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Primal vs Beneful

Primal vs. Beneful

In this comparison article for Primal vs Beneful, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Primal and Beneful, 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 Beneful 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 Beneful Review Page.

Guaranteed Analysis: Beneful 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. Beneful Dog Food

Dry Dog FoodPrimalBeneful
Crude Protein48.0%29.2%
Crude Fat26.7%14.7%
Crude Fiber4.6%5.2%
Wet/Canned Dog FoodPrimalBeneful
Crude Protein49.5%46.2%
Crude Fat28.4%11.4%
Crude Fiber5.3%6.7%

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 Beneful. More specifically, Primal guarantees at least 18.76% more protein. For wet dog foods, Primal typically provides a little more protein (about 3.35% 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 Beneful. In fact, the difference between the fat content is roughly 12.02%, which is a significant amount. Similarly, Primal wet dog foods provide significantly more protein than Beneful wet foods.


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

Primal Pet Food Ingredients vs. Beneful Pet Food Ingredients

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

Liver
Iron Oxide
Canola Meal
Brewers Rice
Ground Wheat
Wheat Gluten
Soybean Flour
Soybean Hulls
Corn Germ Meal
Corn Gluten Meal
Meat By-Products
Whole Grain Corn
Whole Grain Wheat
Ground Yellow Corn
Powdered Cellulose
Chicken By-Product Meal
Hydrogenated Corn Syrup
Soybean Protein Isolate
Soybean Protein Concentrate
Animal 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 Beneful.

Bha
Bht
Blue 1
Red 40
Yellow 5
Yellow 6
Added Color
Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex

Product Safety: Recall History of Primal & Beneful?

Primal has been recalled 2 times.

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

Beneful has been recalled once.

  • March 9, 2016: Incorrect Vitamins and Minerals

Price Comparison: Which Brand Is More Expensive?

Dry Dog FoodPrimalBeneful
Per Pound$45.57$2.12
Per Calorie$0.0227$0.0013

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 Beneful, 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 Beneful 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 Beneful. 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 Beneful Pet Foods

You can purchase Beneful pet food products from these retailers:


32 Recipes In-Stock Today

8 Recipes In-Stock Today

18 Recipes In-Stock Today

Type Of Pet Foods Available

ProductPrimalBeneful
Dry Dog FoodNone13 Recipes
Wet Dog FoodNone28 Recipes
Dog Treats6 Treats3 Treats
Dry Cat FoodNoneNone
Wet Cat FoodNoneNone
Cat TreatsNoneNone

Top Rated Primal Recipes

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Top Rated Beneful Recipes

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