Home Fromm

Fromm Dog Food Reviews

Fromm is a 5th generation pet food business based in Wisconsin. Fromm was founded as a canning company in 1910 and became a food manufacturer with its own plant in 1925. Research began in the 1940s to formulate dry dog food with the first bag of Fromm Complete Dog Meal sold in 1949.

Today, the company owns and operates 2 dry food and treat manufacturing facilities in Mequon and Columbus, Wisconsin, and a wet food cannery in Eden, Wisconsin. This is where they produce all of their dog and cat food and treats. The company conducts its own onsite ingredient testing, in-house lab analysis, preparation of meat and produce, formulation and blending, processing, packaging, warehousing and distribution. Fromm headquarters is in Mequon.

IS Fromm A GOOD DOG FOOD?

Fromm has 5 lines of dry dog foods and 5 lines of canned dog foods. All of the dry dog foods are considered high risk according to our evaluation criteria. Fromm’s canned dog foods are considered moderate risk with most hovering at the low end of that scoring category. Dry and canned dog foods both involve several stages of heating that cause a loss of nutrients and result in lower scores.

Fromm positions itself as a premium pet food in the marketplace yet all of its recipes have high carbohydrate levels with added synthetic vitamins, minerals and amino acids similar to many other brands. Added vitamins and minerals usually reflect poor quality or overly processed ingredients. It’s preferable that most or all vitamins and minerals come from real foods that are more bioavailable to dogs. Added amino acids are also a reflection of low quality or lower amounts of animal proteins. Plant protein is another low quality ingredient in some recipes. 

Fromm offers a line of grain-free dry dog food and a line of grain free canned dog food but it should be noted that grain free does not mean low carbohydrates. Fromm’s Four Star Grain Free Dry has average carbs of 31% while Four Star Grain Free Wet has 30% average carbohydrates, one of the highest carbohydrate levels we’ve seen in wet dog food. 

Dogs have no nutritional requirement for carbohydrates but starch is required for extrusion in dry foods. Excessive carbohydrate is an indicator of food quality as it can be used to reduce manufacturing cost. Foods that are high in carbohydrates can raise insulin and cause obesity. Some studies also show that dogs fed a high carbohydrate content have changes to their gut bacteria. 

Fromm’s dry dog foods average 37% carbohydrates as calculated, which is excessive and usually results in a lower protein content. In this case, the dry foods average 26% protein which is quite low. 

With the exception of the low protein level in Fromm’s Classic Canned, Fromm’s other 4 canned lines have average protein of 40%, more in keeping with what’s expected in canned dog food.

There is no information on the Fromm website about sourcing methods or quality of ingredients. Many of the recipes contain ingredients known for high pesticide or herbicide residues. 

Fromm states it has added probiotics to its dry foods to aid digestion, and includes different strains, however, it fails to state or guarantee the number of CFUs (colony forming units). 

Fromm doesn’t mention whether fish ingredients are farmed or wild caught. Wild caught fish is more nutritious and has a better fatty acid profile. Fromm also doesn’t state the omega-6:omega-3 ratio in their recipes. While this is true of most companies, it’s unfortunate since AAFCO allows a very inflammatory limit of 30:1. 

The average score of each Fromm line is listed below. Click on any line to view the individual foods and scores.

Four-Star Nutritionals With Grain

4.5
4 color scale
Average Score
Click here for full review
Fromm Four-Star Highlander Beef, Oats, 'n Barley® Recipe Dry Dog Food
4.5
4 color scale
Average Score
Click here for full review

Fromm Four-Star With Grain dog food is considered a high risk dog food according to our criteria. There are 8 recipes that average 25% protein and 38% carbohydrate as calculated. These recipes rank low in ingredient quality for having high carbohydrates, added vitamins, minerals and plant protein. On the ingredient safety side, these recipes are ultra processed, which destroys nutrients, and they have high pesticide foods and GMO crops listed in the top 5 ingredients. Rice is an ingredient that has potential arsenic contamination. The label doesn’t provide the omega-6:omega-3 ratio, which is a concern since AAFCO allows a very inflammatory ratio of 30:1.

Four-Star Nutritionals With Grain Dry Food Benefits

Four-Star Nutritionals With Grain Dry Food Concerns

Fromm Four-Star Nutritionals Grain Free

4.1
4 color scale
Average Score
Click here for full review
Fromm Four-Star Grain-Free Lamb & Lentil Recipe Dry Dog Food
4.1
4 color scale
Average Score
Click here for full review

Fromm Four-Star Grain Free dog food is considered a high risk dog food according to our criteria. There are 9 recipes that average 29% protein and 31% carbohydrate as calculated. These recipes rank low in ingredient quality for having high carbohydrates, added vitamins, minerals and plant protein. On the ingredient safety side, these recipes are ultra processed, which destroys nutrients, and they have high pesticide foods and GMO crops listed in the top 5 ingredients. Natural flavor is a low quality ingredient used. The label doesn’t provide the omega-6:omega-3 ratio, which is a concern since AAFCO allows a very inflammatory ratio of 30:1.

Fromm Four-Star Nutritionals Grain Free Dry Benefits

Fromm Four-Star Nutritionals Grain Free Dry Concerns

Fromm Gold With Grain Dry

3.6
4 color scale
Average Score
Click here for full review
Fromm Gold Reduced Activity & Senior Dry Dog Food
3.6
4 color scale
Average Score
Click here for full review

Fromm Gold With Grain dog food is considered a high risk dog food according to our criteria. There are 9 recipes that average 25% protein and 38% carbohydrate as calculated. These recipes rank low in ingredient quality for high carbohydrates, added vitamins, minerals and amino acids. On the ingredient safety side, these recipes are ultra processed, which destroys nutrients, and they have high pesticide foods listed in the top 5 ingredients, plus GMO ingredients. The label doesn’t provide the omega-6:omega-3 ratio, which is a concern since AAFCO allows a very inflammatory ratio of 30:1.

Fromm Gold With Grain Dry Benefits

Fromm Gold With Grain Dry Concerns

Fromm Gold Grain Free

4
4 color scale
Average Score
Click here for full review
Fromm Gold Grain-Free Heartland Gold Puppy Dry Dog Food
4
4 color scale
Average Score
Click here for full review

Fromm Gold Grain Free dog food is considered a high risk dog food according to our criteria. There are 5 recipes that average 25% protein and 37% carbohydrate as calculated. These recipes rank low in ingredient quality for having high carbohydrates, added vitamins, minerals and amino acids. On the ingredient safety side, these recipes are ultra processed, which destroys nutrients, and they have high pesticide foods listed in the top 5 ingredients, plus GMO ingredients. The label doesn’t provide the omega-6:omega-3 ratio, which is a concern since AAFCO allows a very inflammatory ratio of 30:1.

Fromm Gold Grain Free Dry Benefits

Fromm Gold Grain Free Dry Concerns

Fromm Classic Dry

4
4 color scale
Average Score
Click here for full review
Fromm Classic Adult Dry Dog Food
4
4 color scale
Average Score
Click here for full review

Fromm Classic Dry dog food is considered a high risk dog food according to our criteria. There are 3 recipes that average 24% protein and 41% carbohydrate as calculated. These recipes rank low in ingredient quality for having high carbohydrates, added vitamins, minerals and amino acids. On the ingredient safety side, these recipes are ultra processed, which destroys nutrients, and they have high pesticide foods listed in the top 5 ingredients. Rice has potential for arsenic contamination. The label doesn’t provide the omega-6:omega-3 ratio, which is a concern since AAFCO allows a very inflammatory ratio of 30:1.

Fromm Classic Dry Benefits

Fromm Classic Dry Concerns

Fromm Classic Canned

5.3
4 color scale
Average Score
Click here for full review
Fromm Classic Turkey & Rice Pâté Canned Dog Food
5.3
4 color scale
Average Score
Click here for full review

Fromm Classic Canned dog food is considered a moderate risk dog food according to our criteria. There are 3 recipes that average 32% protein and 38% carbohydrate as calculated on a dry matter basis. These recipes rank low in ingredient quality for having high carbohydrates and added vitamins and minerals. On the ingredient safety side, these recipes are highly processed, which destroys nutrients, and they have GMO crops listed in the top 5 ingredients. Rice is used, with potential for arsenic contamination. The label doesn’t provide the omega-6:omega-3 ratio, which is a concern since AAFCO allows a very inflammatory ratio of 30:1.

Fromm Classic Canned Benefits

Fromm Classic Canned Concerns

Fromm Pate

6
4 color scale
Average Score
Click here for full review
Fromm Chicken Pâté Dog Food
6
4 color scale
Average Score
Click here for full review

Fromm Pate dog food is considered a moderate risk dog food according to our criteria. There are 17 recipes that average 40% protein and 24% carbohydrate as calculated on a dry matter basis. These recipes rank low in ingredient quality for having high carbohydrates and added vitamins and minerals. On the ingredient safety side, these recipes are highly processed, which destroys nutrients, and they have high pesticide ingredients and GMO crops listed in the top 5 ingredients. The label doesn’t provide the omega-6:omega-3 ratio, which is a concern since AAFCO allows a very inflammatory ratio of 30:1.

Fromm Pate Benefits

Fromm Pate Concerns

Fromm Family Recipes Wet

5.4
4 color scale
Average Score
Click here for full review
Fromm Family Recipe Chicken, Vegetable, & Rice Stew Canned Dog Food
5.4
4 color scale
Average Score
Click here for full review

Fromm Family Recipes dog food is considered a moderate risk dog food according to our criteria. There are 5 recipes that average 39% protein and 25% carbohydrate as calculated on a dry matter basis. These recipes rank low in ingredient quality for having high carbohydrates and added vitamins and minerals. On the ingredient safety side, these recipes are highly processed, which destroys nutrients, and have GMO crops listed in the top 5 ingredients. There are also high pesticide/herbicide ingredients. Rice is used, which has potential for arsenic contamination. The label doesn’t provide the omega-6:omega-3 ratio, which is a concern since AAFCO allows a very inflammatory ratio of 30:1.

Fromm Family Recipes Benefits

Fromm Family Recipes Concerns

Fromm Diner

5.9
4 color scale
Average Score
Click here for full review
Fromm Diner Classics Milo's Meatloaf Pâté Dog Food
5.9
4 color scale
Average Score
Click here for full review

Fromm Diner dog food is considered a moderate risk dog food according to our criteria. There are 9 recipes that average 42% protein and 25% carbohydrate as calculated on a dry matter basis. These recipes rank low in ingredient quality for having high carbohydrates and added vitamins and minerals. They also contain inflammatory seed oil and unnamed animal protein. On the ingredient safety side, these recipes are highly processed, which destroys nutrients, and have high herbicide/pesticide foods and GMO crops listed in the top 5 ingredients. These recipes also use natural flavor and rice, which has potential for arsenic contamination. The label doesn’t provide the omega-6:omega-3 ratio, which is a concern since AAFCO allows a very inflammatory ratio of 30:1.

Fromm Diner Benefits

Fromm Diner Concerns

Fromm Four-Star Wet

5.7
4 color scale
Average Score
Click here for full review
Fromm Four-Star Shredded Turkey in Gravy Entrée Dog Food
5.7
4 color scale
Average Score
Click here for full review

Fromm Four Star Wet dog food is considered a moderate risk dog food according to our criteria. There are 4 recipes that average 40% protein and 30% carbohydrate as calculated on a dry matter basis. These recipes rank low in ingredient quality for having high carbohydrates and added vitamins and minerals. On the ingredient safety side, these recipes are highly processed, which destroys nutrients, and have GMO crops listed in the top 5 ingredients. There are also high pesticide/herbicide ingredients. The label doesn’t provide the omega-6:omega-3 ratio, which is a concern since AAFCO allows a very inflammatory ratio of 30:1.

Fromm Four-Star Wet Benefits

Fromm Four-Star Wet Concerns

FROMM DOG FOOD RECALLS

Fromm has had one recall.

10/2021: Voluntary recall of Fromm Four Star Shredded canned food for potentially elevated Vitamin D.

This site uses cookies to help make your experience  more awesome.  By continuing you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use.