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Rachael Ray Nutrish: Facts, Recalls & Verified Foods
Rachael Ray Nutrish is made by Post Holdings, Inc., founded 2008 — it scores green on 1 of 5 WSAVA-aligned criteria we track (0 red, 4 undisclosed), 1 FDA recall on record, and 0 of the 17 Rachael Ray Nutrish foods we've verified carry an AAFCO feeding-trial statement.
· 17 Rachael Ray Nutrish 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.
1 of 5 criteria confirmed yes · 0 confirmed no · 4 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.
Source only references a vague 'team of nutrition and pet experts' with no named individual and no stated credentials (no ACVN/ECVCN Diplomate or PhD in animal nutrition).
source & quote
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As part of the 2023 acquisition, current parent Post Holdings acquired dedicated manufacturing facilities (Bloomsburg and Meadville, PA; Lawrence, KS), indicating the parent owns and operates plants producing these pet food brands.
source & quote
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No feeding-trial AAFCO statement found on the 17 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.
nutrish.com/faq says only 'We continue our commitment to food safety and quality assurance.' - no testing described.
PubMed has 1 match for Post Holdings (current owner), but none is a paper by someone working there (for example a "present address" note). Not proof no research exists.
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 Rachael Ray Nutrish
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
Post Holdings, Inc.
source
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Founded
2008
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Headquarters
St. Louis, Missouri, USA
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The cost
What Rachael Ray Nutrish costs, against everything else we have priced
The median Rachael Ray Nutrish dry food we have priced works out at $2.43 per 1,000 kcal, against $2.11 for the median dry food we have priced — so it sits roughly level with 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: 36.3% dry-matter protein against a median of 32.2%.
Rachael Ray Nutrish foods by cost per 1,000 kcal
| Food | Form | Protein (DM) | Cost / 1,000 kcal | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rachael Ray Nutrish Real Chicken & Veggies Recipe Dry Dog Food | dry | 25.6% | $0.85 | Check price |
| Rachael Ray® Nutrish™ Dry Cat Food Real Salmon & Brown Rice Recipe | dry | 37.4% | $1.56 | Check price |
| Rachael Ray Nutrish Real Salmon, Veggies & Brown Rice Recipe Dry Dog Food | dry | 27.8% | $2.43 | Check price |
| Rachael Ray Nutrish Dish Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe with Veggie & Fruit Blend Dry Dog Food | dry | 28.9% | $4.12 | Check price |
What Rachael Ray Nutrish actually puts in its food
The ingredients this brand reaches for most across its 17 verified foods, counted once per recipe. Each links to what the ingredient is, what the evidence says, and how common it is industry-wide.
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Taurine (supplemental)
In 13 of 17 Rachael Ray Nutrish foods (76%).
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Peas
In 9 of 17 Rachael Ray Nutrish foods (53%).
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Mixed tocopherols (natural vitamin E)
In 9 of 17 Rachael Ray Nutrish foods (53%).
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Rosemary extract
In 9 of 17 Rachael Ray Nutrish foods (53%).
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Named Meat/Poultry Meal (e.g., Chicken Meal, Lamb Meal)
In 8 of 17 Rachael Ray Nutrish foods (47%).
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Beet Pulp
In 8 of 17 Rachael Ray Nutrish foods (47%).
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Brewers Rice
In 6 of 17 Rachael Ray Nutrish foods (35%).
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Flaxseed (ALA omega-3)
In 6 of 17 Rachael Ray Nutrish foods (35%).
The safety record
FDA recall history
From the FDA's Animal & Veterinary recall list, last checked 2026-11-11, plus older FDA notices we added by hand. Rachael Ray Nutrish recall page →
Five varieties of Nutrish wet cat food (Ocean Fish-a-licious, Lip Smackin' Sardine & Mackerel, Ocean Fish & Chicken Catch-iatore, Tuna Purrfection, certain lots of Paw Lickin' Chicken & Liver) plus Chicken Lovers and Ocean Lovers variety packs
Potentially elevated levels of vitamin D (11 illnesses reported)
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 Rachael Ray Nutrish's labels
Computed directly from the official-label data we've extracted for this brand — never estimated.
Foods verified
17
4 dog · 13 cat
Feeding-trial validated
0
of 17 (0%)
Formulated to meet
3
AAFCO paper calculation
Label transparency
35%
avg. fields disclosed
The foods
Foods from Rachael Ray Nutrish we've verified
Every one links to its own Verified Label — guaranteed analysis, AAFCO statement, and (where priced) cost per day.