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Acana Free-Run Poultry Recipe
A formulated-to-meet, chicken-first dry food that's cheaper per calorie than 43% of the dry foods we've priced and denser than 61% (you feed fewer cups) — $2.00 a day for your 40-lb adult dog.
THE FACTS, ONE SENTENCE — data as JSON · reference dog 40 lb · updated 2026-10-18
The evidence
The Verified Label
Every food on this site gets this exact panel — same fields, same order, sourced from the official label — so brands finally become comparable. Dots show where this food sits among all 494 dry foods we've verified.
verified 2026-10-18
Composition — dry-matter basis
why dry matter
Calories & cost — for your 40-lb adult dog
Cost per 1,000 kcal: $2.03 — cheaper than 43% of the 360 dry foods we've priced (median $1.93). Serving math uses standard veterinary energy formulas — see the formula.
Standards & ingredients
what this means
why unknown
Safety
Source: official label source (official)· price: Amazon, 2026-10-18 · anchors: 494 verified dry dog foods (360 priced) · how to read this label
The fit
For your dog, specifically
Checked for a 40-lb adult with a sensitive stomach — the same published criteria our finder uses. Change your dog above and these update.
The source material
The full ingredient list
Every flag above is computed from this list. Why order is by pre-cooking weight, and how splitting bends it →
Chicken, turkey, chicken meal, whole red lentils, whole pinto beans, whole green peas, chicken liver, chicken fat, catfish meal, whole chickpeas, whole green lentils, whole yellow peas, lentil fiber, turkey giblets (liver, heart, gizzard), eggs, fish oil, natural chicken flavor, chicken heart, pea starch, salt, vitamin E supplement, dried kelp, whole pumpkin, mixed tocopherols (preservative), zinc proteinate, calcium pantothenate, collard greens, whole apples, whole pears, vitamin A acetate, vitamin D3 supplement, riboflavin, folic acid, freeze-dried chicken, freeze-dried turkey, copper proteinate, dried chicory root, turmeric, sarsaparilla root, althea root, rose hips, juniper berries, citric acid (preservative), rosemary extract, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Bifidobacterium animalis fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus casei fermentation product
9 ingredients in this list are ones we hold sourced evidence on , and 3 of them are genuinely contested rather than merely unpopular online.
- Lentils · ingredient 4ContestedA pulse (legume) common in grain-free formulas as a protein and carbohydrate source. Lentils are named alongside peas in the FDA's open 2018 investigation into diet-associated canine DCM; the agency grouped 'peas and/or lentils,' which appeared in 93% of reported products.
- Peas · ingredient 6ContestedA pulse (legume) used in many grain-free foods as a plant protein and carbohydrate source. Peas are central to an open FDA investigation, begun in July 2018, into a possible link between diets high in peas, other pulses, and potatoes and canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM); 93% of reported products contained peas and/or lentils.
- Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) · ingredient 10ContestedA pulse (legume), also called garbanzo bean, used in grain-free foods for plant protein and carbohydrate. Chickpeas are among the pulses (with peas and lentils) cited in the FDA's open 2018 investigation into diet-associated canine DCM.
- Named Meat/Poultry Meal (e.g., Chicken Meal, Lamb Meal) · ingredient 3Well supportedA rendered, water- and fat-reduced concentrate from a named species (AAFCO, e.g., 'chicken meal'). Because most moisture is removed it is a dense protein source (poultry meals commonly around 57-69% crude protein) and it names the species for allergy avoidance.
- Fish oil (EPA + DHA omega-3) · ingredient 16Well supportedMarine-source omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) from fish oil. A randomized, double-blinded controlled trial (Roush 2010) found improved weight-bearing in dogs with osteoarthritis, and a 2022 meta-analysis identified clear clinical analgesic efficacy for omega-3-enriched diets and supplements.
- Mixed tocopherols (natural vitamin E) · ingredient 24Well supportedA blend of vitamin E forms (alpha-, beta-, gamma-, delta-tocopherol) used as a natural-source antioxidant to slow fat rancidity, commonly chosen as an alternative to synthetic preservatives. EFSA concluded that tocopherol-rich extracts are safe for all animal species and the consumer and are efficacious antioxidants in feed.
Nutritional twins
Cheaper close matches
Verified foods with a closely matching label at a meaningfully lower cost per 1,000 kcal.
Label-composition matches only: same species, form, and growth stage; same primary protein where both are known; grain-free preserved; protein within 4 points and fat within 4 points, and estimated carbs within 8 points, on a dry-matter basis. Not a medical or quality recommendation.
The maker
Who makes this — and how they back it up
The five questions the WSAVA nutrition guidelines tell you to ask a pet-food company. Every answer is sourced or marked as an undisclosed gap — never guessed. This is the "is it made competently?" axis that star-rating sites skip.
Champion crafts foods in 'our' kitchens; ACANA made in Champion's own facilities in Alberta, Canada and Kentucky, USA.
source →Same Champion About page as Orijen; claims 'Ph.D.-level nutrition experts' on staff. No named individual or specific PhD field given.
source →Champion's linked bulletin (AAFCO Feeding Trials.pdf) says 'All lead ORIJEN and ACANA formulations have successfully completed and passed our enhanced AAFCO feeding trials' - lead formulas, not every product. The labels we hold say 'formulated to meet'. None of the 3 AAFCO statements we read on its labels says "animal feeding tests".
source →covers: contaminant (heavy metal) testing of finished products; same page says QA testing runs from ingredient receipt to shipping. Champion Petfoods (maker of ORIJEN and ACANA).
source →18 PubMed papers (animal/pet filtered) list Champion Petfoods (maker of ORIJEN and ACANA) in an author address; we checked 18 and 18 really name the company. A floor, not a total.
source →Full company scorecard, sources, and every SKU we've verified for this brand: Acana brand page →