Halo Dog Food began in the US in 1986. It was sold 20 years later. Since 2019, it’s been owned by Better Choice Company Inc. It’s an animal wellness company. It has a board of directors and shareholders. The company headquarters is in Tampa, Fla.
Most ingredients are sourced in the US. There are 2 exceptions. Lamb is from New Zealand and pea ingredients are from Canada. These foods are made in the United States.
For our Halo 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 HALO A GOOD DOG FOOD?
Halo has 2 lines of dog food, Elevate and Holistic. They added a freeze-dried line from another manufacturer. This new line is a low risk dog food by our criteria. It has minimal carbohydrates. It has high protein, no added vitamins or minerals. It is minimally processed. It is Halo’s highest scoring food.
Holistic is Halo’s premium brand and is a high risk dog food by our criteria. Elevate is the base brand and is a moderate risk dog food. Both have high average carbohydrates. They have low average protein. Many of Halo’s recipes are grain-free. However, they substitute high starch ingredients. These include chickpeas, lentils, rice, barley, oats and tapioca. Excessive carbohydrate is an indicator of food quality. It is used to reduce manufacturing costs. Foods that are high in carbohydrates can raise insulin. It can cause obesity and changes to the gut bacteria.
Both of Halo’s original lines have quality and safety concerns. Their information lists minimal processing and whole food ingredients. They say they have better sourcing methods. But supporting information and certifications are limited.
Both brands offer dry and canned dog food. Holistic uses whole animal protein sources. This line is ultra processed. This depletes nutrients. It makes it necessary to add amino acids and vitamins and minerals. The Holistic website states it doesn’t use animal meals. It says they are a “combination of non human edible remnants from slaughterhouses and fish processing factories.” And yet these are the main ingredients in the Elevate recipes.
Elevate offers freeze-dried raw coated foods. The company confirms this is kibble. They apply a dehydrated product after the kibble process is complete. These are ultra-processed foods heated four separate times. This causes a major loss in enzymes, vitamins, amino acids and phytonutrients. It requires added vitamins and minerals. Further, “raw-coated” is a marketing term. It has no official definition according to AAFCO.
The Holistic line uses the term OrigiNative Sourcing. It is trademarked so it’s not a third party certification. It claims to work with animals raised naturally and without antibiotics. The term “naturally” has no official meaning under AAFCO. It should be noted that since 2017, all meat, poultry and dairy foods sold in the US are free of antibiotics. This is required by federal law. And the FDA prohibits the use of hormones in all pork and poultry products.
Halo’s Holistic line uses meat, poultry, and fish proteins. It’s good to see they’re third-party certified. This is through Global Animal Partnership (GAP) and the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). GAP has 5 levels of certification. Holistic’s chicken and turkey have Level 2 certification. Poultry is raised in an indoor environment. This is the case for most poultry raised in the US. There is MSC certification for fish. That means they are wild-caught or from a sustainable fishery. This doesn’t mean that they’re fed a native diet as in the wild. They could be fed grains that they’d get in confinement.
Elevate and Holistic use ingredients subjected to herbicides and pesticides. Holistic uses non-GMO vegetables. That doesn’t mean they aren’t sprayed. Organic produce would ensure they’re non-GMO. They’d also have less herbicide/pesticide contamination.
Halo doesn’t state the omega-6:omega-3 ratio in its recipes. This is true of most companies. Omega-6 fats are from seed oils and factory farmed meat and poultry. This can cause chronic inflammation and disease. It’s a concern because AAFCO allows a very inflammatory ratio of 30:1.
The Holistic brand is rather disappointing. The company has showcased sourcing of ingredients. This may be a way to achieve the holistic mandate of its name. It fails due to over-processing and ingredient choices. It would be better to use organic based ingredients. Minimal processing contributes to a more nutritional pet food. This includes freezing, dehydrating or freeze drying.
HALO ELEVATE DRY
Score: 4.4/10
Ingredient List For Healthy Grains Dry Recipe: Deboned lamb, lamb meal, salmon meal, oats, barley, tapioca, natural pork flavor, deboned pork, pork meal, quinoa, pork fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), sunflower oil, natural flavor, salmon oil, potassium chloride, salt, deboned salmon, choline chloride, taurine, inulin, vitamins (vitamin E supplement, niacin supplement, d-calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement, vitamin a supplement, thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid, biotin), minerals (zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, copper proteinate, manganese proteinate, sodium selenite, calcium iodate), mixed tocopherols (preservative), dried bacillus coagulans fermentation product, parsley.
Halo’s base brand is Elevate with 14 recipes. It rates as a high risk dog food by our criteria. This line has an average protein content of 31.5% and high carbohydrates of 31% as calulated. It has high carbohydrate content. The food is ultra processed. There are high pesticide/herbicide foods in the top 5 ingredients. Potatoes are a GMO and found in the top 5. There are added vitamins and minerals. Most are sourced in North America rather than China. Probiotics are added which is good to see. But the amount of CFUs has not been guaranteed. Natural flavor and sunflower oil are added which is a concern. It’s not known if the salmon used is farmed or wild caught. Wild caught is more nutritious.
Elevate Dry Benefits
- Named fish
- No added amino acids
- Probiotics added
- Puppy recipe is offered
Elevate Dry Concerns
- Ultra processed
- High carbohydrate content
- Excessive added vitamins
- Excessive added minerals
- Seed oil
- High pesticide ingredients in top 5
- Natural flavor
- Omega-6:omega 3 ratio not given
- Not specified if farmed or wild-caught
- GMOs in top 5 ingredients
View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews
HALO ELEVATE WET
Score: 5.9/10
Ingredient List For Grain-Free Chicken Stew With Pumpkin and White Potatoes Wet Recipe: Chicken, chicken bone broth, vegetable broth, pumpkin, potatoes, tapioca starch, chicken fat, dried whole egg, tricalcium phosphate, sunflower oil, guar gum, salt, potassium chloride, vitamins vitamin E supplement, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin a supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, niacin supplement, calcium pantothenate, biotin supplement, riboflavin supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, beta-carotene, folic acid), thyme, minerals (zinc oxide, reduced iron, manganese sulfate, copper amino acid complex, sodium selenite, potassium iodide), choline chloride, magnesium sulfate, turmeric, tuna oil, rosemary.
Halo’s wet dog food in the Elevate line has 10 recipes. These are moderate risk dog foods by our criteria. The average protein content is 34% and average carbohydrates are 25.6% as calculated. As canned foods, they’re highly processed, but not as processed as kibble.
There are safety concerns. Some ingredients are known to contain higher pesticide/herbicide residues. These are in the top 5 ingredients so have higher concentrations. Potatoes are a known GMO ingredient. They’re also found in the top 5 ingredients. There are natural flavor and inflammatory seed oils. Rice is known to have arsenic contamination. There are added vitamins and minerals. It’s preferred to rely on whole food ingredients.
Elevate Wet Benefits
- No added amino acids
Elevate Wet Concerns
- Highly processed
- High carbs
- High pesticide ingredients in top 5 – kale
- GMOs in top 5 ingredients – potatoes
- Rice
- Seed oil
- Added vitamins and minerals
- Natural flavor
- Omega-6:omega 3 ratio not given
View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews
HALO HOLISTIC DRY
Score: 3.4/10
Ingredient List For Wild Salmon & Whitefish Recipe: Salmon, whitefish, dried egg product, oat groats, pearled barley, dried peas, dried chickpeas, soy protein concentrate, flaxseed, pea fiber, natural flavor, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), dicalcium phosphate, calcium sulfate, dried Bacillus coagulans fermentation product, dried blueberries, dried cranberries, dried carrots, dried sweet potatoes, calcium carbonate, salt, inulin, vitamins (vitamin E supplement, niacin supplement, thiamine mononitrate, d-calcium pantothenate, vitamin A supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, folic acid, biotin), potassium chloride, minerals (zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, copper proteinate, manganese proteinate, sodium selenite, calcium iodate), taurine, mixed tocopherols (preservative), L-carnitine.
Halo’s Holistic dry dog food is its premium brand. It’s a high risk dog food by our criteria. The average protein for the 5 recipes in this line is 24.6%. Carbohydrates come in considerably higher at 39% as calculated. These foods lose points for ultra processing. This destroys nutrients. Added vitamins, minerals and amino acids are added to meet AAFCO requirements. Non-GMO vegetables and fruits are used. However, that doesn’t mean they are pesticide free. There are ingredients with higher pesticide/herbicide residues. Soy is a known GMO that is in some of the recipes. They also have natural flavor and inflammatory seed oils.
Holistic Dry Benefits
- Wild caught fish
- Named fish
- Non-GMO vegetables and fruits
- Contains probiotics
Holistic Dry Concerns
- Ultra processed
- High carbs
- Omega 6:omega-3 ratio not provided
- High pesticides in top 5 ingredients
- GMOs in non-produce
- Added vitamins and minerals
- Natural flavor
- Seed oil
- Added amino acids
- Glam ingredients
View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews
HALO HOLISTIC WET
Score: 5.4/10
Ingredient List For Beef Stew Wet Recipe: Beef, beef broth, beef liver, carrots, pumpkin, rolled oats, celery, peas, mustard greens, sweet potatoes, sunflower oil, salt, potassium chloride, guar gum, natural flavor, minerals (zinc amino acid chelate, iron amino acid chelate, copper amino acid chelate, manganese amino acid chelate, sodium selenite, cobalt amino acid chelate, potassium iodide), xanthan gum, vitamins (vitamin E supplement, thiamine mononitrate, niacin supplement, d-calcium pantothenate, vitamin A supplement, riboflavin supplement, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid), choline chloride, dried kelp.
Halo’s Holistic wet dog food is a moderate risk dog food by our criteria. There are 5 recipes in this line. The average protein for these canned foods is 44% which is good to see. The average carbohydrates is 14.6% as calculated. Holistic canned foods use non-GMO vegetables and fruits. That doesn’t mean they are pesticide free. Points are lost for using foods known to contain higher pesticide/herbicide residues. All of these recipes have added vitamins and minerals. They use highly processed seed oil which is inflammatory. Amino acids have been added to 2 recipes.
Holistic Wet Benefits
- Non-GMO vegetables
Holistic Wet Concerns
- High carbs in some foods
- Highly processed
- High pesticide foods in top 5
- Omega-6:omega 3 ratio not given
- Added vitamins and minerals
- Seed oils
- Natural flavor
- Plant protein
View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews
HALO FREEZE-DRIED
Score: 9.9/10
Ingredient List For Raw Turducken Meal Bites Recipe: Turkey, chicken liver, duck, duck liver, herring oil (source of omega-3), mixed tocopherols (preservative), vitamin E supplement, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), iron amino acid chelate, zinc amino acid chelate, manganese amino acid chelate, copper amino acid chelate.
Halo Freeze-dried is a low risk food by our criteria. There are 4 recipes. Average protein is 49%. There are low average carbohydrates of 6% as calculated. There are higher carbohydrates in the turkey recipe. All other recipes have very minimal carbohydrates. These foods have a few added minerals and one added vitamin so they don’t lose any points. These foods are lightly processed. That preserves nutrients.
Halo Freeze-Dried Benefits
- Lightly Processed
- No added vitamins
- Minimal added minerals
- Low Carbohydrates in most foods
Halo Freeze-Dried Concerns
Does not provide omega-6:omega-3 ratio
Doesn’t state whether fish is farmed or wild-caught
View The Entire Review on Dog Food Reviews
HALO DOG FOOD RECALLS
March 2015: Voluntary recall due to possible mold growth.
Evaluation Criteria
These dog foods were evaluated and scored 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?
We evaluate each food by these criteria. We assign a score using the average of ingredient quality and safety. This is NOT a paid list and there are no affiliate links. Dogs Naturally partnered with DogFoodReviews.com to develop unbiased, objective criteria for dog owners. This will help them choose the best dog food on the market. You can view the full Evaluation Criteria at DogFoodReviews.com.
