Highly Recommended
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Our Verdict
Blue Buffalo Family Favorites product range is made up of four recipes with ratings varying from 4.5 to 5 stars. The average rating of the whole range is, 5 stars.
These recipes start with high-quality protein and are enriched with vitamins and minerals, while containing no by-product meals, corn, wheat, soy, artificial flavours or preservatives.
Pros
- Formulated with veterinarians and animal nutritionists
- Real meat as the first ingredient
- No artificial flavors or preservatives
Cons
- A little on the pricey side
The table below shows each recipe in this range including our rating and the AAFCO nutrient profile: Growth (puppy), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.
| Product line | Rating | AAFCO |
|---|---|---|
| Blue Buffalo Family Favorites Backyard BBQ | 5 | M |
| Blue Buffalo Family Favorites Shepherd’s Pie | 5 | M |
| Blue Buffalo Family Favorites Sunday Chicken Dinner | 5 | M |
| Blue Buffalo Family Favorites Turkey Day Feast | 5 | M |
Recipe and Label Analysis
Blue Buffalo Family Favorites Sunday Chicken Dinner was selected to represent the other products in the line for detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.
Blue Buffalo Family Favorites Sunday Chicken Dinner
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Protein
Fat
CarbsCarbohydrates
Chicken, chicken broth, water, chicken liver, dried egg product, carrots, potatoes, green beans, potato starch, guar gum, sodium phosphate, salt, potassium chloride, calcium carbonate, natural flavor, caramel color, zinc amino acid chelate, iron amino acid chelate, choline chloride, vitamin E supplement, copper amino acid chelate, manganese amino acid chelate, sodium selenite, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), cobalt amino acid chelate, niacin supplement (vitamin B3), calcium pantothenate (vitamin B5), vitamin A supplement, riboflavin supplement (vitamin B2), biotin (vitamin B7), vitamin B12 supplement, potassium iodide, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid (vitamin B9)
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 1%
Red denotes any controversial items
| Estimated Nutrient Content | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
| Guaranteed Analysis | 8% | 4% | NA |
| Dry Matter Basis | 44% | 22% | 25% |
| Calorie Weighted Basis | 36% | 44% | 21% |
Ingredients Analysis
The first ingredient in this dog food is chicken. Chicken is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of chicken”.1
Chicken is naturally rich in the 10 essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.
The second ingredient is 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 addition component in many canned products.
The third ingredient is water, which adds nothing but moisture to this food. Water is a routine finding in most canned dog foods.
The fourth ingredient is chicken liver, an organ meat sourced from a named animal and thus considered a beneficial component.
The fifth ingredient is dried egg product, a dehydrated form of shell-free eggs. Quality can vary significantly. Lower grade egg product can even come from commercial hatcheries – from eggs that have failed to hatch.
In any case, eggs are easy to digest and have an exceptionally high biological value.
The sixth ingredient lists carrots. Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, minerals and dietary fiber.
The seventh ingredient is potato. Potatoes can be considered a gluten-free source of digestible carbohydrates. Yet with the exception of perhaps their caloric content, potatoes are of only modest nutritional value to a dog.
The eighth ingredient includes green beans, a healthy vegetable notable for its vitamin, mineral and natural fiber content.
The ninth ingredient is potato starch, a gluten-free carbohydrate used more for its thickening properties than its nutritional value.
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 Blue Buffalo product.
With three notable exceptions…
Three of the recipes contain caramel color, caramel is a natural coloring agent made by caramelizing carbohydrates. It’s used by pet food manufacturers to impart a golden brown tint to the finished product.
However, the concentrated version of this ingredient commonly known as caramel coloring has been more recently considered controversial and found to cause cancer in laboratory animals.2
In any case, even though caramel is considered safe by the FDA, we’re always disappointed to find any added coloring in a pet food.
That’s because coloring is used to make the product more appealing to humans – not your dog. After all, do you really think your dog cares what color his food is?
Next, this recipe includes sodium selenite, a controversial form of the mineral selenium. Sodium selenite appears to be nutritionally inferior to the more natural source of selenium found in selenium yeast.
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
Based on its ingredients alone, Blue Buffalo Family Favorites Sunday Chicken Dinner looks like an above-average wet product.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 43.2%, a fat level of 22.7% and estimated carbohydrates of about 22.7%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 43.2% and a mean fat level of 21.6%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 23.9% for the overall product line.
And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 50%.
Which means this Blue Buffalo product line contains…
Above-average protein. Below-average fat. And below-average carbs when compared to a typical wet dog food.
Blue Buffalo Dog Food Recall History
The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls related to Blue Buffalo through December 2025.
- Blue Buffalo Dog Food Recall Event Number 2 of March 2017 (March 18, 2017)
- Blue Buffalo Dog Food Recall of March 2017 (March 3, 2017)
- Blue Buffalo Dog Food Recall of February 2017 (February 14, 2017)
- Blue Buffalo Dog Food Recall of May 2016 (May 31, 2016)
- Blue Buffalo Dog Chews Recall of November 2015 (November 25, 2015)
- Blue Buffalo Dog Food Recall (October 8, 2010)
You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls since 2009 here.
Our Rating of Blue Buffalo Family Favorites Dog Food
Blue Buffalo Family Favorites is a grain-free canned dog food using a significant amount of named meats as its dominant source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 5 stars.
About
Blue Buffalo was officially launched in 2003 by Bill Bishop, who became frustrated with the lack of transparency and poor ingredient quality in commercial dog food at the time. His inspiration came after his beloved Airedale Terrier, Blue, was diagnosed with cancer. Determined to create a better recipe for his dog, Bishop developed his own formula, and thus Blue Buffalo was born.
In 2018, the brand was sold to General Mills Corporation for $8 billion.
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A Final Word
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