Brand facts & recall history · checked 2026-10-19

Merrick: Facts, Recalls & Verified Foods

Merrick is made by Nestlé Purina PetCare, founded 1988 — it scores green on 2 of 5 WSAVA-aligned criteria we track (0 red, 3 undisclosed), 6 FDA recalls on record, and 0 of the 105 Merrick foods we've verified carry an AAFCO feeding-trial statement.

· 105 Merrick food labels checked

The scorecard

WSAVA-aligned criteria

The World Small Animal Veterinary Association's nutrition guidelines suggest questions to ask any pet food maker before you buy. Here are this brand's answers, each with its source, or marked undisclosed when we could not confirm one.

2 of 5 criteria confirmed yes · 0 confirmed no · 3 undisclosed. Undisclosed is common, especially for smaller brands — it means we couldn't confirm an answer from a public source, not that the answer is unfavorable.

? Qualified nutritionist on staff Undisclosed

We could not confirm this from a public source.

source & quote

“Purina Senior Research Scientist Arleigh Reynolds, a veterinarian who is board-certified in veterinary nutrition and who trained the sprint dog team...”
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✓ Owns its manufacturing Owns its plants

Merrick owns and operates its own dry plant and wet cannery in Hereford, Texas.

source & quote

“Construction crews continue their work on the wet cannery expansion at Merrick Pet Care in Hereford. Crews also just finished up and opened the dry plant after it expanded.”
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? Runs AAFCO feeding trials Undisclosed

No feeding-trial AAFCO statement found on the 105 labels we’ve verified for this brand, and no company-wide claim was found either. Most pet foods are only "formulated to meet" AAFCO profiles (a paper calculation) rather than fed to real animals in trials — this is common, not necessarily a red flag.

? Publishes its quality-control testing Not found

merrickpetcare.com home/about pages show no QC text; /faq is 404 (2026-09-29). Parent purina.com blocked automated fetches.

✓ Publishes peer-reviewed research Yes — sourced

144 PubMed papers (animal/pet filtered) list Nestlé Purina in an author address; we checked 144 and 143 really name the company. A floor, not a total.

source

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These five checks come from WSAVA's guidelines on selecting pet foods — not our own opinion score. WSAVA does not approve or list brands. See how all 50 brands we track answer WSAVA's questions → · Our methodology →

The company

Who makes Merrick

Ownership and history, each sourced independently — private-label and co-packed brands often hide the actual manufacturer behind the name on the bag.

Parent company

Nestlé Purina PetCare

source

“Nestlé Purina PetCare Company is pleased to announce the successful completion of the acquisition of Merrick Pet Care, Inc.”
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Founded

1988

source

“Garth began our journey in 1988 making food for his dog in his own kitchen in Hereford, Texas”
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Headquarters

Hereford, Texas, USA

source

“Garth began our journey in 1988 making food for his dog in his own kitchen in Hereford, Texas”
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The cost

What Merrick costs, against everything else we have priced

The median Merrick wet food we have priced works out at $12.44 per 1,000 kcal, against $17.85 for the median wet food we have priced — so it sits about 1.4x below the market. Cost per 1,000 kcal is the only basis that survives different bag sizes and moisture levels; per pound this comparison would mean nothing. On composition the gap is usually smaller than the price gap implies: 44.4% dry-matter protein against a median of 46.7%.

Merrick foods by cost per 1,000 kcal

The 25 cheapest of 59 priced Merrick foods, by verified cost per 1,000 kcal.
Food	Form	Protein (DM)	Cost / 1,000 kcal	Buy
Limited Ingredient Real Chicken Dry Dog Food	dry	23.6%	$1.92	—
Purrfect Bistro Grain Free Lamb Dry Cat Food	dry	40.9%	$2.05	Check price
Purrfect Bistro Grain Free Salmon Dry Cat Food	dry	40.9%	$2.07	Check price
Limited Ingredient Grain Free Lamb Dog Food	dry	25.8%	$2.10	—
Purrfect Bistro Grain Free Chicken Dry Cat Food	dry	43.2%	$2.10	Check price
Purrfect Bistro Grain Free Whitefish Dry Cat Food	dry	43.2%	$2.18	Check price
Grain Free Real Beef and Bison Dry Dog Food	dry	33.7%	$2.55	Check price
Grain Free Real Chicken Senior Dry Dog Food	dry	33.7%	$3.06	Check price
Grain Free Puppy Real Chicken + Sweet Potato Recipe Dog Food	dry	31.5%	$3.56	Check price
Grain Free Chicken & Sweet Potato Dry Puppy Food	dry	31.5%	$3.61	Check price
Grain Free Real Chicken & Sweet Potato Dry Dog Food	dry	36.0%	$3.68	Check price
Grain Free Real Chicken & Sweet Potato Recipe Dry Dog Food	dry	36.0%	$3.68	Check price
Lil' Plates Small Breed Senior Chicken Dry Dog Food	dry	33.7%	$3.69	Check price
Lil' Plates Chicken Small Breed Dry Dog Food	dry	36.0%	$3.72	Check price
Limited Ingredient Grain Free Salmon Dry Dog Food	dry	27.0%	$3.84	—
Grain Free Beef & Sweet Potato Dry Dog Food	dry	36.0%	$3.90	Check price
Lil' Plates Small Breed Beef Dry Dog Food	dry	36.0%	$3.93	Check price
Grain Free Real Duck & Sweet Potato Dry Dog Food	dry	38.2%	$4.04	Check price
Backcountry Raw Grain Free Pacific Catch Dog Food	dry	36.0%	$4.14	Check price
Grain Free Limited Ingredient Lamb Wet Dog Food	wet	31.8%	$7.76	Check price
Grain Free Real Chicken Wet Dog Food	wet	40.9%	$8.54	—
Backcountry Grain Free Real Chicken Wet Dog Food	wet	45.5%	$8.61	Check price
Real Texas Beef Grain Free Wet Dog Food	wet	40.9%	$9.35	Check price
Limited Ingredient Turkey Wet Canned Dog Food	wet	36.4%	$9.41	Check price
Real Beef, Lamb and Bison Grain Free Wet Dog Food	wet	40.9%	$9.45	Check price

Showing 25 of 59; the rest are in the food list below and on the cost database. “Check price” goes to a retailer and may earn us a commission. It does not affect the ranking, which is computed purely from verified cost per calorie. Full disclosure.

What Merrick actually puts in its food

The ingredients this brand reaches for most across its 105 verified foods, counted once per recipe. Each links to what the ingredient is, what the evidence says, and how common it is industry-wide.

Named Muscle Meat (e.g., Deboned Chicken, Beef, Salmon)

In 80 of 105 Merrick foods (76%).
Taurine (supplemental)

In 72 of 105 Merrick foods (69%).
Potato

In 67 of 105 Merrick foods (64%).
Flaxseed (ALA omega-3)

In 65 of 105 Merrick foods (62%).
Mixed tocopherols (natural vitamin E)

In 63 of 105 Merrick foods (60%).
Sweet potato

In 49 of 105 Merrick foods (47%).
Peas

In 49 of 105 Merrick foods (47%).
Guar Gum

In 49 of 105 Merrick foods (47%).

The safety record

FDA recall history

From the FDA's Animal & Veterinary recall list, last checked 2026-10-19, plus older FDA notices we added by hand. Merrick recall page →

05/23/2018 Official FDA notice →

Merrick Backcountry Great Plains beef jerky, sausage cuts and steak patties dog treats (also Castor & Pollux Good Buddy beef treats)

Elevated levels of naturally occurring beef thyroid hormone

08/08/2011 Official FDA notice →

Merrick Doggie Wishbone dog treat, one lot (best by 30 Jan 2013)