Choice Cuts Variety Pack with Beef, Chicken & Filet Mignon Adult Wet Dog Food, 3.5-oz pouch, case of 18
Graded by The Sniff System
Pedigree Choice Cuts Variety Pack with Beef, Chicken & Filet Mignon Adult Wet Dog Food is a wet food primarily featuring chicken.
This food includes quality carbohydrate sources that provide fermentable fiber. It also has egg and organ meat, which add diverse, highly bioavailable protein to the recipe.
The protein quality is low, partly because of the meat by-products. These are flagged because they come from unspecified species, meaning their quality and consistency aren't auditable. Also, there's no declared source of omega-3s.
Good fit for adult dogs without specific dietary needs. Less ideal if you prioritize high protein quality or transparent ingredient sourcing.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
Good fit for active large sporting breeds like Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, and Irish Setters navigating diet-associated DCM concerns. Beef noodles: ingredients: sufficient water for processing anchors position 1, with zero pulses in the top 15, plus animal liver at position 3 (a natural taurine precursor). In its 2022 update on diet-associated DCM, the FDA identified Golden Retrievers as the most reported breed, with 121 cases out of 1,382 total canine reports (8.8%) received between January 1, 2014, and November 1, 2022 (FDA, 2022) .
Looking at this for adult Golden Retrievers or Golden Retrievers with diet-associated DCM concerns ? We are building dedicated pages for these combinations.
Auto-matched from this product's measurements (ingredients, life stage, calorie density) to a breed archetype. Not a substitute for vet input on your specific dog.
Research informing this analysis
MethodologyThe Sniff System grades this product against 3 cited studies relevant to its profile. Each link opens the original source.
- FDA, 2022cardiac · epidemiology · breed predisposition· cited in 5 claims
- FDA, 2019diet composition· cited in 2 claims
- NRC, 2006nutrient bioavailability
Every claim on Sniff traces to a source. If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.
Sniff scored this formula 39/100, landing in D-tier territory. The biggest contributor was carbohydrate quality (+12 points): Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber. The biggest detractor was protein quality (-17 points): Low protein quality. meat by-products delivers limited bioavailable amino acids. To reach C-tier, this formula would need to gain about 6 points, most likely through protein quality.
Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.
Includes egg, named fish, or organ meat for diverse high-bioavailability protein.
AAFCO formulation inferred from declared adult maintenance. Verbatim statement not published by retailer.
Low protein quality. meat by-products delivers limited bioavailable amino acids.
No declared omega-3 source. Fish oil, salmon oil, and algae oil all absent.
Contains meat by-products. Unnamed by-products lack species traceability. Named by-products (chicken by-products) are CLEAR..
- Bottom 1% for fat quality in grain-inclusive wet foods (4/16)
- Top 10% for overall Sniff Score in Pedigree's lineup (39/100)
- Bottom quartile for protein quality in grain-inclusive wet foods (8.2/27)
Computed against the rest of our catalog. Percentiles refresh on each catalog update.
Similar dog foods worth considering
Three lenses on products with formulation profiles similar to this one.
Pedigree High Protein Variety Pack Adult Dog Wet Food Pouches, 3.5-oz pouches, 18 count
Scores 8 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Pedigree Chopped Ground Dinner with Beef Adult Canned Wet Dog Food, 22-oz, case of 12
$1.66/lb vs your seed's $4.06/lb (59% less) at a comparable score.
Surfaced from a vector similarity search across 3,491 scored dog foods. How this works.
Controversial ingredients · 1
- meat by-productsUnspecified species. AAFCO definition allows organs, blood, bone. but the lack of a named source means quality and consistency are not auditable.
Every flagged ingredient has a published basis (confirmed harm / regulatory action / precautionary). See methodology →
Wet and fresh foods contain more water than kibble (typically 65-78%). On a dry-matter basis, this food's protein content is roughly 44%, comparable to premium kibble (typically 30-45% DMB protein).
Read why each ingredient is good or bad for dogs.
- 1beef noodles: ingredients: sufficient water for processing
Position 1: primary protein source. After cooking removes water, this may drop in proportional weight, but it anchors the recipe.
- 2protein animalmeat by-products Flagged
Unnamed organ meats and tissue. Could be nutritious, but no species is listed, so quality varies by batch.
Position 2: co-primary protein. Two named animal proteins in the top 2 is a strong protein build.
- 3animal liver
- 4protein animalchicken
Real meat. Primary protein source, with the amino acid profile dogs actually evolved to eat.
Position 4: significant protein contributor. Adds amino-acid diversity to the top of the deck.
- 5wheat flour
Refined wheat, usually used as a binder. Cheap, not harmful, not a nutrition contributor.
Position 5: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 6protein animalbeef
Real meat. Dense in protein and iron. Some dogs are sensitive to it, but for most it's an excellent base.
Position 6: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 7semolina
- 8eggs
Whole eggs. The highest-quality protein on any ingredient label by amino acid score.
Position 8: supporting protein. Modest contribution to total protein weight.
- 9vitaminniacin supplement
B vitamin (B3). Required in complete dog foods, added as a supplement to standardize the dose.
- 10mineralferrous sulfate
Inorganic iron. Standard mineral source. Iron proteinate is the gentler, better-absorbed premium form.
- 11vitaminthiamine mononitrate
B vitamin (B1). Essential for nervous system function. Cooked-in vitamin loss is why thiamine is always added back.
- 12vitaminriboflavin supplement
B vitamin (B2). Required in complete dog foods. The standardized form ensures consistent dosing.
- 13vitaminfolic acid
B vitamin (B9), essential for cell function. Standard in complete dog foods.
- 14protein plantwheat gluten
Concentrated wheat protein. Like other plant gluten meals, it pads the protein number on the label without contributing meat-quality amino acids.
Position 14: trace plant protein.
- 15spray dried animal blood cells
- 16vegetablecarrots
Real vegetable. Fiber, beta-carotene, and a small amount of antioxidant value.
- 17dried peas
Cheap protein bulk. Fine in small amounts, but when peas stack with lentils and chickpeas in the top ingredients, it's the pattern the FDA flagged in its heart-disease investigation. See why →
- 18soybean oil
Plant oil. High in omega-6, which is required but commonly oversupplied. Fine in moderation.
- 19dried plain beet pulp
Beet fiber, with the sugar removed. Long unfairly maligned. It's a real soluble fiber that supports stool quality. See why →
- 20protein plantcorn gluten meal
Concentrated corn protein. Inflates the protein percent on the label without matching meat-quality amino acids.
- 21corn starch
- 22mineralcalcium carbonate
Source of calcium. Functional. Required in complete dog foods, especially those without bone-in meat meals.
- 23mineralsodium tripolyphosphate
Preservative and texture agent in wet food. Functional at small doses, not a major concern, but some brands avoid it.
- 24mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 25added color
Generic coloring. Doesn't say if natural or artificial. Dogs are color-blind, so any added color is for the human shopper.
Showing first 25 of 81. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
20 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.