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Scanned by Guest · April 9, 2026
Meijer Cuts In Gravy Dog Food With Beef
28/100
Grade F — Avoid at All Costs
📦 Product Overview
BrandMeijer
TypeDog Food - Wet/Soft
Life Stageadult
Size22 oz can
AAFCO Compliant✅ Yes
Label states 'formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for Maintenance.' This is formulation-based only — no feeding trial was conducted. Meets adult maintenance standards.
☠ Rendering / 4D Animal Warning

This product contains 'MEAT BY-PRODUCTS' as the THIRD ingredient with NO species identified. Under AAFCO and FDA definitions, unspecified 'meat by-products' can legally contain slaughterhouse waste from ANY mammal — including 4D animals (dead, dying, diseased, disabled). The rendering process that produces these ingredients has been confirmed by the FDA to contain pentobarbital (euthanasia drug) in some cases. Pentobarbital can only enter the food supply through rendered euthanized animals. You are feeding your dog a product where one of the top three ingredients could literally be from a euthanized shelter animal, roadkill, or a diseased cow condemned by USDA inspectors. Meijer does not disclose the source species because they either don't know or don't want you to know.

🧪 Ingredient Breakdown
✅
Water Sufficient for Processing
Standard for canned food. Not a protein source — it's just water. But it does mean the first ingredient by weight contributes zero nutrition.
✅
Chicken
Named whole meat. Good. But listed after water, and in a canned food with 82% moisture, the actual chicken content is likely modest.
❌
Meat By-Products
UNSPECIFIED 'meat by-products' — this is the worst kind. No species named. Could legally be from any mammal including 4D animals (dead, dying, diseased, disabled). This is rendering tank refuse from unknown sources. Pentobarbital contamination risk.
−3 pts
❌
Wheat Flour
Refined, allergenic grain filler. Stripped of fiber and nutrients. Used as a cheap binder and carb filler in gravy-style foods.
−3 pts
🟡
Wheat Gluten
Cheap plant protein used to artificially inflate the crude protein number on the guaranteed analysis. Your dog doesn't need wheat gluten — they need meat protein.
−1 pts
❌
Corn Starch
Zero nutritional value. Pure refined starch used as a thickener. High glycemic. Filler.
−3 pts
✅
Beef
Named meat. The product is called 'With Beef' — 'With' means only 3% minimum beef is required by AAFCO naming rules. So there's very little actual beef in this can. It's mostly water, mystery by-products, and wheat.
✅
Guar Gum
Natural thickener. Safe.
✅
Salt
Necessary in small amounts. Acceptable.
☠️
Added Color
Unspecified 'added color' — could be any artificial dye. There is ZERO reason to color canned dog food. Dogs don't care what color their food is. This is a red flag that the manufacturer is prioritizing appearance over your dog's health. Triggers mandatory artificial color deduction.
−5 pts
✅
Potassium Chloride
Potassium supplement. Standard.
⚠
Natural Flavors
Completely undisclosed source. 'Natural flavors' in pet food is often animal digest by another name. No transparency whatsoever.
−2 pts
✅
Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Niacin Supplement, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid)
Standard vitamin premix. Required for AAFCO compliance.
✅
Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Manganese Sulfate, Potassium Iodide, Choline Chloride, Magnesium Sulfate)
Standard mineral premix. Note Sodium Selenite — inorganic selenium, less bioavailable than selenium yeast. Zinc Oxide is also a cheaper form. Cost-cutting is evident even in the vitamin/mineral premix.
⚠
Sodium Selenite
Inorganic selenium form. Toxic in excess. Cheaper alternative to selenium yeast. Already counted in mineral premix but flagged separately for the specific concern.
−2 pts
⚖ What's Good / What's Bad
Good
✅ Contains named whole chicken as second ingredient
✅ Contains named beef (though minimal — 'With' claim means only 3% required)
✅ Standard vitamin and mineral premix present
✅ AAFCO formulated for adult maintenance
Bad
❌ Water is the #1 ingredient — you're paying for water
❌ 'Meat By-Products' is the THIRD ingredient — completely unspecified species, 4D animal risk, pentobarbital contamination risk
❌ Wheat flour — refined allergenic filler with no nutritional purpose
❌ Corn starch — another zero-nutrition filler
❌ Wheat gluten — cheap plant protein inflating the protein numbers
❌ 'Added Color' — unspecified dye in dog food is inexcusable
❌ 'Natural Flavors' — undisclosed, likely cheap flavoring to mask poor ingredients
❌ The product is called 'With Beef' which legally means as little as 3% beef — this is overwhelmingly NOT a beef product
❌ 82% moisture means only 18% is actual food solids — and most of those solids are wheat, corn starch, and mystery by-products
❌ Sodium Selenite — cheaper inorganic selenium
🧬 Potential Cancer-Linked Ingredients
☠️
Added Color (unspecified) −5 pts — Unspecified 'added color' — could include any artificial dye (Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 2, caramel color, iron oxide, etc.). All artificial colors are linked to cancer, hyperactivity, and organ damage. There is zero nutritional justification for coloring dog food.
📊 Score Breakdown
Start score100 pts
Ingredient penalties−19 pts
❌ NO NAMED WHOLE-MEAT PROTEIN IN TOP 3 INGREDIENTS−20 pts
❌ PRIMARY PROTEIN SOURCE IS A BY-PRODUCT, DIGEST, OR UNSPECIFIED (Meat By-Products is the primary protein-contributing ingredient after water; chicken is mostly water weight)−15 pts
❌ THREE OR MORE FILLER STARCHES / REFINED CARBS PRESENT (Wheat Flour + Corn Starch + Wheat Gluten)−10 pts
❌ ARTIFICIAL COLORS PRESENT ('Added Color' — unspecified dye)−8 pts
Final score28/100
💬 The Verdict

Avoid at All Costs

🧨 Final Verdict

This is one of the worst dog foods I've reviewed. Let me be brutally clear: you are paying $2.25 for a can that is 82% water, with the remaining 18% consisting primarily of unspecified mystery meat by-products, wheat flour, corn starch, wheat gluten, and artificial coloring. The product is called 'With Beef' — which under AAFCO rules means it can contain as little as 3% actual beef. THREE PERCENT. The third ingredient is unspecified 'Meat By-Products' — no species, no transparency, no accountability. This ingredient can legally come from euthanized shelter animals, roadkill, or 4D condemned carcasses. The FDA has confirmed pentobarbital in foods using these exact types of ingredients. Then they added artificial color to make this slop look appetizing TO YOU — your dog doesn't care what color it is. The wheat flour and corn starch are there to thicken the gravy cheaply. The wheat gluten is there to pump up the protein number so it looks like there's more meat than there actually is. The linoleic acid level is borderline deficient on a dry matter basis. Meijer's 'Quality Guarantee' signature on the back of this can is an insult. This food scores a 28 out of 100 — an F grade. Do not feed this to your dog. For the $67+ per month you'd spend feeding a medium dog this garbage, you could buy an actually decent canned food from a brand that doesn't hide mystery rendering waste behind vague ingredient names. Your dog deserves better than this. Period.