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Cesar Porterhouse Flavor & Spring Vegetables Garnish Small Breed Adult Dry Dog Food, 5-lb bag
Cesar

Porterhouse Flavor & Spring Vegetables Garnish Small Breed Adult Dry Dog Food, 5-lb bag

Evidence Fair
AAFCO compliance inferred from product name
dry $2.40/lb

Cesar Porterhouse Flavor & Spring Vegetables Garnish Small Breed Adult Dry Dog Food, 5-lb bag earns a Sniff Score of 4/100 (F) with Fair evidence. 5 controversial ingredients flagged. Score capped at 39 due to 5 FLAG ingredients.

Graded by The Sniff System

Why this score

Quality carbohydrate sources with fermentable fiber.

CQI

AAFCO formulation inferred from declared adult maintenance. Verbatim statement not published by retailer.

ACF

Score capped at 39 due to 5 FLAG ingredients.

CAP why?

Contains bha. IARC Group 2B probable carcinogen; CA Prop 65 listed; FDA reassessment announced 2025. Natural alternatives (mixed tocopherols) widely available..

CIP

Contains red 40. EU mandatory warning label since 2010. California AB 2316 banned 6 dyes from school foods (2024). HHS phase-out announced April 2025..

CIP

Controversial ingredients · 6

  • bha
    Synthetic preservative classified by the U.S. National Toxicology Program as 'reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.' Many premium brands have removed it.
  • yellow 6
    Artificial color with no nutritional value.
  • red 40
    Artificial color with no nutritional value. Linked to behavioral effects in children; relevance to dogs is unclear but the ingredient serves only marketing purposes.
  • yellow 5
    Artificial color with no nutritional value. Some dogs show allergic-type reactions.
  • blue 2
    Artificial color. A 1990s industry-funded study reported brain tumors in male rats; subsequent reviews disputed methodology, but the additive provides no nutritional benefit.
  • sodium selenite
    Synthetic selenium source. Selenium is essential, but sodium selenite has a narrower safety margin than organic alternatives like selenium yeast. Better-formulated foods use the organic form.

Every flagged ingredient has a published basis (confirmed harm / regulatory action / precautionary). See methodology →

Guaranteed analysis
Protein
26%
min
Fat
12.5%
min
Fiber
4.5%
max
Moisture
12%
max
Ingredients
45 total
  1. 1 beef
  2. 2 ground wheat
  3. 3 meat and bone meal
  4. 4 whole grain corn
  5. 5 brewers rice
  6. 6 chicken by-product meal
  7. 7 soybean meal
  8. 8 animal fat
  9. 8 bha ⚠ Synthetic preservative classified by the U.S. National Toxicology Program as 'reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.' Many premium brands have removed it.
  10. 9 corn gluten meal
  11. 10 natural flavor
  12. 11 dried plain beet pulp
  13. 12 water
  14. 13 chicken meal
  15. 14 glycerin
  16. 15 salt
  17. 16 sugar
  18. 17 potassium sorbate
  19. 18 phosphoric acid
  20. 19 potassium chloride
  21. 20 natural porterhouse flavor
  22. 21 choline chloride
  23. 22 dried peas
  24. 23 calcium carbonate
  25. 24 dl-methionine

Showing first 25 of 45. Position 1-5 has the largest weight.