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Acana Dog Food Review 2024: Recalls, Pros, and Cons

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By Nicole Cosgrove

Acana Dog Food Review

Our Final Verdict

We give Acana dog food a rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars:

Acana offers a variety of dry dog food formulas, many of which are designed for a grain-free diet. This premium label comes at a competitive price while still utilizing a wide range of high-quality ingredients in its formulas.

Due to the FDA’s scrutiny of grain-free diets as a whole, Acana has seen better days. With that said the brand’s continued research and introduction of grain-inclusive dog food is an excellent step toward balanced nutrition for all dogs.

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At a Glance: The Best Acana Dog Food Recipes:

Although Acana recently released a grain-inclusive line of dog food, its grain-free, and limited-ingredient formulas remain its most popular. Here are a few of Acana’s top recipes at the moment:

Rating Image Product Details
Our Favorite
Winner
Acana Kentucky with Wholesome Grains Acana Kentucky with Wholesome Grains
  • Grain-inclusive formula
  • High in animal protein
  • Formulated with live probiotics
  • Second place
    Acana Regionals Acana Regionals
  • Contains live probiotics
  • Suitable for dogs with grain sensitivities
  • Wide variety of fruit and vegetables
  • Third place
    Acana Singles Acana Singles
  • Formulated with probiotics for digestion
  • No wheat
  • potatoes
  • rice
  • or tapioca
  • Includes muscle
  • cartilage
  • and organs
  • Acana Puppy Junior Acana Puppy Junior
  • High in protein
  • Grain-free
  • No gluten
  • potato
  • or tapioca
  • Acana Free-Run Poultry Acana Free-Run Poultry
  • Loaded with free-run Cobb chicken
  • Tom turkey and whole nest-laid eggs
  • Infused with freeze-dried chicken liver
  • Acana Dog Food Reviewed

    The Acana brand is built on providing high-quality dog food with fresh, biologically appropriate ingredients, something that every pet owner can get behind. It also promises to never outsource the production of its pet food to a third party, ensuring that everything that goes into your dog’s kibble is carefully monitored by Acana itself.

    Unfortunately, most dog food companies make similar claims but fall short in practice. So, does Acana actually live up to its wholesome brand image? Or is it all just marketing?

    Who Makes Acana and Where Is It Produced?

    Acana was one of two dog food labels owned and manufactured by Champion Pet Foods (the other being Orijen). Champion Pet Foods started in Canada but maintained a U.S. factory in Kentucky.

    However, in November 2022, Mars Petcare, part of Mars, Incorporated, announced that they had acquired Champion Pet Foods. This business deal hopes to broaden food options for a wide range of pet owners.

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    Which Types of Dogs Is Acana Best Suited For?

    Acana dog food uses high-quality ingredients with a focus on animal-based proteins, making it a great option for most healthy dogs. It also offers a few specialty recipes, such as its Puppy & Junior Formula or Light & Fit Formula.

    While Acana’s biologically appropriate original line of dog foods was built around a grain-free diet, the label now offers several grain-inclusive formulas. Though these recipes aren’t as popular as the brand’s grain-free offerings, grain-inclusive recipes are generally recommended for dogs without grain sensitivities. We encourage you to speak with your vet to determine which formulation is best for your pooch.

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    A Quick Look at Acana Dog Food

    Pros
    • Uses sustainable and local meat sources
    • Made in the U.S.A.
    • No history of product recalls
    • Offers “biologically appropriate” recipes
    • Manufactures grain-free and grain-inclusive formulas
    • Excellent ingredient transparency
    Cons
    • History of class-action lawsuits
    • Not available in all pet food retailers
    • No wet food options

    Recall & Class Action History

    As of our dog food review, Acana has not been subject to any product recalls. The same was true for Champion Pet Foods as a whole. Mars Petcare did have some pet food recalls in 2012 and 2014; however, there have not been any recent recalls of Acana foods since they acquired the Champion.

    In the past, Champion Pet Foods has been the target of a few class-action lawsuits throughout its operations. In these lawsuits, consumers claim that Acana and Orijen dog foods contain heavy metals and BPA. However, in March 2022, the district court dismissed “heavy metal fraud-by-omission claims”.

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    Reviews of the 3 Best Acana Dog Food Recipes

    Since the ingredients and nutritional breakdowns of Acana dog foods are so important to the brand, let’s take a closer look at three of its most popular recipes:

    1. Acana Kentucky Farmlands With Wholesome Grains Dry Dog Food

    Acana Kentucky Farms Dog Food

    As you can guess from the name, the Kentucky Farmlands with Wholesome Grains recipe is one of the formulas offered in Acana’s new grain-inclusive line. While this formula does feature grains, it is still gluten-free.

    This formula is made with 70% animal-based ingredients, half of which are used in a fresh or raw form. In order, these animal protein sources include chicken, turkey, duck, and eggs. Along with muscle meat, Acana also uses the organs, cartilage, and other sources of key canine nutrition.

    Acana Kentucky Farmlands With Wholesome Grains Dry Dog Food

    As always, we want you to be as informed as possible when choosing a new food for your pup. You can read the Amazon customer dog food reviews for this product here.

    Pros
    • Grain-inclusive formula
    • High in animal protein
    • Made in the U.S.A.
    • Formulated with live probiotics
    • Gluten-free
    • Uses raw and fresh ingredients when possible
    Cons
    • Some dogs won’t eat it
    • Kibble is too large for some dogs

    2. Acana Meadowland Dry Dog Food

    Acana Meadowland Dry Dog Food

    The Acana Meadowland Dry Dog Food is one of the most popular grain-free recipes from its Regionals product line. Acana’s Regionals line is designed around different areas and ingredients local to its Kentucky-based U.S. factory—the Regionals recipes manufactured and sold in Canada are slightly different in honor of the ingredients local to the Alberta factory.

    Within the Meadowlands recipe, 70% of the ingredients are from animal sources. In order from highest to lowest concentration, these sources are chicken, turkey, freshwater catfish, eggs, and rainbow trout. Since Acana relies on whole animal sources for its products, your dog will also benefit from nutrients found in the organs, cartilage, and more.

    Acana Meadowland Dry Dog Food

    To learn what other dog owners have to say about this formula, you can find the Amazon reviews here.

    Pros
    • High in meat-based protein
    • Made in the U.S.A.
    • Contains live probiotics
    • Suitable for dogs with grain sensitivities
    • Wide variety of fruit and vegetables
    • Half of animal ingredients are raw or fresh
    Cons
    • Relies heavily on lentils
    • Not ideal for dogs not requiring a grain-free diet

    3. Acana Singles Limited Ingredient Diet Duck & Pear Formula Dry Dog Food

    Acana Singles Limited Ingredient Diet, Dry Dog Food

    Since Acana’s target market includes many dogs with food sensitivities and allergies, it makes sense that the brand would offer a specialized limited-ingredient line of food. The Singles Limited Ingredient Diet Duck & Pear Formula is one of these recipes, providing protein from a single animal source: free-run duck.

    While 60% of this formula is comprised of duck (half of which is raw or fresh), this food also relies heavily on pea protein. Unfortunately, many dogs with food sensitivities have trouble digesting pea protein and other plant-based ingredients in this recipe, making it less-than-ideal as a true limited-ingredient food.

    Acana Singles Limited Ingredient Diet Duck & Pear Formula Dry Dog Food

    If you’re curious about what other dogs and their owners think of this limited-ingredient formula, you can read the Amazon reviews here.

    Pros
    • Animal protein comes from a single source
    • Made in the U.S.A.
    • Suitable for dogs with grain sensitivities
    • Formulated with probiotics for digestion
    • No wheat, potatoes, rice, or tapioca
    • Includes muscle, cartilage, and organs
    Cons
    • Includes pea protein
    • Not ideal for a true limited-ingredient diet

    What Other Users Are Saying

    As with any purchase that affects your dog’s health and well-being, the more information at your disposal, the better. Here are comments from other reviewers who have taken a deep dive into Acana and its product lines:

    Dog Food Network: “With all fresh ingredients and Kentucky-based state-of-the-art kitchens, Acana dog food is proving itself as a reliable brand for healthy dog food for all types of breeds.”

    Woof Whiskers: “ACANA has, arguably, some of the highest quality ingredients in the entire industry, striving to get their products from field to factory in less than 48 hours.”

    Dog Food Insider: “[The Duck & Pear Formula is] one of Acana’s Singles, with a single source of protein – in this case, duck. The food may have a single source of meat protein but it is far from being a limited ingredient formula.”

    TreeHouse Puppies: “For dog owners looking for a high-protein kibble made with natural and safe ingredients, Acana is without doubt a great choice.”

    DogFoodAdvisor: “When you consider the protein-boosting effect of the multiple legumes, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing a moderate amount of meat.”

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    Conclusion – Acana Dog Food

    As a dog food brand, Acana offers several dry formulas made with high-quality ingredients and decent nutritional profiles. While Acana was originally a grain-free company, it has now released a line of grain-inclusive formulas, as well as following the FDA’s statement on the potential health risks of a grain-free diet.

    After our dog food review, Acana offers well-rounded nutrition at a reasonable price. While Acana is not perfect, it is one of the best dog food options currently available on the market.

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