Beef & Salmon Recipe Freeze-Dried Dog Food, 6-lb box
Graded by The Sniff System
Simple Food Project Beef & Salmon Recipe is a freeze-dried food for growth, featuring beef, salmon, beef liver, and beef heart as its main proteins.
The protein quality looks good here, with beef providing a solid amino acid profile. The inclusion of salmon, beef liver, and beef heart also adds diverse, highly bioavailable protein sources to the recipe.
There are no notable negative drivers or flagged ingredients in this recipe, which is always a good sign.
Good fit for puppies or pregnant/nursing dogs who need a high-quality, convenient freeze-dried option. Nothing serious working against it.
Summary written by The Sniff System from the data above. Same rubric, same drivers, expressed in English.
Strong fit for active large sporting breeds, including the Labrador Retriever, navigating weight management. At 369 kcal/cup this formula runs on the moderate side, with crude fiber at 6% (above the catalog median, supports satiety). Labs are the canonical food-motivated breed. Weight management is the dominant practical concern, even more than breed-specific health risks. 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 puppy 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
MethodologyThe Sniff System grades this product against 2 cited studies relevant to its profile. Each link opens the original source.
- Brooks et al., 2014diagnostic · protocol · satiety· cited in 3 claims
- Raffan et al., 2016genetics
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 If you find a citation that's wrong, outdated, or misapplied, tell us.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 66/100, landing in B-tier territory. The biggest contributor was protein quality (+20 points): Reasonable protein quality. beef delivers solid amino acid coverage. Also adding to the lift: ingredient diversity (+5). Includes egg, named fish, or organ meat for diverse high-bioavailability protein. The 9-point gap to A-tier sits mostly in fat-quality declaration (7 of 16 possible). Full fat-quality declaration requires a named-species animal fat (e.g., chicken fat, salmon oil) plus a marine oil with declared EPA/DHA milligram content.
Reasonable protein quality. beef delivers solid amino acid coverage.
Includes egg, named fish, or organ meat for diverse high-bioavailability protein.
No negative drivers crossed our reporting threshold.
- Top quartile for crude fiber in grain-free freeze-dried foods (6.5% DMB)
- Bottom quartile for carb quality in freeze-dried foods (11/16)
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.
Get Joy Beef Recipe Human-Grade All Life Stages Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food, 32-oz bag
Scores 4 points higher with a similar formulation profile.
Primal Raw Pronto Puppy Recipe Dog Freeze-Dried Food, 16-oz bag
Chicken instead of beef, 3 points higher, different brand.
Surfaced from a vector similarity search across 3,491 scored dog foods. How this works.
Read why each ingredient is good or bad for dogs.
- 1protein animalbeef
Real meat. Dense in protein and iron. Some dogs are sensitive to it, but for most it's an excellent base.
Position 1: primary protein source. After cooking removes water, this may drop in proportional weight, but it anchors the recipe.
- 2protein animalsalmon
Real fish meat. Natural source of omega-3s, which kibble usually has to add back from oil.
Position 2: co-primary protein. Two named animal proteins in the top 2 is a strong protein build.
- 3protein animalbeef liver
Organ meat. Among the most nutrient-dense ingredients available, rich in B vitamins, iron, and vitamin A.
Position 3. Named organ meat this high is a strong build choice. Concentrated source of taurine, glutamine, and B-vitamins.
- 4fatflaxseed
Plant source of omega-3. Helpful for skin and coat, though dogs absorb omega-3 from fish more efficiently.
Position 4: secondary fat. Often where marine oils sit when present alongside a primary land-animal fat.
- 5protein animalbeef heart
Position 5. Named organ meat this high is a strong build choice. Concentrated source of taurine, glutamine, and B-vitamins.
- 6vegetablecarrots
Real vegetable. Fiber, beta-carotene, and a small amount of antioxidant value.
Position 6: meaningful whole-food inclusion. Source of vitamins, antioxidants, or natural fiber.
- 7fruitcranberries
Often added with a urinary-tract-support marketing angle. Real cranberry compounds help in concentrate form, but kibble doses are small.
Position 7: meaningful whole-food inclusion. Source of vitamins, antioxidants, or natural fiber.
- 8ground krill
- 9legumegreen peas
Same as peas. Useful in small amounts. The concern is when pulses dominate the top of the ingredient list. See why →
Position 9. Moderate inclusion. Contributes carbohydrate and some plant protein.
- 10ground pumpkin seeds
- 11vegetablespinach
Leafy green. Some iron, vitamin K, and fiber. The dose in kibble is small but it's real food.
Position 11: garnish-level inclusion. Marketing-prominent but minimal nutritional impact at this position.
- 12supplementginger
Real spice. Some anti-nausea evidence in humans, but the dose in kibble is small. Mostly for flavor.
- 13mineralsea salt
Same as salt. Required at small doses for normal physiology.
- 14supplementdried kelp
Natural source of iodine and trace minerals. A common premium-brand inclusion.
- 15dried yeast
Natural source of B vitamins and trace minerals. Adds a savory flavor that dogs respond well to.
- 16preservative naturalmixed tocopherols
Natural vitamin E used to keep fats from going rancid. The good kind of preservative. See why →
13 of 16 ingredients have a curated note. Coverage grows over time.
The Simple Food Project Beef & Salmon Recipe is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for adult maintenance. To meet AAFCO's Growth & Reproduction requirements for a Complete & Balanced puppy diet, add the Simple Food Project's Puppy Balancer with a concentrated blend of vitamins & minerals from whole foods.