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Ingredient file // Ingredient

Iron Amino Acid Chelate

Iron bound to amino acids to improve absorption.

Our read // In our catalog

In 1 of every 14 foods we track

Share of foods that list it

7%

189 of the 2,595 foods with an ingredient list on file, from 11 brands. 120 dry dog food, 63 wet dog food, 6 dog food topper.

Each square is 1% of the catalog

Where it sits on the label

Median position 32. In the top five of 0 foods, so it is usually a minor ingredient.

Top five List position, heaviest first

Above the salt

3%

Usually listed after the salt, which caps it at roughly 1% of the recipe in 97% of foods.

Price per lb

Foods with it $2.90
All foods $3.23

Median of the cheapest bag price across 114 priced foods, 10% below the catalog. The price is the food's, not the ingredient's.

Who leans on it

78%

of the foods that list it are from Blue. 11 brands use it in total.

What it is

Why it turns up in dog food

  • Iron carries oxygen in the blood. The chelated form is generally gentler on the gut and better absorbed than iron sulfate.

Who uses it

Brands, best sellers and the company it keeps

Top brands, by foods that list it

  1. Blue 148
  2. Nulo 15
  3. I and Love and You 6
  4. Taste of the Wild 4
  5. Nutro 4
  6. Health Extension 3
  7. The Honest Kitchen 3
  8. Wellness 2
  9. Diamond 2
  10. Simply Nourish 1

Plus 1 more brand.

Usually listed with, share of the foods that list it

  1. Peas 61%
  2. Chicken 56%
  3. Natural Flavor 46%
  4. Flaxseed 42%
  5. Chicken Meal 40%
  6. Potatoes 39%
  7. Pea Protein 38%
  8. Pea Starch 37%
  9. Barley 33%
  10. Oatmeal 33%
  11. Brown Rice 32%
  12. Chicken Fat 31%
An ingredient on its own tells you very little. What matters is how much of it there is and where it sits in the list. That is why we weigh the top five rather than reacting to any single name further down. Back to the wiki

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