Large Breed Adult Roasted Chicken, Rice & Vegetable Flavor Dry Dog Food, 40-lb bag
Graded by The Sniff System
Pedigree Large Breed Adult Roasted Chicken, Rice & Vegetable Flavor Dry Dog Food is a dry food for adult dogs, primarily featuring chicken by-product meal.
The formula does include some quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber. While an AAFCO statement is inferred for adult maintenance, it's not explicitly published by the retailer.
This food contains BHA, a synthetic preservative, and artificial colors like yellow 5, yellow 6, blue 2, and red 40. The formula is also plant-protein dominated, with ground whole grain corn as the first ingredient.
Hard to recommend for any dog, especially given the number of flagged ingredients.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
Good fit for adult Labrador Retrievers and similar active sporting breeds navigating skin allergies. Working in its favor: explicitly formulated for large-breed dogs. The protein deck is built around a single species (chicken), but artificial colors (yellow 5, yellow 6, blue 2, red 40) appear in the deck. What we'd flag: contains artificial colors (correlates with skin-reactive ingredients). For Labrador Retrievers with suspected cutaneous adverse food reactions, a strict elimination diet trial must last a minimum of 8 weeks to reliably diagnose or rule out a food-based trigger. The National Research Council (2006) recommends a minimum of 2.6 grams of linoleic acid (an omega-6) per 1000 kcal of metabolizable energy to maintain skin barrier function in adult dogs (NRC, 2006) .
Looking at this for adult Labrador Retrievers or Labrador Retrievers with skin allergies ? 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.
Concerning grade. 0/100 (F) reflects the structural fit of this formula against The Sniff System's eight scoring components. Carbohydrate quality did the heavy lifting (+13 points): Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber. What capped it: the score can't exceed 39 because multiple FLAG-tier ingredients are stacked in the formula. Removing the cap alone wouldn't change the band. Protein quality is the deeper issue.
Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.
AAFCO formulation inferred from declared adult maintenance. Verbatim statement not published by retailer.
Plant-protein-dominated formula. ground whole grain corn as the #1 ingredient.
Contains bha. IARC Group 2B probable carcinogen; CA Prop 65 listed; FDA reassessment announced 2025. Natural alternatives (mixed tocopherols) widely available..
- Lowest fat quality in Pedigree's lineup (2/16)
- Top 4% for carb quality in Pedigree's lineup (13/16)
- Lowest overall Sniff Score in Pedigree's lineup (0/100)
Computed against the rest of our catalog. Percentiles refresh on each catalog update.
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Controversial ingredients · 5
- bhaSynthetic preservative classified by the U.S. National Toxicology Program as 'reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.' Many premium brands have removed it.
- yellow 5Artificial color with no nutritional value. Some dogs show allergic-type reactions.
- yellow 6Artificial color with no nutritional value.
- blue 2Artificial color. A 1990s industry-funded study reported brain tumors in male rats; subsequent reviews disputed methodology, but the additive provides no nutritional benefit.
- red 40Artificial 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 →
Read why each ingredient is good or bad for dogs.
- 1ground 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.
- 2protein animalchicken 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.
- 3protein plantcorn gluten meal
Concentrated corn protein. Inflates the protein percent on the label without matching meat-quality amino acids.
Position 3: 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.
- 4animal fat
Unnamed fat source. The species matters: 'chicken fat' or 'beef fat' is fine, but 'animal fat' tells you nothing about origin.
Position 4: secondary fat. Often where marine oils sit when present alongside a primary land-animal fat.
- 5
- 5preservative syntheticbha 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 5. Sniff flags this regardless of where it sits in the deck.
- 6meat and bone meal
Unnamed animal protein with bone included. Cheap, vague, and not traceable to a specific species.
- 7ground whole grain wheat
Position 7: supporting grain. Smaller contribution to the carb deck.
- 8protein plantsoybean meal
Concentrated soy protein. Cheap plant protein that pads the label number, common in budget formulas.
Position 8: moderate plant-protein boost. Less likely to materially shift the protein profile.
- 9brewers 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.
- 10othernatural flavor
Legal term for animal-derived flavoring, usually hydrolyzed liver or broth. Adds taste, says nothing about quality.
- 11dried 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 11: trace fiber inclusion.
- 12mineralsalt
Sodium chloride. Required at small doses for normal physiology. Not a quality concern in standard amounts.
- 13mineralcalcium carbonate
Source of calcium. Functional. Required in complete dog foods, especially those without bone-in meat meals.
- 14mineralpotassium chloride
Required mineral. Sometimes used as a salt substitute. Standard inclusion in complete diets.
- 15supplementcholine chloride
Essential nutrient for liver and brain function. Standard inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 16monocalcium phosphate
Source of calcium and phosphorus. Standard mineral inclusion in complete dog foods.
- 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 →
- 18supplementdl-methionine
Essential amino acid. Often added when plant proteins dominate, since methionine is naturally lower in pulses than meat.
- 19vitaminvitamin e supplement
Required nutrient and a natural antioxidant. Often pulls double duty as a preservative.
- 20mineralzinc sulfate
Inorganic zinc. Effective at AAFCO doses but less well-absorbed than chelated forms like zinc proteinate.
- 21supplementl-tryptophan
Essential amino acid. Sometimes added in calming or weight-management formulas.
- 22vegetablecarrots
Real vegetable. Fiber, beta-carotene, and a small amount of antioxidant value.
- 23otheryellow 5 Flagged
Artificial coloring. Strictly cosmetic. Banned or restricted in several countries. See why →
- 24otheryellow 6 Flagged
Artificial coloring. No functional purpose. Banned or restricted in several countries. See why →
Showing first 25 of 40. Position 1-5 has the largest weight in the recipe.
23 of 25 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.