Fromm Family Recipes DOG FOOD Review

With a score of 5.4/10, Fromm Family Recipes 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. 

This line loses ingredient quality points for having higher carbohydrates than we expect in a canned dog food. The carbs come from grains and starches that include potatoes, rice and peas. Excessive carbohydrates are an indicator of low quality foods as they’re often used to keep costs down. Large amounts of starch can increase insulin levels, cause obesity and negatively impact gut balance. A processed food high in carbohydrates is often low in protein, but in this case, the average protein of 39% is acceptable for a canned dog food.   

This line loses significant ingredient quality points for excessive added vitamins and minerals in each of its recipes. This usually reflects poor quality or overly processed ingredients. Ideally, these nutrients should come from whole food sources. Vitamin and mineral excesses, especially vitamin D and copper, can also result from vitamin premixes.

The ingredient safety score raises several concerns. Fromm Family Recipes is a highly-processed canned dog food which causes a loss of ingredient safety points. Canned foods are heated before and during canning, which will cause significant losses in some active enzymes, vitamins, amino acids and phytonutrients. Processed foods are also linked to higher mortality rates in many species. 

Recipes have ingredients known for high pesticide or herbicide residues. Pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers pose a significant health risk to plants, animals and soils. Foods with the largest reported amount of residue are penalized, including crops that are known to be spray-dried with glyphosate. 

Recipes also have potatoes, a GMO crop, in the top 5 ingredients. There are limited safety studies on genetically modified and Roundup Ready crops although they are lacking in nutrients compared to non-GMO foods. GMO crops also strip nutrients from soils, lead to increased pesticide risk and may be involved in bee die-off.

Rice costs ingredient safety points because of arsenic contamination. This is a significant concern with rice since it naturally absorbs arsenic that can contaminate the water it’s grown in. Arsenic is linked to chronic health issues. 

These recipes don’t specify whether the fish ingredients are farmed or wild caught. Farmed fish is less nutritious than wild caught fish and doesn’t contain the same healthy fatty acid balance. 

Fromm doesn’t state the omega-6:omega-3 ratio in their foods. While this is true of most foods, AAFCO allows a very inflammatory limit of 30:1. Diets rich in omega-6 fats can cause chronic inflammation and disease.