Natural Balance Limited Ingredient (Dry) Review

Natural Balance Limited Ingredient dry product range is made of four recipes which all receive the Cat Food Advisor rating: 4 stars.

It is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by AAFCO cat food nutrient profiles for all adult maintenance.

Natural Balance Limited Ingredient is made from high-quality ingredients with a single-source animal protein. It is also rich in fatty acids such as omega-3 and omega-6.

The table below shows each recipe in the range including our rating and the AAFCO nutrient profile: Growth (kitten), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.

Recipe and Label Analysis

Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Grain-Free Salmon & Green Pea Recipe was selected to represent the other products in the line for a detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.

Label and nutrient data below are calculated using dry matter basis.

Ingredients Analysis

The first ingredient is salmon. Salmon is an oily marine and freshwater fish not only high in protein but also omega-3 fatty acids, essential oils needed by every cat to sustain life.

The second ingredient is salmon meal. Because it is considered a meat concentrate, fish meal contains almost 300% more protein than fresh fish itself.

Fish meal is typically obtained from the “clean, dried, ground tissue of undecomposed whole fish and fish cuttings” of commercial fish operations. ¹

The third ingredient is peas. Peas are a quality source of carbohydrates. And like all legumes, they’re rich in natural fiber.

However, peas contain about 25% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the meat content of this cat food.

The fourth ingredient is chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans. Like peas, bean and lentils, chickpea is a nutritious member of the fiber-rich legume (or pulse) family of vegetables. However, chickpeas contain about 22% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this cat food.

The fifth ingredient is lentils. Lentils are a quality source of carbohydrates. Plus (like all legumes) they’re rich in natural fiber. However, lentils contain about 25% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this cat food.

The sixth ingredient is pea protein, what remains of a pea after removing the starchy part of the vegetable. Even though it contains over 80% protein, this ingredient would be expected to have a lower biological value than meat. 

Less costly plant-based products like this can notably boost the total protein reported on the label — a factor that must be considered when judging the meat content of this cat food.

The seventh ingredient is canola oil. Unfortunately, canola can be a controversial item. That’s because it can sometimes (but not always) be derived from genetically modified rapeseed. Yet others cite the fact that canola oil can be a significant source of  omega-3 fatty acids. 

In any case, plant-based oils like canola are less biologically available to a cat than fish oil as a source of quality omega-3 fats.

The eighth ingredient is pea starch, a paste-like, gluten-free carbohydrate extract probably used here as a binder for making kibble. Aside from its energy content (calories), pea starch is of only modest nutritional value to a cat.

From here the list goes on to include a number of other items. But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of the product.

However, we note that this food contains menadione sodium bisulfite complex. This is a controversial form of vitamin K linked to liver toxicity, allergies and the abnormal break-down of red blood cells.

Since vitamin K isn’t required by AAFCO in its nutrient profiles, we question the use of this item in any feline recipe.

Nutrient Analysis

Based on its ingredients alone, Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Grain Free Salmon & Green Pea Recipe looks like an above-average dry product.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 33.3%, a fat level of 13.3% and an estimated carbohydrate level of 45.3%.

As a group, the brand features an average-protein content of 33.3% and a mean fat level of 12.2%. Together these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 46.4% for the overall product line, alongside a fat-to-protein ratio of 37%.

This means the Natural Balance Limited Ingredient product line contains below-average protein, above-average carbs and near-average fat when compared to typical dry cat food.

Has Natural Balance cat food been recalled in the past?

Yes, there have been three recorded recalls for Natural Balance. For full details, please visit the Dog Food Advisor, but in summary:

In April 2007 the company informed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration of complaints it had received about its Venison & Brown Rice Dry Dog Food and Venison & Green Pea Dry Cat Food. 

According to these complaints, some pets had experienced vomiting and kidney failure after consuming these products.

The company immediately issued a voluntary recall of all the affected products, and following laboratory tests, it was determined that some of them contained trace amounts of melamine, which is thought to have come from rice concentrate. 

Later that month, Natural Balance issued a second limited recall for four canned pet foods that were found to contain traces of melamine in rice protein concentrates.

In July 2007, the company recalled a small batch of canned pet food that it feared may have been contaminated in a large-scale botulism outbreak associated with one of its producers, Castleberry’s Food Company. 

In response to ongoing concerns following these recalls, Natural Balance built its own ISO-17025 accredited laboratory and commenced proactively testing every production run of the entire pet food range for nine different toxins before shipping their products to retailers.

On July 3, 2020, Natural Balance’s parent company, J.M. Smucker, issued a voluntary recall on a single batch of Natural Balance Ultra Premium Chicken & Chicken Liver Pâté Formula, after receiving complaints that several cats had become unwell after eating it. 

Subsequent tests revealed that the batch contained elevated levels of choline chloride.

All of the food recipes contain chicken or poultry by-product meal and are bulked out using plant-based ingredients. It also consists of controversial ingredients BHA as a preservative as well as artificial colors.

All of the food recipes contain chicken or poultry by-product meal and are bulked out using plant-based ingredients. It also consists of controversial ingredients BHA as a preservative as well as artificial colors.

You can view a complete list of all cat food recalls since 2021 here.

To stay on top of any cat food product recalls, sign up for our free email alerts, here.

About

Natural Balance Pet Foods was formed in 1989, and was picked up by Petco and sold in 625 stores across the United States. In May 2013, Natural Balance merged with Del Monte Foods and was then sold again in 2015 to J.M Smucker Company.

Natural Balance headquarters are in Pacoima, Los Angeles, California. Its products are produced at a variety of manufacturers across the United States from ingredients sourced from the United States, France, India, New Zealand, and Canada.