Front Of The Pack is an e-commerce pet care company that started in 2019. Christopher Wilkinson and Neil Hutchinson are the founders. They have investments from several venture capital firms.
The company offers air dried dog food and several supplements. It appears the company is in California. This is where the foods are made. It’s unknown whether the company has its own facility or if they use a co-packer.
For our Front Of The Pack dog food review, we’ll look at the food ingredient quality and safety of each line of food. Our dog food reviews are based on these criteria.
IS FRONT OF THE PACK A GOOD DOG FOOD?
Front Of The Pack (FOTP) produces a line of air dried dog food. There are 2 recipes that each feature a single protein. These foods are low risk by our criteria.
The average protein content of these recipes is 31%. It’s lower than expected in an air dried dog food. Average carbohydrates are 23% as calculated. This is higher than expected so both recipes lose points. The ingredients include oats. They have starchy ingredients like sweet potatoes, beets and pumpkin. This contributes to the carbohydrate levels.
These foods are air dried at 142 F degrees. They are moderately processed dog foods so lose points. There are enough nutrients as there are no added vitamins or minerals. This indicates high quality ingredients. These recipes also use organic grains and produce. This means they are non-GMO and have a lower pesticide residue. However, the company doesn’t detail its sources. It speaks in marketing terms of “worldwide” and “industry leading” and “cage free.” It doesn’t offer third party certifications or specifics.
Along with high carbs, there are a few other concerns that lead to a lower score. They have unnamed fish oil. Unspecified animal sources are a less expensive source of protein. They can be from rendered waste. You want to see the animal source named. You should see beef, salmon or chicken, not animal, fish or poultry. They use sunflower oil, which is an inflammatory seed oil. Seed oils are highly processed and are high in omega-6 fatty acids. They can cause systemic and gut inflammation. Studies link ultra processed foods to all-cause mortality in humans.
The website FAQs note the origins of supplements, herbs and spices. It has links to studies. It doesn’t provide similar resources about its proteins, produce or other ingredients.
Front Of The Pack doesn’t state the omega-6:omega-3 ratio in their recipes. This is true of most companies. It’s a concern because AAFCO allows a very inflammatory ratio of 30:1. Diets rich in omega-6 fats can cause chronic inflammation.
Front Of The Pack Air Dried Food
Score: 8/10
Ingredient List For Beef Recipe: 90% USDA grass-fed beef, pumpkin seed oil, organic oats (gluten free), organic guar fiber, organic beets, organic pumpkin, organic blueberry, organic kelp, organic pomegranate, omega 3 fish oil, organic tart cherry, organic vinegar, organic coconut water, organic quinoa, yeast postbiotic, non-gmo sunflower oil, organic rosemary, organic mushroom
Front Of The Pack Benefits
- Organic ingredients
- High protein
- No added vitamins & minerals
- No added amino acids
Front Of The Pack Concerns
- Moderate processing
- High carbohydrates
- Seed oils
- Unnamed animal protein
- Doesn’t state omega-6:omega-3 ratio
View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews
FRONT OF THE PACK DOG FOOD RECALLS
To date, Front Of The Pack has not had any recalls or voluntary withdrawals.
Evaluation Criteria
We evaluate and score dog foods based on two criteria:
Are the Ingredients High Quality?
Here are some common low-quality ingredients or markers we look for:
- Is there excessive carbohydrate content, which can cause gut imbalances?
- Does the food contain unnamed proteins, which are low quality?
- Does the food use cellulose (wood pulp) as a source of fiber instead of real food?
- Are there excessive vitamins and minerals added in place of real food nutrition?
- Are there excessive added amino acids or plant proteins instead of expensive meat protein?
- Does the food contain inflammatory processed seed oils?
How Safe Are the Ingredients?
Many ingredients come from unhealthy, inflammatory sources or are full of pesticides so we look for:
- How processed is the food?
- Does the food contain known genetically modified foods?
- Does the food contain ingredients known to be high in pesticides?
- Does the food contain natural flavor, which are often MSG or animal digest?
- Does the food contain rice, which is high in arsenic?
Each food is objectively evaluated by these criteria and a score is assigned using the average of ingredient quality and safety. This is NOT a paid list and there are no affiliate links. Dogs Naturally has partnered with DogFoodReviews.com to make sure dog owners have unbiased, objective criteria to help them choose the best dog food on the market. You can view the full Evaluation Criteria at DogFoodReviews.com.
