Review of Purina Beyond Superfood Blend Dog Food

Purina Beyond Superfood Blend Dog Food receives the Advisor’s mid-tier rating of 3.5 stars.

The Purina Beyond Superfood Blend product line includes one dry dog food, a recipe claimed to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for adult maintenance.

Ingredient Analysis

The first ingredient in this dog food is salmon. Although it is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, raw salmon contains up to 73% water. After cooking, most of that moisture is lost, reducing the meat content to just a fraction of its original weight.

After processing, this item would probably account for a smaller part of the total content of the finished product.

The second ingredient is rice. Is this whole grain rice, brown rice or white rice? Since the word “rice” doesn’t tell us much, it’s impossible to judge the quality of this item.

The third ingredient is barley, a starchy carbohydrate supplying fiber and other healthy nutrients. However, aside from its energy content, this cereal grain is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.

The next ingredient is chicken meal. Chicken meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken.

The fifth ingredient is oatmeal, a whole-grain product made from coarsely ground oats. Oatmeal is naturally rich in B-vitamins, dietary fiber and can be (depending upon its level of purity) gluten-free.

The sixth item is beef fat. Beef fat (or tallow) is most likely obtained from rendering, a process similar to making soup in which the fat itself is skimmed from the surface of the liquid.

Although it may not sound very appetizing, beef fat is actually a quality ingredient.

The seventh ingredient is canola meal, a by-product of canola oil production more typically used to make feed for farm animals and to produce biodiesel.

Unfortunately, canola can be a controversial item. That’s because it can sometimes (but not always) be derived from genetically modified rapeseed.

In any case, because canola meal also contains about 37% dry matter protein, this ingredient would be expected to notably boost the total protein reported on the label — a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.

The eighth ingredient is dried egg product, a dehydrated form of shell-free eggs. Quality can vary significantly. Lower grade egg product can even come from commercial hatcheries — from eggs that have failed to hatch.

In any case, eggs are easy to digest and have an exceptionally high biological value.

The ninth ingredient is pea protein, what remains of a pea after removing the starchy part of the vegetable.

Even though it contains over 80% protein, this ingredient would be expected to have a lower biological value than meat.

And less costly plant-based products like this can notably boost the total protein reported on the label — a factor that can’t be ignored when judging the meat content of this dog food.

From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.

But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this Purina product.

With 6 notable exceptions…

First, dried yeast can be a controversial item. Dried yeast contains about 45% protein and is rich in other healthy nutrients.

Fans believe yeast repels fleas and supports the immune system.

Critics argue yeast ingredients can be linked to allergies. This may be true, but (like all allergies) only if your particular dog is allergic to the yeast itself.

What’s more, a vocal minority insists yeast can increase the risk of developing the life-threatening condition known as bloat. However, this is something we’ve not been able to scientifically verify.

In any case, unless your dog is specifically allergic to it, we feel yeast should be considered a nutritious addition.

Next, fish oil is naturally rich in the prized EPA and DHA type of omega-3 fatty acids. These two high quality fats boast the highest bio-availability to dogs and humans.

Depending on its level of freshness and purity, fish oil should be considered a commendable addition.

In addition, we note the inclusion of dried fermentation products in this recipe. Fermentation products are typically added as probiotics to aid with digestion.

Next, the minerals listed here do not appear to be chelated. And that can make them more difficult to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually associated with higher quality dog foods.

We also note the presence of sodium selenite, a controversial form of the mineral selenium in this product. Sodium selenite appears to be nutritionally inferior to the more natural source of selenium found in selenium yeast.

And lastly, this food contains menadione, a controversial form of vitamin K linked to liver toxicity, allergies and the abnormal break-down of red blood cells.

Since vitamin K isn’t required by AAFCO in either of its dog food nutrient profiles, we question the use of this substance in any canine formulation.

Nutrient Analysis

Based on its ingredients alone, Purina Beyond Superfood Blend looks like an average dry dog food.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 30%, a fat level of 18% and estimated carbohydrates of about 44%.

And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 62%.

Which means this Purina product contains…

Above-average protein. Above-average fat. And below-average carbs when compared to a typical dry dog food.

When you consider the protein-boosting effect of the canola meal, pea protein and dried yeast, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing a moderate amount of meat.

Our Rating of Purina Beyond Superfood Blend Dog Food

Purina Beyond Superfood Blend is a grain-inclusive dry dog food using a moderate amount of named meat meal as its main source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 3.5 stars.

Recommended.

Purina Dog Food
Recall History

The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls since 2009 related to Purina.

• Purina Recalls Pro Plan Vet Diet Product Due to Elevated Levels of Vitamin D (2/9/2023)
• Purina Recalls Pro Plan Vet Diet Product Due to Mislabeling (12/6/2022)
• Purina Beneful and Pro Plan Dog Food Recall (3/11/2016)
• Purina One Beyond Dog Food Recall (8/30/2013)

You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls since 2009 here.

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More Purina Brand Reviews

The following Purina dog food reviews are also posted on this website:

• Alpo Chop House Dog Food Review (Canned)
• Alpo Dog Food Review (Dry)
• Beneful Dog Food Review (Dry)
• Beneful Dog Food Review (Tubs)
• Purina Beyond Dog Food Review (Canned)
• Purina Beyond Dog Food Review (Dry)
• Purina Dog Chow Dog Food Review (Dry)
• Purina Moist and Meaty Dog Food Review (Semi-Moist)
• Purina One Dog Food Review (Canned)
• Purina One Dog Food Review (Dry)
• Purina One SmartBlend True Instinct Dog Food Review (Canned)
• Purina One True Instinct Dog Food Review (Dry)
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• Purina Pro Plan Bright Mind Dog Food Review (Dry)
• Purina Pro Plan Dog Food Review
• Purina Pro Plan Dog Food Review (Canned)
• Purina Pro Plan Puppy Food Review (Dry)
• Purina Pro Plan Sport Dog Food Review (Dry)
• Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets EN Dog Food Review (Dry)
• Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets HA Dog Food Review (Dry)
• Purina Puppy Chow Review (Dry)