Beneful revamps dog food line

ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- Leading pet food brand Beneful is unveiling new recipes across its dry dog food line, offering real meat as the first ingredient in the chicken and beef varieties and eliminating added sugar across the board.

Purina says the changes offer more of what pet owners are looking for in their dog's food without compromising nutrition or sacrificing the delicious taste or variety of textures that keeps millions of Beneful dogs running back to the bowl day after day.

"Exceeding the expectations of dog owners and their furry friends will always be the top priority for the Beneful team, and we've heard loud and clear what consumers love about Beneful and how we can make it better," said Brent Gleckler, Beneful brand director and owner of Louie the Bolognese. "Our new dry food recipes are a reflection of the feedback we've gotten, and they've met the high standards of not only our nutritionists, but our own dogs who eat Beneful every day."

In addition to making real meat the number one ingredient in its beef and chicken varieties, removing added sugar, and making other changes to simplify ingredient lists and address dog owner desires, the new Beneful dry dog food recipes feature 100 percent complete and balanced nutrition for each life stage that includes:

• 22 grams or more of protein per cup

• 23 essential vitamins and minerals to support overall health

• Accents of real vegetables and fruits, like spinach, peas, carrots and apples

The new Beneful dry dog foods will be available nationwide by the end of August at the same price point as the previous recipes. Most varieties are widely available in 3.5 lb., 6.3 lb., 13 lb., 15.5 lb., 31.1 lb., 40 lb., and 44 lb. bags.

Also beginning this month, Beneful is featuring real dog owners and their dogs in its national advertising campaign to talk about the new dry food formulas.