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In The Kibble
My dogs
BRAND

Nutro

Owned by Mars, IncorporatedSince 1926Franklin, Tennessee

RECIPES REVIEWED
71
AVG PROTEIN, DM, KIBBLE
26.6%
AVG STARCH, KIBBLE
42%
FDA RECALLS
None since 2012
LINES
Natural Choice 24 Ultra 12 Limited Ingredient Diet 9 Max 8
THE LINES

Nutro Lines, Reviewed

4 lines

Nutro sorts its dog food into four lines. Limited Ingredient Diet is the only fully grain-free line, with six kibbles and three wet foods, each built on a short list led by one animal protein such as lamb, duck, venison or salmon. Max, Natural Choice and Ultra put grain in every kibble. Max is all kibble and built on chicken meal. Natural Choice is the largest line, with 23 kibbles and one wet entrée. Ultra lists chicken, lamb, fish and egg in every recipe.

Among the kibbles, average protein rises and estimated starch falls from one line to the next, as fed. Limited Ingredient Diet averages 20.7% protein and 46% estimated starch, Max 22.8% and 43.3%, Natural Choice 24.2% and 42.3%, and Ultra 26.2% and 39.6%. All four sit below the catalog kibble average of 26.9% protein and above its 37.4% starch.

Natural Choice

23 kibble · 1 wet food
Protein
24.2%
Fat
13%
Starch
42.3%
Kcal / cup
340

Average kibble, as fed

Nutro Natural Choice is a grain-inclusive line of 23 kibbles and one grain-free wet duck entrée, built on chicken, lamb, salmon, beef or venison with brown rice. It covers puppy, adult, senior, small breed, large breed and weight recipes.

A good fit for: Owners who want grain in every kibble they feed; Dogs needing fewer calories, with weight recipes at 264 to 272 kcal per cup

Read the Natural Choice review

Ultra

10 kibble · 2 wet food
Protein
26.2%
Fat
14.2%
Starch
39.6%
Kcal / cup
2,625

Average kibble, as fed

Nutro Ultra is a line of 10 grain-inclusive kibbles and 2 grain-free wet patés, each listing chicken, lamb, fish and egg. Its kibbles cover puppy, adult, senior, toy, small breed, large breed and weight management needs, built on whole grains like barley, oatmeal and sorghum.

A good fit for: Owners who want grain-inclusive kibble with whole grains listed early; Households wanting chicken, lamb, fish and egg in every bowl

Read the Ultra review

Limited Ingredient Diet

6 kibble · 3 wet food
Protein
20.7%
Fat
13.8%
Starch
46%
Kcal / cup
432

Average kibble, as fed

Nutro Limited Ingredient Diet is a grain-free line of six kibbles and three wet foods, each built around a short list led by one animal protein. Choices include lamb, duck, venison, salmon and turkey, and only one wet recipe pairs turkey with chicken.

A good fit for: Owners who want one animal protein, such as venison or salmon; Owners who want grain-free recipes in both kibble and wet

Read the Limited Ingredient Diet review

Max

8 kibble
Protein
22.8%
Fat
14%
Starch
43.3%
Kcal / cup
348

Average kibble, as fed

Nutro Max is an eight-recipe, all-kibble line built on chicken meal, with grain and peas or lentils in every recipe. Its recipes run from 20% to 26% protein and 38% to 46% estimated starch as fed, covering puppies, adults, seniors and large breeds.

A good fit for: Owners who want grain-inclusive kibble with chicken meal listed first; Owners looking for moderate protein, mostly 22% in adult recipes

Read the Max review
WHICH LINE FITS

Choosing Between The Nutro Lines

All recipes

71 foods matched · newest first
Nutro Natural Choice 24 recipes · See all
DEEP DIVE

Inside The Nutro Range

Across 71 recipes we review

Protein runs lower than the average kibble we review (26.6% vs 30.1% on a dry matter basis).

Starch is higher than average, at 42% of the food as fed.

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

42% 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 27% 22% to 31%
15%site avg 30%50%
Fat, dry matter 15% 9% to 21%
5%site avg 18%30%
Starch, as fed 42% 33% to 49%
10%site avg 37%60%
Kcal per cup 359 264 to 460
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

Chicken 80% 56%
Egg 66% 31%
Lamb 38% 14%
Fish 23% 34%
Beef 15% 20%
Turkey 6% 20%
Duck 6% 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 0% 9%
Corn 0% 15%
Wheat 0% 13%
Soy 0% 10%

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

LIFE STAGE
  • Adult38
  • Puppy10
  • Senior7
BREED SIZE
  • All Breeds65
  • Large Breed12
  • Small Breed7
SPECIAL DIETS
  • Grain-free (no wheat, corn, rice, barley or oats)30
  • Limited Ingredient6
  • Weight Management2
Nutro Ultra Small Breed, Weight Management, The Superfood Plate with a Trio of Proteins from Chicken, Lamb and Salmon Dry Dog Food MOST PROTEIN Nutro Ultra Small Breed, Weight Management, The Superfood Plate with a Trio of Proteins from Chicken, Lamb and Salmon Dry Dog Food 31.1% dry matter Nutro Ultra Toy Breed Adult Dry Dog Food LEAST STARCH Nutro Ultra Toy Breed Adult Dry Dog Food 33% as fed Nutro Natural Choice Healthy Weight Adult Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food FEWEST CALORIES Nutro Natural Choice Healthy Weight Adult Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food 264 kcal per cup
THE COMPANY

About Nutro

Owner
Mars, Incorporated
Ownership
Subsidiary of a private company
Founded
1926
Headquarters
Franklin, Tennessee

Who Makes It

Nutro is a dog and cat food brand owned by Mars, Incorporated. Its product lines include Natural Choice, Ultra, Max and Limited Ingredient Diet, and the company says its recipes use non-GMO ingredients with no chicken by-product meal, corn, wheat or soy. 1, 2, 3

Where It Is Made

According to the brand's FAQ, Nutro dry pet food is made at two facilities in Henderson, North Carolina, and Victorville, California. The FAQ lists wet food facilities in Columbus, Ohio; Fort Smith, Arkansas; and North Sioux City, South Dakota, and says So Simple trays are made in Thailand. The FAQ does not clearly say whether every facility is owned by the company. 4

History

Nutro was founded in 1926 by Herben Serois in California and was later bought by the Saleen brothers in 1933. Mars, Incorporated acquired the company in 2007, and its headquarters moved to Franklin, Tennessee. The brand marked its 100th anniversary in February 2026. 5, 6

Worth Knowing

In March 2007, Nutro was listed among the companies affected by the Menu Foods melamine recall. In May 2009, it recalled selected dry cat food because of excess zinc and low potassium, which the company attributed to a production error. 5

  1. nutro.com
  2. petco.com/brand/nutro
  3. petsmart.com/featured-brands/nutro
  4. nutro.com/faq
  5. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutro_Products
  6. finance.yahoo.com/news/100-years-nutro-pet-food-140000103.html

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

RECALL HISTORY // NUTRO

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 Nutro has never had one. See the recall log

NEWS & PRESS

What Nutro Has Announced

FEB 3, 2026
NEWS 100 Years of NUTRO Pet Food: Celebrating a Century of Growing Healthy Pets

Nutro marked its 100th anniversary by launching a Natural Choice Recipes Sensitive Skin & Stomach Guarantee, which comes with a money-back promise. The release also highlighted the brand's GREATER GROUND soil health program. PR Newswire via Yahoo Finance

SEP 4, 2024
NEWS NUTRO Brand's First-of-its-Kind Farmers Market for Dogs is Raising Awareness About the Vital Importance of Soil Health

Nutro announced a farmers market event for dogs at The Grove in Los Angeles on September 14, 2024, to promote its GREATER GROUND soil health initiative. The brand says it has committed $5 million through 2027 to help farmers adopt soil health practices. PR Newswire

All Nutro news →

HEAD TO HEAD

Nutro Compared With Other Brands

Nutro vs Blue Buffalo Nutro vs Purina Nutro vs Hill's Wellness vs Nutro
LINE VS LINE

Nutro Lines Compared

Nutro Natural Choice vs Nutro Ultra Nutro Natural Choice vs Nutro Max Nutro Natural Choice vs Nutro Limited Ingredient Diet Nutro Ultra vs Nutro Max Nutro Ultra vs Nutro Limited Ingredient Diet Nutro Max vs Nutro Limited Ingredient Diet

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