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Pedigree Healthy Weight Roasted Chicken & Vegetable Flavor Adult Dry Dog Food, 14-lb bag
Pedigree

Healthy Weight Roasted Chicken & Vegetable Flavor Adult Dry Dog Food, 14-lb bag

Evidence Fair
AAFCO compliance inferred from product name
dry $1.21/lb

Graded by The Sniff System

In plain English

Pedigree Healthy Weight Roasted Chicken & Vegetable Flavor is a dry adult dog food, primarily featuring chicken by-product meal.

There isn't much to highlight here. The formula does include some carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber, which can be good for gut health.

This food contains the synthetic preservative BHA, a probable carcinogen, and artificial colors yellow 5, yellow 6, blue 2, and red 40. The formula is also heavily plant-protein dominated, with ground whole grain corn as the first ingredient.

Hard to recommend for any dog due to the numerous flagged ingredients and plant-protein-dominated formula.

Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.

Who this is for

Good fit for adult Labrador Retrievers and similar active sporting breeds navigating weight management. At 280 kcal/cup this formula runs on the lean side, with crude fiber at 4% (above the catalog median, supports satiety), and the product name signals a weight-management design. The landmark 14-year Purina Lifespan Study on 48 Labrador Retrievers demonstrated that dogs fed 25% fewer calories lived a median of 1.8 years longer and delayed the onset of chronic diseases. The 2014 AAHA Weight Management Guidelines define overweight as a Body Condition Score (BCS) of 6-7 on a 9-point scale. A score of 8 or 9 indicates obesity, representing 20-30% and >30% above ideal body weight, respectively  (Brooks et al., 2014) .

Looking at this for adult Labrador Retrievers or Labrador Retrievers with weight management ? 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

Methodology

The Sniff System grades this product against 3 cited studies relevant to its profile. Each link opens the original source.

Every claim on Sniff traces to a source. If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.

Why this score

Sniff scored this formula 0/100, landing in F-tier (avoid). The biggest contributor was carbohydrate quality (+13 points): Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber. A hard cap of 39 also applied because multiple FLAG-tier ingredients are stacked in the formula. Even without the cap, the base component scores sit below the next band. The structural fix would need to address controversial-ingredient penalty as well.

What lifted the score

Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.

CQI

AAFCO formulation inferred from declared adult maintenance. Verbatim statement not published by retailer.

ACF
What pulled it down

Score capped at 39 due to 5 FLAG ingredients.

CAP why?

Contains bha. IARC Group 2B probable carcinogen; CA Prop 65 listed; FDA reassessment announced 2025. Natural alternatives (mixed tocopherols) widely available..

CIP

Plant-protein-dominated formula. ground whole grain corn as the #1 ingredient.

PQI
What sets this apart
  • Lowest DMB protein in Pedigree's lineup (23.9%)
  • Top 4% for carb quality in Pedigree's lineup (13/16)
  • Lowest caloric density in Pedigree's lineup (280 kcal/cup)

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.

Better match
Higher score, similar formulation
Purina Beneful Healthy Weight with Farm-Raised Chicken Dry Dog Food, 36-lb bag
Purina Beneful

Purina Beneful Healthy Weight with Farm-Raised Chicken Dry Dog Food, 36-lb bag

59

Scores 59 points higher with a similar formulation profile.

Best value
Lower price, comparable score
Pedigree Large Breed Adult Roasted Chicken, Rice & Vegetable Flavor Dry Dog Food, 40-lb bag
Pedigree

Pedigree Large Breed Adult Roasted Chicken, Rice & Vegetable Flavor Dry Dog Food, 40-lb bag

0

$0.65/lb vs your seed's $1.21/lb (47% less) at a comparable score.

Surfaced from a vector similarity search across 3,491 scored dog foods. How this works.

Controversial ingredients · 5

  • bha
    Synthetic preservative classified by the U.S. National Toxicology Program as 'reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.' Many premium brands have removed it.
  • yellow 5
    Artificial color with no nutritional value. Some dogs show allergic-type reactions.
  • yellow 6
    Artificial color with no nutritional value.
  • blue 2
    Artificial color. A 1990s industry-funded study reported brain tumors in male rats; subsequent reviews disputed methodology, but the additive provides no nutritional benefit.
  • red 40
    Artificial color with no nutritional value. Linked to behavioral effects in children; relevance to dogs is unclear but the ingredient serves only marketing purposes.

Every flagged ingredient has a published basis (confirmed harm / regulatory action / precautionary). See methodology →

Guaranteed analysis
Dry-matter protein: 24% ⓘ
Protein
21%
min (as fed)
Fat
7%
min (as fed)
Fiber
4%
max (as fed)
Moisture
12%
max
Ingredients

Read why each ingredient is good or bad for dogs.

38 total
Good Neutral Watch Flagged
  1. 1
    ground whole grain corn

    Whole corn with the kernel intact. Decent fiber and B vitamins, though it can crowd out meat in cheaper recipes.

    Position 1 grain: primary carbohydrate base. This is a grain-inclusive formula with ground whole grain corn as the dominant carb.

  2. 2
    chicken by-product meal

    Ground organs, bone, and tissue. Nutritionally dense, especially the liver and gizzard fractions. Named species ('chicken') is what matters. Generic 'poultry by-product meal' is the one to worry about. See why →

    Position 2: co-primary protein. Two named animal proteins in the top 2 is a strong protein build.

  3. 3
    ground whole grain wheat

    Position 3: major carbohydrate source.

  4. 4
    corn gluten meal

    Concentrated corn protein. Inflates the protein percent on the label without matching meat-quality amino acids.

    Position 4: plant protein in the top 5. Stacked with animal protein, can inflate the crude protein number without matching the amino-acid quality of named animal sources.

  5. 5
    dried plain beet pulp

    Beet fiber, with the sugar removed. Long unfairly maligned. It's a real soluble fiber that supports stool quality. See why →

    Position 5: functional fiber for digestion or satiety.

  6. 6
    soybean meal

    Concentrated soy protein. Cheap plant protein that pads the label number, common in budget formulas.

    Position 6: moderate plant-protein boost. Less likely to materially shift the protein profile.

  7. 7
    natural flavor

    Legal term for animal-derived flavoring, usually hydrolyzed liver or broth. Adds taste, says nothing about quality.

  8. 8
    animal fat

    Unnamed fat source. The species matters: 'chicken fat' or 'beef fat' is fine, but 'animal fat' tells you nothing about origin.

    Position 8: trace fat. Below the level that materially shifts the fat profile.

  9. 8
    bha Flagged

    Synthetic preservative. Listed as a possible human carcinogen by the IARC. Banned from human food in Japan and parts of the EU, still permitted in US pet food. See why →

    Synthetic preservative at position 8. Sniff flags this regardless of where it sits in the deck.

  10. 9
    brewers rice

    Broken rice kernels left over from milling, usually destined for human beer-making. Cheaper than whole or even white rice. Same carbs, less nutrition than the brown version. See why →

    Position 9: minor grain inclusion.

  11. 10
    salt

    Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.

  12. 11
    calcium carbonate

    Source of calcium. Functional. Required in complete dog foods, especially those without bone-in meat meals.

  13. 12
    monocalcium phosphate

    Source of calcium and phosphorus. Standard mineral inclusion in complete dog foods.

  14. 13
    meat and bone meal

    Unnamed animal protein with bone included. Cheap, vague, and not traceable to a specific species.

  15. 14
    potassium chloride

    Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.

  16. 15
    choline chloride

    Essential nutrient for liver and brain function. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.

  17. 16
    dried 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 →

  18. 17
    dl-methionine

    Essential amino acid. Often added when plant proteins dominate, since methionine is naturally lower in pulses than meat.

  19. 18
    vitamin e supplement

    Required nutrient and a natural antioxidant. Often pulls double duty as a preservative.

  20. 19
    zinc sulfate

    Inorganic zinc. Effective at AAFCO doses but less well-absorbed than chelated forms like zinc proteinate.

  21. 20
    carrots

    Real vegetable. Fiber, beta-carotene, and a small amount of antioxidant value.

  22. 21
    l-tryptophan

    Essential amino acid. Sometimes added in calming or weight-management formulas.

  23. 22
    yellow 5 Flagged

    Artificial coloring. Strictly cosmetic. Banned or restricted in several countries. See why →

  24. 23
    yellow 6 Flagged

    Artificial coloring. No functional purpose. Banned or restricted in several countries. See why →

  25. 24
    blue 2 Flagged

    Artificial coloring. No nutritional or functional purpose. Banned or restricted in several countries. See why →

Showing first 25 of 38. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.

24 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.