Tender & True Organic Dog Food Review (Canned)

Tender & True Organic Turkey and Liver Grain Free receives the Advisor’s second-highest tier rating of 4.5 stars, a recipe claimed to meet AAFCO nutrient guidelines for all life stages.

Ingredients Analysis

The first ingredient in this dog food is organic turkey. Turkey is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of turkey”.¹

Turkey is naturally rich in the 10 essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.

The second ingredient is organic chicken broth. Broths are of only modest nutritional value. Yet because they add both flavor and moisture to a dog food, they are a common component in many canned products.

The third ingredient is organic chicken liver. This is an organ meat sourced from a named animal and thus considered a beneficial component.

The fourth item is organic pea flour, a powder made from roasted yellow peas. Pea flour contains as much as 25% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the meat content of this dog food.

The fifth ingredient is tricalcium phosphate, a beneficial source of calcium and phosphorus. In addition, this additive is used in canned foods as an emulsifier – an agent designed to disperse a food’s fats more evenly in water.

The sixth ingredient is potassium chloride, a nutritional supplement sometimes used as a replacement for the sodium found in table salt.

The seventh ingredient is choline chloride, an essential B vitamin that naturally occurs in both plant and animals. It is found in meat, eggs, fish, liver, soybeans and wheat germ.

Because a dog cannot store choline chloride in its body, the nutrient must be replenished to avoid a deficiency. Choline chloride is a supplement required by both AAFCO and the FDA.

The eighth ingredient is sunflower oil. Sunflower oil is nutritionally similar to safflower oil. Since these oils are high in omega-6 fatty acids and contain no omega-3’s, they’re considered less nutritious than canola or flaxseed oils.

Sunflower oil is notable for its resistance to heat damage during cooking.

There are several different types of sunflower oil, some better than others. Without knowing more, it’s impossible to judge the quality of this ingredient.

The ninth ingredient is salmon oil. Salmon oil is naturally rich in the prized EPA and DHA type of omega-3 fatty acids.

Depending on its level of freshness and purity, salmon oil should be considered a commendable addition.

From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.

But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this Tender and True product.

With one notable exceptions…

And lastly, this food contains chelated minerals, minerals that have been chemically attached to protein. This makes them easier to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually found in better dog foods.

Nutrient Analysis

Since this recipe contains a number of organic ingredients, we feel compelled to grant this line a more favorable status as we consider its final rating.

That’s because organic ingredients must comply with notably more stringent government standards – standards which significantly restrict the use of any synthetic pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, hormones or antibiotics.

So based on its ingredients alone, Tender & True Organic canned dog food looks like an above-average wet product.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 38.5%, a fat level of 23.1% and estimated carbohydrates of about 24%.

And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 60%.

Which means this product line contains…

Near-average protein, below-average fat. And above-average carbs when compared to a typical wet dog food.

Even when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the pea products, this looks like the profile of a wet dog food containing a moderate amount of meat.

Tender & True Dog Food Recall History

The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls related to Tender & True through December 2025.

No recalls noted.

You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls since 2009 here.

Our Rating of Tender & True Organic Canned Dog Food

This Tender & True Organic recipe is a grain-free canned dog food that uses a moderate amount of named meats as their dominant source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 4.5 stars.

Highly Recommended

About

Tender & True was established in 2014 by Matthew Michaelson, as the first certified USDA organic, humanely raised, antibiotic-free pet food. Its headquarters are in Omaha, Nebraska, and it remains an independently owned company.

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