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In The Kibble
My dogs
BRAND

Nulo

Privately heldSince 2009Austin, Texas

RECIPES REVIEWED
117
AVG PROTEIN, DM, KIBBLE
33.6%
AVG STARCH, KIBBLE
33%
FDA RECALLS
None since 2012
LINES
FreeStyle 39 MedalSeries 34 Nulo 23 Frontrunner 6 Challenger 5 Culinary Harvest 5
THE LINES

Nulo Lines, Reviewed

6 lines

Nulo sorts its food into six lines. Challenger, Culinary Harvest and Frontrunner are kibble only, and every recipe in them includes grain with no peas, lentils or potato. The Nulo line pairs grain-inclusive kibble with wet, frozen and freeze-dried recipes. FreeStyle and MedalSeries are the largest lines, with 39 and 34 recipes across kibble, wet food and toppers. Every FreeStyle recipe is grain free, as are 21 of the 25 MedalSeries kibbles.

Among the kibbles, Challenger averages the most protein at 34.4% as fed, with 27.9% estimated starch, and uses fish, turkey and chicken in all five recipes. Frontrunner averages the least, 27% protein and 37% starch, with turkey and egg in all six. The other four lines average 30% to 30.6% protein and 32.8% to 35% starch.

FreeStyle

15 kibble · 14 wet food · 10 toppers
Protein
30.6%
Fat
15.8%
Starch
32.8%
Kcal / cup
406

Average kibble, as fed

Nulo FreeStyle is a grain-free line of 39 recipes across kibble, wet food and toppers, with fish and turkey leading the kibbles. Its kibbles average 30.6% protein and 32.8% estimated starch, more protein and less starch than the catalog kibble average.

A good fit for: Owners who want grain-free food in every format; Kibble-fed dogs, with protein above the catalog kibble average

Read the FreeStyle review

MedalSeries

25 kibble · 6 wet food · 3 toppers
Protein
30.2%
Fat
15.5%
Starch
33.5%
Kcal / cup
425

Average kibble, as fed

Nulo MedalSeries is a 34-recipe line of kibble, wet paté and toppers built mostly on turkey, chicken and fish. Its kibbles average 30.2% protein and 33.5% estimated starch, and 21 of the 25 are grain free.

A good fit for: Owners who want kibble above the catalog average for protein; Dogs that eat turkey and chicken, the line's most used proteins

Read the MedalSeries review

Nulo

5 kibble · 9 wet food · 3 frozen food · 6 freeze-dried food
Protein
30%
Fat
15.8%
Starch
33.2%
Kcal / cup
407

Average kibble, as fed

The Nulo line covers 23 recipes across kibble, wet, frozen and freeze-dried formats, built mostly on chicken with turkey, fish, duck, beef and lamb options. Every kibble lists 30% protein, and all six freeze-dried recipes are grain free.

A good fit for: Owners wanting grain-inclusive kibble that lists 30% protein; Owners seeking grain-free freeze-dried food labeled for all life stages

Read the Nulo review

Frontrunner

6 kibble
Protein
27%
Fat
16%
Starch
37%
Kcal / cup
431

Average kibble, as fed

Nulo Frontrunner is a line of six grain-inclusive kibble recipes built on oats and barley, with no peas, lentils or potato. Every recipe shows the same 27% protein, 16% fat and 37% estimated starch, so the choice comes down to protein source.

A good fit for: Owners wanting grain-inclusive kibble with no peas, lentils or potato; Homes feeding a puppy and an adult the same chicken formula

Read the Frontrunner review

Challenger

5 kibble
Protein
34.4%
Fat
17.2%
Starch
27.9%
Kcal / cup
425

Average kibble, as fed

Nulo Challenger is a five-recipe kibble line made with grain and several animal proteins in every recipe, with no peas, lentils or potato. Its recipes run 32% to 35% protein and 26.5% to 33% estimated starch as fed.

A good fit for: Owners wanting grain in the bowl but no peas or lentils; Owners seeking kibble well above the 26.9% catalog protein average

Read the Challenger review

Culinary Harvest

5 kibble
Protein
30%
Fat
15%
Starch
35%
Kcal / cup
423

Average kibble, as fed

Culinary Harvest is Nulo's grain-inclusive kibble line of five recipes, built on meat plus grains like millet, brown rice, barley and oats, with no peas, lentils or potato. Every recipe shows the same 30% protein, 15% fat and 35% estimated starch.

A good fit for: Owners who want grain-inclusive kibble with no peas or lentils; Dogs needing more calories per cup than the 395 average

Read the Culinary Harvest review
WHICH LINE FITS

Choosing Between The Nulo Lines

  • Grain-free food in kibble, wet and topper formats: FreeStyle
  • The highest protein kibble in the brand: Challenger
  • Grain-inclusive kibble built on oats and barley: Frontrunner
  • Grain-inclusive kibble with millet, brown rice and barley: Culinary Harvest
  • Grain-free freeze-dried recipes: Nulo
  • Kibble sold for puppies, seniors, small or large breeds: MedalSeries

All recipes

117 foods matched · newest first
Nulo Nulo 23 recipes · See all
DEEP DIVE

Inside The Nulo Range

Across 117 recipes we review

Protein runs higher than the average kibble we review (33.6% vs 30.1% on a dry matter basis).

Starch is lower than average, at 33% of the food as fed.

100% of recipes lead with a meat, fish or egg ingredient (89% across the site).

72% of recipes are grain-free.

NUTRITION

How The Range Measures Up

this range, lowest to highest its average average of all 3,205 foods we review

Protein, dry matter 34% 30% to 39%
15%site avg 30%50%
Fat, dry matter 18% 8% to 20%
5%site avg 18%30%
Starch, as fed 33% 27% to 41%
10%site avg 37%60%
Kcal per cup 419 339 to 449
250site avg 395600

Starch is our estimate from the guaranteed analysis, since no manufacturer prints it. How we work it out

INGREDIENTS

What Goes In The Bowl

Turkey 56% 20%
Fish 55% 34%
Chicken 50% 56%
Egg 25% 31%
Beef 21% 20%
Lamb 20% 14%
Duck 10% 8%

Share of recipes that list each animal protein as an ingredient, not counting oils, fats or flavorings. Useful if your dog has a food sensitivity.

Ingredients Some Owners Avoid

By-products 0% 13%
Artificial colors 0% 1%
Chemical preservatives 13% 9%
Corn 0% 15%
Wheat 4% 13%
Soy 0% 10%

These are not unsafe. They are listed because readers ask about them.

LIFE STAGE
  • Adult49
  • Puppy15
  • All Life Stages11
  • Senior2
BREED SIZE
  • All Breeds87
  • Small Breed23
  • Large Breed7
SPECIAL DIETS
  • Grain-free (no wheat, corn, rice, barley or oats)84
Nulo Challenger Organic Ancient Grains Haddock, Salmon & Acadian Redfish Recipe Dry Dog Food MOST PROTEIN Nulo Challenger Organic Ancient Grains Haddock, Salmon & Acadian Redfish Recipe Dry Dog Food 38.9% dry matter Nulo Challenger Small Breed Organic Ancient Grains Haddock, Salmon & Acadian Redfish Recipe Dry Dog Food LEAST STARCH Nulo Challenger Small Breed Organic Ancient Grains Haddock, Salmon & Acadian Redfish Recipe Dry Dog Food 27% as fed Nulo FreeStyle Adult Trim Cod & Lentils Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog Food FEWEST CALORIES Nulo FreeStyle Adult Trim Cod & Lentils Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog Food 339 kcal per cup
THE COMPANY

About Nulo

Ownership
Privately held
Founded
2009
Headquarters
Austin, Texas

Who Makes It

Nulo is an Austin, Texas pet food company founded and led by CEO Michael Landa. It sells dry, wet, freeze-dried and cold-pressed foods for dogs and cats. The company says its recipes are high in animal protein, low in carbohydrates and include a patented probiotic. 1, 2, 3

Where It Is Made

Nulo says all of its products are made in the USA through its network of manufacturing partners, except for some wet foods such as pouches, mousses and select cans, which are made at a facility in Thailand. The company calls these facilities partners and does not say it owns them. 4

History

Nulo was founded in 2009 by Michael Landa, who had moved to Austin, Texas with his Labrador, Max, to start the company. In January 2023, pet nutrition scientist Dr. Greg Aldrich joined as COO, and his team developed Nulo's cold-pressed line. Nulo remains privately held. 3, 2, 1

Worth Knowing

The recall tracker Petful reports no Nulo recalls on record. Nulo is known for sponsoring Olympic athletes and was named Official Pet Nutrition Partner of Team Canada in 2025. 5, 6

  1. prnewswire.com/news-releases/nulo-launches-the-nulo-summer-games-presented-by-petco-a-contest-to-find-americas-top-pet-athletes-302835672.html
  2. linkedin.com/company/nulopetfood
  3. nulo.com/our-story
  4. nulo.com/faq
  5. petful.com/brands/nulo-recall
  6. olympic.ca/press/nulo-named-official-pet-nutrition-partner-of-team-canada

Researched from the sources above. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.

RECALL HISTORY // NULO

No Recalls In Our Record Since 2012

Our log holds FDA dog food recall notices from 2012 on, so this is not a guarantee that Nulo has never had one. See the recall log

NEWS & PRESS

What Nulo Has Announced

JUL 28, 2026
NEWS Nulo Launches the Nulo Summer Games Presented by Petco, a Contest to Find America's Top Pet Athletes

Nulo launched a nationwide contest with Petco inviting owners to submit photos or videos of their athletic dogs and cats. The six winners get Team Nulo endorsement contracts. PR Newswire

OCT 22, 2025
NEWS Nulo Pet Food donates 100,000 pet meals to Humane World for Animals' More Than a Pet campaign

Nulo donated 100,000 meals, which were given out at a Los Angeles community event. The donation came from its Paws for a Cause campaign. Humane World for Animals

OCT 16, 2025
NEWS U.S. Figure Skating Welcomes Nulo as Official Pet Food Sponsor

U.S. Figure Skating named Nulo its Official Pet Food partner ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics. Nulo will also run a pet therapy area at the 2026 U.S. Championships. U.S. Figure Skating

SEP 9, 2025
CORPORATE Nulo Named Official Pet Nutrition Partner of Team Canada

The Canadian Olympic Committee signed a four-year partnership making Nulo Team Canada's official pet nutrition partner through the 2026 and 2028 Olympic Games. Canadian Olympic Committee

APR 15, 2025
NEWS Nulo Launches National Effort to Support Humane World's 'More Than a Pet' Campaign

From April 15 to June 30, Nulo donated one meal to Humane World for Animals for each bag of Nulo dry food bought at more than 450 participating retailers. EZ Newswire

MAR 27, 2025
NEW PRODUCT Nulo Cold Pressed Answers Shelf-Stable Raw Trend

Nulo promoted its Cold Pressed line in beef, salmon, chicken and turkey. The company says the food is 85% animal ingredients by weight and cooked at about 140 degrees F. BlogPaws

MAR 26, 2025
NEW PRODUCT Nulo Investing in its Highest Volume Business

Nulo added two dog recipes to its FreeStyle kibble line, Small Breed Beef & Sweet Potato and Limited+ Lamb. Both began shipping in April 2025. BlogPaws

JUL 18, 2024
NEWS Nulo Pays Tribute to Pets, Debuting Television Spot Showcasing the Role These Companions Play in the Lives of Elite Athletes

Nulo debuted a TV spot in its Fuel Incredible campaign featuring athletes such as Simone Biles and Caeleb Dressel with their pets. PR Newswire

All Nulo news →

HEAD TO HEAD

Nulo Compared With Other Brands

Nulo vs Orijen Nulo vs Acana
LINE VS LINE

Nulo Lines Compared

Nulo MedalSeries vs Nulo FreeStyle Nulo MedalSeries vs Nulo Frontrunner Nulo MedalSeries vs Nulo Challenger Nulo FreeStyle vs Nulo Frontrunner Nulo FreeStyle vs Nulo Challenger Nulo Frontrunner vs Nulo Challenger

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