Honest Kitchen

Grain Free Beef & Chicken Protein Plus Clusters

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Kibble

An independent Feed Wise evaluation of Honest Kitchen Grain Free Beef & Chicken Protein Plus Clusters, built from the published ingredient panel, guaranteed analysis, certifications and processing method.

Named beef first
2 named organ ingredients
6 named animal proteins
Kibble
Size
1.81 kg
Food type
Kibble
UPC
Not recorded
Brand
Honest Kitchen
Country
United States
Feed Wise Score
4.5out of 10
BELOW AVERAGE

Complete diet: complete and balanced (aafco)

72%
Confidence
Moderate confidence

Share of scoring criteria backed by published evidence.

Product type
Complete & Balanced Food
Complete & balanced
VERIFIED
Large breed growth
NOT PUBLISHED
Standard named by source
AAFCO

Manufacturer statement: “Complete and balanced nutrition formulated to meet AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for adult maintenance/all life stages as applicable to the recipe.” (source: manufacturer product page)

Protein

32%

Fat

17%

Estimated carbohydrate

Not calculable

Processing

Extruded

Where to Buy

Expert Summary

Feed Wise rates this below the standard we look for in this category for Honest Kitchen Grain Free Beef & Chicken Protein Plus Clusters, a dry kibble formula led by beef, chicken and dried whey protein concentrate. The manufacturer publishes an AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement, so it can be fed as a complete daily diet for growth and puppy feeding. Supporting the rating, it is manufactured in United States and the label declares 32% crude protein.

What is actually in this food?

Beef, chicken, potatoes, beef liver, peas, lentils, pea protein concentrate, flaxseed, dried whey protein concentrate, beef bone broth, dicalcium phosphate, egg, chicken liver, natural beef flavor, pumpkin, salt, fish oil, dried kelp, taurine, minerals [iron amino acid chelate, copper amino acid chelate, manganese amino acid chelate, zinc amino acid chelate, sodium selenite], mixed tocopherols (preservative), choline chloride, dried bacillus coagulans fermentation product, rosemary extract

First 5 ingredients

1. Beef

Tier A, exceptional food ingredient

Named Animal Protein

Named animal muscle meat. Highest value protein source in the FeedWise model.

2. chicken

Tier A, exceptional food ingredient

Named Animal Protein

Named animal muscle meat. Highest value protein source in the FeedWise model.

3. potatoes

Tier C, moderate or neutral ingredient

Whole Carbohydrate

Whole carbohydrate source. Evaluated on position, quantity and combined plant load rather than treated as automatically poor.

4. beef liver

Tier A, exceptional food ingredient

Named Organ Meat

Named liver. Nutrient dense organ meat.

5. peas

Tier C, moderate or neutral ingredient

Whole Carbohydrate

Whole pea. A pulse carbohydrate and plant protein source.

Animal Protein Quality

16.4 / 25

This is the largest single category in FeedWise. It looks at which animal ingredients are present, whether the species is named, whether organs, egg and named fats are included, and whether concentrated plant proteins are diluting the animal content.

  • Named animal protein first

    Beef is a named animal ingredient in position 1.

    +8 / 8
  • Animal Prominence Index

    Animal Prominence Index 56 of 100. This is a FeedWise position-weighted measure of how far animal ingredients dominate the ingredient panel. It is a label-position index, not a manufacturer-disclosed recipe percentage.

    +2.4 / 5
  • Liver

    Liver is included.

    +2 / 2
  • Heart

    No heart in the ingredient panel.

    0 / 2
  • Other appropriate organs

    No additional organ meats identified.

    0 / 2
  • Whole egg

    egg is included.

    +1 / 1
  • Named animal or marine fats

    Named animal or marine fat sources: fish oil.

    +1 / 2
  • Verified animal ingredient proportion

    The manufacturer has not published an animal ingredient percentage. Excluded from the score rather than counted against the product.

    NOT SCORED
  • Plant protein disclosure

    Concentrated plant protein is present: pea protein concentrate. The manufacturer does not publish its inclusion level or the animal versus plant share of the crude protein, so the contribution is not quantified. This is deducted once under Ingredient Quality and is not counted again here.

    N/A

Ingredient Quality

12.1 / 20

Every ingredient is classified into a quality tier and weighted by its position on the label, so ingredient number one counts far more than ingredient number fifteen.

  • Position weighted ingredient quality

    16 food ingredients assessed by quality tier with early positions weighted most heavily. 8 fortifying nutrients or preservatives excluded from the average.

    +16.1 / 20
  • Vague animal ingredients

    Animal ingredients without an identified species: beef bone broth.

    -1
  • Ingredient splitting

    Multiple fractions of the same core ingredient appear: PEA FAMILY (peas, pea protein concentrate).

    -1
  • Concentrated plant protein

    Concentrated plant protein appears at position 7: pea protein concentrate. Scored once here and not repeated in other categories.

    -2

Carbohydrate and Plant Load

0 / 15
  • Estimated carbohydrate: not calculable
  • Pulse ingredients detected: peas, lentils, pea protein concentrate
  • Plant protein concentrates: pea protein concentrate
  • Ingredient splitting: PEA FAMILY (peas, pea protein concentrate)

Carbohydrate is not calculable because ash is not disclosed. It is left blank rather than overstated.

  • Carbohydrate burden

    Carbohydrate is not precisely calculable because ash has not been disclosed. This is an evidence limitation, not evidence of high carbohydrate, so it is removed from the score and reported as reduced confidence.

    NOT SCORED
  • Ingredient based plant load

    Plant load assessed as VERY HIGH. Carbohydrate bearing plant ingredients: potatoes (starchy vegetable), peas (whole pulse), lentils (whole pulse), pea protein concentrate (concentrated plant protein), dried whey protein concentrate (concentrated plant protein).

    0 / 8
  • Combined pulse load

    3 pulse ingredients detected at positions 5, 6, 7: peas, lentils, pea protein concentrate. Together these represent a substantial plant contribution.

    -2
  • Pulse protein disclosure

    A concentrated pulse protein is present. Its inclusion level is not published, so no share of the protein figure is asserted. It is deducted once under Ingredient Quality rather than a second time here.

    N/A
  • Split plant fractions

    Split plant fractions understate the true plant load in the ingredient order.

    -1

How is it made?

5 / 10

Processing method: Extruded. This category measures food integrity only. Raw handling safety is assessed separately under Safety and Quality Control, so a raw food can score well here and still lose safety points.

  • Processing method

    Extruded processing. Food integrity only. Raw handling safety is assessed separately under Safety and Quality Control.

    +5 / 10

How transparent is the manufacturer?

3.3 / 10
  • Animal species clearly identified

    Not publicly verified

  • Ingredient sourcing disclosed

    Not publicly verified

  • Country or region identified

    Country or region of origin published: United States.

  • Manufacturing location identified

    Not publicly verified

  • Detailed nutritional analysis

    A detailed nutritional analysis is published.

  • Traceability information

    Not publicly verified

  • Manufacturer provides sourcing detail

    Not publicly verified

  • Overall formulation transparency

    A complete ingredient panel and an identified manufacturer are on file.

Marketing language alone does not count. Anything that has not been published is shown as not publicly verified rather than as a failure.

Nutritional Formulation

7.5 / 10
  • Complete and balanced for the stated life stage

    Complete and balanced nutrition formulated to meet AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for adult maintenance/all life stages as applicable to the recipe.

  • Detailed nutritional analysis available

    A full guaranteed analysis with energy content is on file.

  • Qualified formulation expertise

    Not publicly verified

  • Feeding trial or validation

    Not publicly verified

  • Calcium and phosphorus disclosed

    Not publicly verified

Safety and Quality Control

1 / 10
  • Batch testing

    Not publicly verified

  • Pathogen testing

    Not publicly verified

  • Supplier verification

    Not publicly verified

  • Lot traceability

    Not publicly verified

  • Nutrient verification

    Not publicly verified

  • Manufacturing quality program

    Not publicly verified

  • Recall context and corrective action

    No recalls on file.

A recall alone does not destroy a score. Severity, cause, frequency, recency and documented corrective action are all considered.

What we could not verify

Unknown information is not treated as bad information. It is scored as unverified and it lowers the confidence rating instead.

  • Carbohydrate (incomplete guaranteed analysis)
  • Verified animal ingredient percentage
  • Ingredient sourcing evidence
  • Manufacturing location
  • Quality control and testing evidence
  • Calcium and phosphorus
  • Pathogen testing
Submit a correction or supply missing evidence

Where to Buy

Canadian retailers on record. Stock and price vary by store and province.

    Guaranteed Analysis

    As-fed basis
    Protein
    32%
    36% dry matter
    Minimum crude protein as declared on the label.
    Fat
    17%
    Minimum crude fat as declared.
    Fibre
    4.5%
    Maximum crude fibre as declared.
    Moisture
    12%
    Maximum moisture as declared.
    Energy per cup
    410
    kcal / 8 oz cup
    Calories per standard 8 oz measuring cup as published by the manufacturer.

    Complete and balanced nutrition formulated to meet AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for adult maintenance/all life stages as applicable to the recipe.

    Certifications & Claims

    Published certifications and manufacturer claims appear with their source where available. A source link documents the claim; it is not independent certification.

    AAFCO nutrient profile statement
    Manufacturer claim

    FeedWise Findings

    The FeedWise Verdict

    4.5/ 10Below AverageModerate Confidence

    Why it scored this way

    • Complete diet: complete and balanced (aafco)
    • Solid named animal protein base
    • Concentrated plant protein contributes to the stated protein
    • Limited publicly verified sourcing information
    • Little publicly verified quality control evidence

    Full score breakdown

    Animal Protein Quality16.4 / 25
    Ingredient Quality12.1 / 20
    Carbohydrate and Plant Load0 / 15
    Processing and Food Integrity5 / 10
    Transparency and Sourcing3.3 / 10
    Nutritional Formulation7.5 / 10
    Safety and Quality Control1 / 10
    Total45.3 / 100

    FeedWise Score 4.5 · Below Average · Moderate Confidence

    How FeedWise Scores Dog Food →

    Scored by the FeedWise 100 point model. Read the full methodology.

    Community reviews do not affect the Feed Wise score.

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    Real experiences from Paw Privileges members. Reviews never affect the Wise score — scoring is based only on label evidence.

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