How much waste are you willing to pick up? Beneful as a brand will cost you anywhere from $232 to $274 per year for their adult formulas.

In conclusion, Beneful has bad ingredients, i high yearly cost (for what you get), and will not "benefit" your dog in the long run. Don’t be fooled by the bag price.

Some good alternatives in the same price range are: Diamond Naturals, or Nutro Natural Choice.