Darwin’s BioLogics is considered a low risk dog food with a score of 8. This is a minimally processed raw food with average protein of 53% and low carbohydrates of 5.82%. 

BioLogics has 3 recipes that include chicken, turkey and beef. This line uses conventionally raised meat so the omega-6s will be higher than if the sources were pastured animals. 

Omega-6 fats are inflammatory. Darwin’s doesn’t provide the omega-6:omega-3 ratio in their foods, and that’s a problem because AAFCO allows a very high ratio of 30:1. It’s our hope that more brands will pay more attention to these fats since omega-6 fats because of the inflammation issue.

Darwin’s doesn’t use organic produce in this line, which results in a lower ranking for food safety. These recipes lost points for including a GMO ingredient and using ingredients that are known to contain higher pesticide/herbicide residues including lettuce, squash and celery. Seasonal squash is listed, and the website describes it as yellow squash, which is a GMO vegetable. There are limited safety studies on genetically modified and Roundup Ready crops. They are lacking in nutrients compared to non-GMO foods. GMO crops also strip nutrients from soils, involve increased pesticide risk and may be involved in bee die-off.

In terms of food quality, Darwin’s doesn’t use grains or starches in its recipes. However, squash and sweet potato are ingredients in this line that might contribute to a slightly higher carbohydrate content, but the average is still under 6%

But the line did lose quality points for including added vitamins and for using seed oils. They’ve included a selection of meats, organs and vegetables in these recipes that could be substantial enough to provide all the nutrients to balance these foods. But a proprietary mix of vitamins and minerals has been added to the recipes. Details aren’t provided so it’s unknown whether this is a few or a substantial number. Any time 5 or more minerals or vitamins are added, it indicates a lower quality food that lacks naturally occurring minerals from whole food sources. That causes this line to fall short in ingredient quality. However, there are no added amino acids meaning there are sufficient amounts in the ingredients.

Cod liver oil is used in these foods, and the company states it’s obtained from wild caught Alaskan codfish. This is good to know since wild fish are more nutritious and have a healthier fatty acid balance. But an oil-related concern with some of these recipes is that seed oils like flax seed and sunflower seed have been included. One recipe has organic flax seed, and while organic is good, these are seed oils so they’re highly processed and can be inflammatory. Seed oils, such as safflower, sunflower or flaxseed oil, are rich in omega-6 fatty acids, which can cause systemic and gut inflammation.