Who makes Blue Buffalo and where is it made?
Blue Buffalo is owned by U.S. food company, General Mills. All of the brand’s dog food products are produced in the United States.
Blue Buffalo owns and operates 2 manufacturing facilities. One is located in Joplin, Missouri and the other in Richmond, Indiana. The company also outsources a number of its other products to co-packers that are also located in America.
Purina Pro Plan dog food pros
Is Blue Buffalo A Good Dog Food?
When evaluating ingredient quality and safety, scoring shows 4 out of 5 lines of Blue Buffalo dry dog foods to be very high risk foods. The Wilderness Dry line is considered high risk. These are ultra-processed foods with high levels of carbohydrates.
The canned dog foods, with less processing and fewer carbohydrates, score a bit better and are considered moderate to high risk dog foods.
Most of the recipes lost points for containing known ingredients known to have high pesticide/herbicide residues. Others lost points for GMO ingredients, unnamed animal proteins, seed oils, cellulose, natural flavor and excessive added vitamins and minerals.
Some recipes contain 2 or more added amino acids, which are a sign of foods with lower animal protein and often, more plant protein.
There are additional concerns with the dog food and marketing. These don’t affect the Blue Buffalo dog food reviews score, but they’re worth mentioning:
Glam Ingredients
Most Blue Buffalo dry dog foods contain glam ingredients. These are expensive or desirable ingredients like blueberries, cranberries, kale or apples often added to appeal to consumers but are below the salt in the ingredient list. This means they are included in minuscule amounts that contribute little or no nutritional value to your dog.
Ingredient Splitting
This is a technique of splitting ingredients into sub-categories to move certain ingredients higher or lower on the ingredient list. This is often used to disguise the amount of lower quality ingredients in the food, such as corn, potatoes or peas, and moves desirable ingredients, like proteins, higher.
Does Not State Farmed Vs Wild Caught Fish
These foods don’t specify whether the fish is farmed or wild caught. Farmed fish is less nutritious than wild caught fish and does not contain the same healthy fatty acid balance.
Does Not Provide Omega-6:Omega-3 Ratio
This omission is true of most foods. However it is a concern because omega-6 fatty acids are pro-inflammatory, and AAFCO allows a very inflammatory ratio of 30:1.
Blue Buffalo Recalls
Finally there have been several Blue Buffalo dog food recalls::
03/2017: Voluntary recall of Blue Wilderness canned dog food for potentially excessive levels of beef thyroid hormone.
02/2017: Voluntary recall of Homestyle Recipe dog food because of possible metal (aluminum) contamination. Also, voluntary recall of wet dog food cups because of a packaging problem.
05/2016: Limited voluntary recall due to moisture problems and the possibility of mold.
11/2015: Voluntary recall on a single lot of chew bones due to potential salmonella contamination.
10/2010: Voluntary recall because of a “sequencing error” made by an ingredient supplier when vitamin D carryover may have contaminated products.
04/2007: The FDA confirmed the presence of melamine in rice protein concentrate in food manufactured by American Nutrition Inc. for Blue Buffalo. Blue Buffalo denied knowledge or consent of the additive being in the product. It was part of the larger Menu Foods/melamine recall.
It’s also noteworthy that Purina filed a lawsuit against Blue Buffalo for false advertising of pet food after testing revealed the presence of poultry by-product meal in some of Blue Buffalo’s pet foods.
Dog Food Review: Blue Buffalo
Blue Buffalo has earned quite a good reputation among pet owners since its beginnings in 2002. The company had a modest start working to find true holistic pet solutions with the inspiration of their family dog, Blue. The Airedale terrier suffered from cancer, making his dietary needs much different from other pets.
That gave way to the search for only the best, most nutritious, holistic ingredients for pets. They worked diligently alongside animal health professionals to design food that would serve animals to their highest good. Has Blue Buffalo retained its initial commitment, still producing products for the optimal benefit of the pets we love? Let’s find out.