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Dry kibble · Guaranteed basis · checked 2026-07-25

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Natural Balance Grain-Free Sweet Potato & Venison Recipe

Dry kibble Grain-free adult Formulated

Part of the Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Reserve line. On a dry-matter basis this recipe is 22.2% protein and 11.1% fat, at 3,290 kcal per kilogram (342 kcal per cup). Its adequacy statement says the recipe is formulated to meet an AAFCO nutrient profile.

Composition as sold · 0–100% of the food by weight

Drawn from the published guaranteed analysis. The two hatched bands are inferred rather than measured: carbohydrate is estimated by difference and ash is assumed, because neither is required on a US label.

Label nutrition data

Guaranteed analysis as it appears on the label: minimums for protein and fat, maximums for fibre and moisture. The dry-matter and per-1,000-kcal columns are computed from those published figures, not restated from anywhere else. Hatched cells are values Natural Balance does not publish. Scroll horizontally — 4 columns. Published source ↗
Nutrient As fed (label) Dry matter g / 1,000 kcal
Crude protein (guaranteed min) 20% 22.2% 60.8g
Crude fat (guaranteed min) 10% 11.1% 30.4g
Crude fibre (guaranteed max) 5% 5.6% 15.2g
Moisture (guaranteed max) 10% — —
Omega-6 fatty acids (guaranteed min) 1.5% 1.7% 4.6g
Omega-3 fatty acids (guaranteed min) 0.8% 0.9% 2.4g
Taurine (guaranteed min) 0.2% 0.2% 0.6g
Carbohydrate (estimated) ~47% ~52.2% ~142.9g

First ingredients

Ingredients are listed by weight before cooking, so the first few describe most of what the recipe is made of — and nothing about the quality of any of them.

Sweet Potatoes · Venison · Potatoes · Pea Protein · Dried Yeast · Canola Oil (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols) · Flaxseed · Potato Protein · Dicalcium Phosphate · Natural Flavor · Salmon Oil (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols) · Calcium Carbonate

First 12 of the published list, in the manufacturer's order. The full list is on Natural Balance's product page ↗ .

AAFCO statement

“Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Reserve Grain Free Sweet Potato & Venison Recipe Dog Food is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for maintenance.”

Quoted verbatim from Natural Balance's published label data, and not scored.

The two wordings are different claims. Formulated to meet means the recipe was matched to an AAFCO nutrient profile on paper. Animal feeding tests using AAFCO procedures substantiate means the finished food was fed to dogs under a defined protocol — a minimum of eight dogs over twenty-six weeks. Both are legal standards of adequacy; only one involved dogs, and neither is a statement about ingredient quality. We quote whichever appears verbatim, and weight it in the score above: 20 points for a feeding trial, 12 for a formulation claim.

Try it with your dog's numbers

The feeding calculator turns this food's published calorie density into a daily portion for a given weight. The cost tool converts whatever you actually pay into a cost per 1,000 kcal, which is the only way to compare a subscription box against a bag.

Similar foods across every brand

Same format, nearest protein on a dry-matter basis. One food per brand, and this recipe's own brand is held back so the comparison actually crosses a brand line.

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The label, charted

Everything above, as one square you can save or send. It is generated from this page's own figures, so it cannot drift from them, and it is ours to publish — no manufacturer supplied it and none can withdraw it.

Label data chart for Natural Balance Grain-Free Sweet Potato & Venison Recipe: on a dry-matter basis, protein 22.2%, fat 11.1%, estimated carbohydrate 52.2%. Scored 34 of 100 — Not recommended.
Dry-matter basis · Manufacturer's label ↗

Manufacturers reformulate without announcing it, and a website can lag a bag by months. The panel on the pack in your hand outranks this page; where the two disagree, the pack is right and we want to know.

Source naturalbalanceinc.com ↗ Captured 2026-07-25 Methodology