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Primal vs Nature's Recipe

Primal vs. Nature's Recipe

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

Guaranteed Analysis: Nature's Recipe vs. Primal

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.

Primal Dog Food vs. Nature's Recipe Dog Food

Dry Dog FoodPrimalNature's Recipe
Crude Protein48.0%27.6%
Crude Fat26.7%13.5%
Crude Fiber4.6%4.8%
Wet/Canned Dog FoodPrimalNature's Recipe
Crude Protein49.5%53.9%
Crude Fat28.4%13.5%
Crude Fiber5.3%6.6%

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.

The comparison table above shows that Primal dry dog foods provide significantly more protein than Nature's Recipe. More specifically, Primal guarantees at least 20.38% more protein. For wet dog foods, Nature's Recipe provides more protein (about 4.37% more).


Crude Fat Comparison For Dog Food

Fats are an absolutely vital component of a balanced canine diet. Not only do fats provide energy, but they also serve important roles in the normal development and function of your dog's body. For example, fats help dogs produce prostaglandins, which reduce inflammation among many other significant functions.

Primal dry dog foods clearly provides more fat than Nature's Recipe. In fact, the difference between the fat content is roughly 13.26%, which is a significant amount. Similarly, Primal wet dog foods provide significantly more protein than Nature's Recipe wet foods.


There is a relatively insignificant difference between the crude fiber content of the two brands. With regards to wet dog food, Nature's Recipe and Primal also provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber.

Primal Pet Food Ingredients vs. Nature's Recipe Pet Food Ingredients

Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Nature's Recipe.

Wheat
Garlic
Beet Pulp
Canola Oil
Canola Meal
Fat Product
Pea Protein
Brewers Rice
Garlic Spice
Caramel Color
Garlic Powder
Soybean Flour
Tomato Pomace
Ground Whole Wheat
Dried Tomato Pomace
Soybean Protein Isolate
Soybean Protein Concentrate
Canola Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols)
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 Nature's Recipe.

Menadione Sodium Bisulfate Complex
Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex

Product Safety: Recall History of Primal & Nature's Recipe?

Primal has been recalled 2 times.

  • March 13, 2015: low thiamine level
  • Dec. 22, 2017: incorrect bone grind size

According to our records, Nature's Recipe has never been recalled.

Price Comparison: Which Brand Is More Expensive?

Dry Dog FoodPrimalNature's Recipe
Per Pound$45.57$1.93
Per Calorie$0.0227$0.0012

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 Primal or Nature's Recipe, 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 Primal or Nature's Recipe will depend on your shopping habits.

Pet owners who use our price comparison feature typically save more than 25% off retail prices for Primal and Nature's Recipe. 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 Primal Pet Foods

You can purchase Primal pet foods from the following stores:


15 Recipes In-Stock Today

20 Recipes In-Stock Today

15 Recipes In-Stock Today

14 Recipes In-Stock Today

Where To Buy Nature's Recipe Pet Foods

You can purchase Nature's Recipe pet food products from these retailers:


27 Recipes In-Stock Today

10 Recipes In-Stock Today

10 Recipes In-Stock Today

Type Of Pet Foods Available

ProductPrimalNature's Recipe
Dry Dog FoodNone19 Recipes
Wet Dog FoodNone17 Recipes
Dog Treats6 TreatsNone
Dry Cat FoodNoneNone
Wet Cat FoodNoneNone
Cat TreatsNoneNone

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