Farmina N&D Ancestral Grain Dog Food Review (Dry)

Farmina N&D Ancestral Grain Dog Food product range consists of 14 recipes with ratings varying from 4.5 to 5 stars. The average rating of the whole range is,  5 stars.

N&D Ancestral Grain dry foods list a quality chicken or lamb as the top ingredient, combined with oats, which are rich in vitamin B, minerals and fiber.

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.

Recipe and Label Analysis

Farmina N&D Ancestral Grain Chicken & Pomegranate Adult Medium and Maxi was selected to represent the other products in the line for detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.

Ingredients Analysis

The first ingredient in this dog food is chicken. Although it is a quality item, raw chicken contains up to 73% water. After cooking, most of that moisture is lost, reducing the meat content to just a fraction of its original weight.

After processing, this item would probably account for a smaller part of the total content of the finished product.

The second ingredient includes dehydrated chicken. Dehydrated chicken is considered a meat concentrate and contains more than four times as much protein as fresh chicken.

Plus (unlike chicken meal) dehydrated chicken is never exposed to high temperatures during processing, so it preserves more of the meat’s natural goodness.

The third ingredient is spelt. Spelt is a species of wheat that’s been cultivated since 5000 BC. Yet because it requires the additional step of husk removal prior to milling, spelt is typically more costly than modern wheat.

However, aside from its energy content, this unique grain is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.

The fourth ingredient includes oats. Oats are rich in B-vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber.

The next ingredient is chicken fat. This item is obtained from rendering chicken, a process similar to making soup in which the fat itself is skimmed from the surface of the liquid.

Chicken fat is high in linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid essential for life. Although it doesn’t sound very appetizing, chicken fat is actually a quality ingredient.

The sixth ingredient is barley. Barley is a starchy carbohydrate supplying fiber and other healthy nutrients. However, aside from its energy content, this cereal grain is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.

The seventh ingredient includes whole dried eggs, a dehydrated powder made from shell-free eggs. Eggs are easy to digest and have an exceptionally high biological value.

The next ingredient is dehydrated pork. Dehydrated pork is considered a meat concentrate and contains more than four times as much protein as fresh turkey.

The ninth ingredient is pork fat, a product from rendering pig meat.

Commonly known as lard, pork fat can add significant flavor to a cat food. And it can be high in linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid essential for life.

Although it may not sound very appetizing, pork fat (in moderate amounts) is actually an acceptable pet food ingredient.

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 Farmina product.

With five notable exceptions…

First, although alfalfa meal is high in plant protein (about 18%) and fiber (25%), this hay-family item is more commonly associated with horse feeds.

Next, we find taurine, an important amino acid associated with the healthy function of heart muscle. Although taurine is not typically considered essential in canines, some dogs have been shown to be deficient in this critical nutrient.

In addition, yeast extract is the common name for a broad group of products made by removing the cell wall from the yeast organism.

A significant number of these ingredients are added as specialized nutritional supplements while others are used as flavor enhancers.

However, the glutamic acid (and its chemical cousin, monosodium glutamate, or MSG) found in a minority of yeast extracts can be controversial.

That’s because even though the Food and Drug Administration designated these food additives to be safe decades ago, the agency continues to receive reports of adverse effects.

So, detractors still object to the use of yeast extract and other glutamic acid derivatives and blame them for everything from Alzheimer’s (in humans) to obesity.

In any case, since the label reveals little about the actual type of yeast extract included in any recipe, it’s impossible for us to judge the quality of this ingredient.

Next, 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.

And lastly, this recipe also includes selenium yeast. Unlike the more common inorganic form of selenium (sodium selenite), this natural yeast supplement is considered a safer anti-cancer alternative.

Nutrient Analysis

Based on its ingredients alone, Farmina N&D Ancestral Grain Chicken & Pomegranate Adult Medium and Maxi looks like an above-average dry product.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 34.2%, a fat level of 20.7% and estimated carbohydrates of about 35.9%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 33.9% and a mean fat level of 19.6%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 35.5% for the overall product line.

And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 58%.

Which means this Farmina product line contains…

Above-average protein. Above-average fat. And below-average carbs when compared to a typical dry dog food.

Even when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the alfalfa meal and brewers yeast, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing a significant amount of meat.

Farmina Dog Food Recall History

The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls related to Farmina through May 2026.

No recalls noted.

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

Our Rating of Farmina N&D Ancestral Grain Dry Dog Food

Farmina is a premium, high-quality product that formulates all its dog foods with natural, non-GMO ingredients and through strict production and quality control.

This product range is certainly worthy of the 5 stars the brand has earned in our review.

Highly Recommended

About

Francesco Russo founded the Russo Mangimi company in 1965 specializing in animal nutrition.  In 1999, the company’s focus shifted to the pet food industry with a new perspective of developing foods based on scientific studies focused on the well-being of pets.

The Mangimi company started to collaborate with Farmina, an English company specializing in food research and formulation.

Mangima manufacturing facilities are based in Europe and Farmina foods are mostly sourced from Italy.  Some ingredients are sourced from Europe and New Zealand.

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