About Tender& Truth
In 2014, Tender & True pioneered the first and only certified humanely raised pet food meeting USDA standards to be truly organic from farm to bowl. We set out to make Tender & True better from the beginning, with no compromises and with the certifications to prove it.
We believe in sourcing and supplying our own ingredients. So we know a thing or two about what goes into feeding your pets. Our long relationships with growers and fisheries means we’ve always pushed the possibilities of better ingredients and better price. We’re still proudly independently owned in the Midwest and we’re continuing to blaze a trail of firsts, setting new standards in the industry for quality, excellence and care. Better pet food from better ingredients, at a better price. That means a better life with your best friend.
Recipe and Label Analysis
Tender & True Organic Chicken and Liver Grain Free was selected to represent the other products in the line for detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.
Label and nutrient data below are calculated using dry matter basis.
Tender & True Organic Chicken and Liver Grain Free
Dry Dog Food
Ingredients: Organic chicken, organic chicken meal, organic dried peas, organic chickpeas, organic flaxseed meal, organic tapioca starch, organic chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), organic potato flour, organic pea protein, organic chicken liver, natural flavor, menhaden fish oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), choline chloride, salt, mixed tocopherols, vitamins (l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), vitamin E supplement, inositol, niacin, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin supplement, d-calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, biotin, vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, citric acid (preservative), vitamin B12 supplement, folic acid), potassium chloride, minerals (zinc proteinate, zinc sulfate, manganese proteinate, ferrous sulfate, iron proteinate, zinc oxide, copper proteinate, sodium selenite, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, potassium iodide).
Ingredient Analysis
The first ingredient in this dog food is organic chicken. Although it is a quality item, raw chicken 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 organic chicken meal. Chicken meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken.
The third ingredient lists organic dried peas. Dried peas are a good source of carbohydrates. Plus they’re naturally rich in dietary fiber. However, dried peas contain about 27% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the meat content of this dog food.
The fourth ingredient includes organic chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans. Like peas, bean and lentils, the chickpea is a nutritious member of the fiber-rich legume (or pulse) family of vegetables. However, chickpeas contain about 22% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.
The fifth ingredient is organic flaxseed meal, one of the best plant-based sources of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Flax meal is particularly rich in soluble fiber. However, flaxseed contains about 19% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.The sixth ingredient is organic tapioca starch, a gluten-free, starchy carbohydrate extract made from the root of the cassava plant.
The seventh item is organic chicken fat. Chicken fat is obtained from rendering chicken, a process similar to making soup in which the fat itself is skimmed from the surface of the liquid. Chicken fat is high in linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid essential for life. Although it doesn’t sound very appetizing, chicken fat is actually a quality ingredient.
The eighth ingredient is organic potato flour. Unlike potato starch, potato flour is made from the whole potato (even the skins). This item is considered a gluten-free source of digestible carbohydrates with only modest nutritional value.
The ninth ingredient is organic 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 must be considered 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 product.
Nutrient Analysis
Since this recipe contains a number of organic ingredients, we feel compelled to grant this line a more favorable status as we consider its final rating.
That’s because organic ingredients must comply with notably more stringent government standards — standards which significantly restrict the use of any synthetic pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, hormones or antibiotics.
Based on its ingredients alone, Tender and True Dog Food looks like an above-average dry product.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 29%, a fat level of 18% and estimated carbohydrates of about 45%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 30% and a mean fat level of 18%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 44% for the overall product line.
And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 59%.
Above-average protein. Above-average fat. And below-average carbs when compared to other dry dog foods.
Even when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the pea products, chickpeas and flaxseed meal, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing a significant amount of meat.
Our Rating of Tender and True Dog Food
Tender and True includes both grain-inclusive and grain-free dry dog foods that use a significant amount of named meat meal as their main source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 5 stars.
Enthusiastically recommended
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