Pedigree: Facts, Recalls & Verified Foods
Pedigree is made by Mars, Incorporated (Mars Petcare), founded 1934 — it scores green on 4 of 5 WSAVA-aligned criteria we track (0 red, 1 undisclosed), 7 FDA recalls on record, and 0 of the 70 Pedigree foods we've verified carry an AAFCO feeding-trial statement.
· 70 Pedigree 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.
4 of 5 criteria confirmed yes · 0 confirmed no · 1 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.
Official brand FAQ explicitly states PhD nutritionists on staff; also states formulators include 'PhD/MS animal nutritionists, as well as PhD/MS food scientists.' No individual named, but credential class (PhD nutritionist) is stated. Backed by Mars' Waltham Petcare Science Institute.
source & quote
view source →
Mars Petcare owns/operates the Mattoon plant that produces Pedigree; Mars operates 14+ owned US plants.
source & quote
view source →
No feeding-trial AAFCO statement found on the 70 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.
covers: finished-product testing, toxicological review of ingredients. Pedigree FAQ answering WSAVA's QC question.
source & quote
view source →
666 PubMed papers (animal/pet filtered) list Waltham Petcare Science Institute (Mars Petcare) in an author address; we checked 200 and 200 really name the company. A floor, not a total.
source
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 Pedigree
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
Mars, Incorporated (Mars Petcare)
source
view source →
Founded
1934
source
view source →
The cost
What Pedigree costs, against everything else we have priced
The median Pedigree wet food we have priced works out at $9.96 per 1,000 kcal, against $17.85 for the median wet food we have priced — so it sits about 1.8x 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%.
Pedigree foods by cost per 1,000 kcal
What Pedigree actually puts in its food
The ingredients this brand reaches for most across its 70 verified foods, counted once per recipe. Each links to what the ingredient is, what the evidence says, and how common it is industry-wide.
-
By-Product Meal (Meat / Poultry By-Product Meal)
In 35 of 70 Pedigree foods (50%).
-
Xanthan Gum
In 25 of 70 Pedigree foods (36%).
-
Guar Gum
In 21 of 70 Pedigree foods (30%).
-
Brewers Rice
In 17 of 70 Pedigree foods (24%).
-
Wheat Gluten
In 17 of 70 Pedigree foods (24%).
-
Peas
In 16 of 70 Pedigree foods (23%).
-
Beet Pulp
In 14 of 70 Pedigree foods (20%).
-
BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole)
In 11 of 70 Pedigree foods (16%).
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. Pedigree recall page →
High Protein Chopped Chicken & Duck Flavor Wet Dog Food
Potential foreign plastic contamination
Adult Complete Nutrition Grilled Steak & Vegetable Flavor Dry Dog Food
Potential Presence of Loose Metal Pieces
Pedigree Adult Complete Nutrition dry dog food, same 22 bags (expanded notice)
Metal fragments
22 bags of Pedigree Adult Complete Nutrition dry dog food sold at Dollar General
Possible foreign material
Three varieties of Pedigree weight management canned dog food
Possible small pieces of blue plastic (choking risk)
All dry pet food made at Mars' Everson, PA plant Feb 18 to Jul 29, 2008, including Pedigree dry dog food (and other Mars brands)
Potential Salmonella Schwarzengrund contamination
Pedigree Complete Nutrition Small Crunchy Bites dry dog food sold at Albertsons in Southern California and Las Vegas
Potential Salmonella contamination
The FDA's online recall list is complete for recent years but leaves out many notices from before about 2023. We add older FDA recall notices by hand when we find them.
The labels
What we've verified from Pedigree's labels
Computed directly from the official-label data we've extracted for this brand — never estimated.
Foods verified
70
70 dog
Feeding-trial validated
0
of 70 (0%)
Formulated to meet
0
AAFCO paper calculation
Label transparency
29%
avg. fields disclosed
The foods
Foods from Pedigree we've verified
Every one links to its own Verified Label — guaranteed analysis, AAFCO statement, and (where priced) cost per day.