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Orijen Regional Red
A formulated-to-meet, beef-first dry food that's cheaper per calorie than 15% of the dry foods we've priced and denser than 92% (you feed fewer cups) — $3.11 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: $3.16 — cheaper than 15% 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 →
Beef, wild boar, lamb, pork, beef liver, beef meal, lamb meal, mackerel meal, herring meal, pork meal, whole red lentils, whole pinto beans, whole navy beans, whole green lentils, whole chickpeas, whole herring, pork liver, beef fat, natural pork flavor, dried apple pomace, pollock oil, pork kidney, beef kidney, beef tripe, vitamin E supplement, dried kelp, whole pumpkin, whole butternut squash, collard greens, whole apples, whole pears, zinc proteinate, mixed tocopherols (preservative), niacin, thiamine mononitrate, calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin, folic acid, vitamin B12 supplement, dried Bacillus coagulans fermentation product, dried chicory root, turmeric, sarsaparilla root, althea root, rosehips, juniper berries, citric acid (preservative), rosemary extract
7 ingredients in this list are ones we hold sourced evidence on , and 2 of them are genuinely contested rather than merely unpopular online.
- Lentils · ingredient 11ContestedA 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.
- Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) · ingredient 15ContestedA 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 6Well 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.
- Mixed tocopherols (natural vitamin E) · ingredient 33Well 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.
- Rosemary extract · ingredient 49Well supportedA plant-derived natural antioxidant (active compounds carnosic acid and carnosol) used to slow fat oxidation, frequently chosen as an alternative to synthetic preservatives. It is an authorized food antioxidant in the EU (E 392); JECFA established a temporary acceptable daily intake for rosemary extract expressed as carnosic acid plus carnosol.
- Probiotics (live microbials) · ingredient 41NeutralLive microbial supplements (e.g., Enterococcus faecium SF68, dried fermentation products) intended to support gut health. A 2019 JVIM systematic review found the effect on acute gastrointestinal disease in dogs limited and possibly clinically unimportant, and benefits appear strain- and context-specific: in one shelter trial SF68 significantly reduced diarrhea in cats but not in dogs.
Wet ingredients like fresh beef shrink once cooked — which is why named meals appearing high on the list matter: they keep meaningful animal protein after moisture is removed.
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 states foods are crafted in 'our' kitchens; Orijen is manufactured in Alberta, Canada and Kentucky, USA by Champion (its own DogStar/NorthStar kitchens) per en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orijen.
source →Champion's own About page claims 'Ph.D.-level nutrition experts' on staff. No individual is named and the specific field of the PhD is not stated; the 'Ph.D.-level' wording is the company's own characterization.
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 5 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: Orijen brand page →