Taste of the Wild Dog Food Review, Information, and Recalls

Note: Some Pets no longer recommends pet food and no longer covers kibble or any treats or food that contain high levels of filler grains, necessary ingredients, or sugar. This post was written previous to that change. 

Taste of the Wild dog food offers grain free food for both dogs and cats. It is generally highly regarded and fairly affordable. We give it a grade of B+.

About Taste of the Wild: Taste of the Wild dog food is manufactured by Diamond Pet Food. It is marketed as a premium dog food with a higher protein content and lower price than other pricey brands. Taste of the Wild is available in both kibble and canned form with formulas available for both puppies and adults.

Taste of the Wild dog food is grain free. Proteins used include beef, bison, lamb,  wild boar, ocean fish, venison, chicken, duck, salmon, turkey, and quail. Carbohydrate sources tend to come from potatoes and sweet potatoes. Some vegetable such as peas are included. It also has Tomato Pomace, which is a bit controversial because green tomatoes are considered toxic to cats and dogs. Tomato Pomace, however, is formulated using ripe tomatoes and is included as an antioxidant.  Taste of the Wild incorporates prebiotics and probiotics to help digestion. The foods include chelated minerals which are easier for digestion and typically included in higher-end dog foods. A look at various labels show a relatively clean food with no grains, quality protein and nothing terribly objectionable. All Taste of the Wild foods are AAFCO approved.

Nutritional Breakdown:  Crude protein for Taste of the Wild puppy kibble run between 27 and 28 percent, with fat at 15 to 17 percent. Calcium comes in at 1.4 percent and Phosphorus at 1.0 percent.  Crude protein in the adult kibble runs from 25 to 32 percent, with fat at 15 to 18 percent. The formulas are grain free. Fiber runs at ab out 5.6 percent.

Taste of the Wild Recalls: Diamond Pet Food has had some pet food recalls, mostly related to Salmonella and some due to aflatoxins. Taste of the Wild doesn’t readily advertise their connection with Diamond, probably because of this factor. Taste of the Wild was among several pet foods included in a class action settlement of pet foods that were recalled in 2012: The connection to Diamond, which has a recall history is a bit of a concern, although Diamond also has manufactured pet foods with a solid reputation and only one recall in May 2012, appears to be related to Taste of the Wild.

Consumer Taste of the Wild Reviews: For the most part Taste of the Wild gets very high reviews. Ingredient quality is considered high, while price is lower than many comparable selections. The connection to Diamond and the past recall causes some concern but, for the most part, Taste of the Wild has been trouble free. The dog food often gets high rankings and recommendations on pet food review websites. Its price point is quite good for its general quality.

Our Grade: We give Taste of the Wild a B+. It misses an A because of the connection to Diamond and a past recall, but it stays highly ranked because of its general clean ingredient profile, good price point, general good history, and strong consumer support.

Where to Buy Taste of the Wild: Note, we use affiliate links on Some Pets to help support the site. You can buy Taste of the Wild dog food from most specialty pet food retailers such as PetSmart and PetCo.

Online, we recommend affordable and trusted retailers that offer autoship (which some love for the savings), but don’t require it (because some don’t want a subscription). Here are a couple of our favorite online suppliers:

Taste of the Wild Dog Food at All Natural Pet: All Natural Pet has low flat rate shipping on all orders and you can save 10% with autoship.

Taste of the Wild Dog Food at Amazon.com: Amazon.com also offers an autoship discount and can be a great deal if you have Amazon Prime, which give fast free shipping.