Why is Blue Buffalo so good
Blue Buffalo Cat Food Review
Weve taken a close look at Blue Buffalo and graded it according to the Cats.com standard, evaluating the brand on species-appropriateness, product variety, price, ingredient quality, customer experience, and recall history.
The Cats.com StandardRating Blue Buffalo on What Matters
Weve rated the brand on six key criteria for quality. Heres how it rates in each of these six crucial areas.
Ratings
- Species-Appropriateness 6/10
- Ingredient Quality 6/10
- Product Variety 8/10
- Price 8/10
- Customer Experience 6/10
- Recall History 3/10
Overall Score: 6.17/10
Overall, we give Blue Buffalo a C grade. It receives high marks for affordability and offers decent product variety, but many of the recipes arent species-appropriate and customer experience varies greatly. The brand has also had a significant number of recalls.
Blue Buffalo Cat Food Video Review
About Blue Buffalo
Blue Buffalo was created in 2002 by Bill Bishop. After graduating from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1961, Bishop began a long career in advertising and consumer products. Bishop is behind advertising and marketing programs for big names like Tropicana, Perrier, Nabisco, and American Express. He was the co-founder of SoBe and served as its COO until its sale to Pepsi in 2001.
Shortly thereafter, Mr. Bishop brought his marketing acumen to a new projectBlue Buffalo. Named after Bishops 9-year-old Airedale terrier, Blue, the company was poised to go big on the burgeoning natural pet food market.
After sixteen successful years in the business, the company was sold to General Mills for $8 billion. Today, its Americas leading natural pet food company.
Sourcing and Manufacturing
Blue Buffalo works with a wide variety of pet food manufacturers and suppliers. According to a brand profile published by the Whole Dog Journal in 2012, these were Ainsworth Pet Nutrition, ANI/Vita-Line Products, CJ Foods, ProPet, Triple T Foods, and Tuffys Pet Foods.
In addition to these partners, Blue Buffalo also manufactures some of its own products. It appears that the company operates manufacturing facilities in Joplin, Missouri and Richmond, Indiana. While we dont have exact details on Blue Buffalos manufacturing, it appears their products are made in the U.S.
Blue Buffalo doesnt provide specific information about the sourcing of their ingredients either. This may be because they work with a wide variety of suppliers. Wed love to have more information in this area, but transparency about manufacturing and ingredient sourcing just isnt part of Blue Buffalos brand.
Recall History
Evaluating a brands recall history can provide insight into the quality and safety of their products. Unfortunately, Blue Buffalo has been recalled several times since its creation in 2002.
Heres a summary of the companys recall history:
2017
Starting with a packaging problem affecting a number of Blue Buffalo dog food cups, 2017 involved three unique recalls. Shortly after the packaging problem in February, Blue recalled several cans of Homestyle Recipe dog food due to possible aluminum contamination. In March of 2017, Blue Buffalo dog food was recalled due to potentially high levels of beef thyroid hormone.
2016
Blue Buffalo announced a limited recall of dog food due to excessive moisture levels and the consequent potential for mold contamination.
2015
Blue Buffalo had two recalls in 2015. The first involved a limited number of Blue Kitty Yums cat treats. The treats were found to contain propylene glycol, which is prohibited by FDA guidelines.
In autumn of 2015, the company recalled a single lot of chewing bones due to potential salmonella contamination.
2010
Blue Buffalo recalled several products due to what they described as a sequencing error, which may have led to food contaminated with excess levels of vitamin D.
2007
Blue Buffalo was involved in the nationwide melamine recalls. The FDA confirmed the presence of melamine in rice protein concentrate in Blue Buffalo foods.
This prompted a recall of all their canned dog food, all cans of their Spa Select canned cat food, all dog treats, and Blue Buffalo Spa Select Kitten dry food. After discovering that the manufacturer had allowed melamine contamination, Blue Buffalo severed their relationship with American Nutrition, Inc.
In addition to recalls, Blue Buffalo has been at the center of multiple controversies and lawsuits.
In 2014, Purina accused Blue Buffalo of false advertising when Blues products tested positive for animal by-products, ingredients that Blue Buffalo claims are never present in any of their foods.
In response to this accusation, Blue Buffalo insisted that their ingredient supplier was at fault. Note that the ingredient supplier involved was Wilbur-Ellis, which was one of companies that imported melamine-tainted protein associated with the 2007 pet food recalls.
Blue Buffalo was also involved in a class-action lawsuit revolving around potentially toxic levels of lead in the brands foods. The lawsuit started when a dog named Coco died from kidney failure apparently caused by chronic lead poisoning. The case file states that the plaintiff sent Blue dog food to an independent lab for testing and confirmed that several varieties of the food contained excessive levels of lead. The lawsuit was ultimately dismissed.
In June of 2019, the FDA named Blue Buffalo among 16 pet food brands that may be linked to an increased risk of DCM (dilated cardiomyopathy) in dogs and cats.
During the FDAs investigation of a potential link between grain-free diets and an increased risk of DCM in dogsand some catsthe agency named 16 brands most commonly fed to pets who developed heart issues between 2014 and 2019. Blue Buffalo was the sixth brand on the list and associated with 31 reports of heart disease in that 5-year period.
Its important to note that this was not a recall and the FDAs investigation remains inconclusive.
What Kinds of Cat Food Does Blue Buffalo Offer?
All of Blue Buffalos follow a natural blueprint, but that doesnt mean there isnt plenty of variety. Blue Buffalo has six different cat food and kitten food lines.
For dry cat food, there are the original BLUE, BLUE Freedom (which is a line of grain-free products), BLUE Basics limited-ingredient foods, meat-rich BLUE Wilderness, and BLUE Natural Veterinary Diet, which is only available through veterinarians. Blue Buffalos newest dry food line for cats is Blue True Solutions which is designed to address specific health needs.
Blue Buffalos wet cat foods are available in the same six product lines, including traditional cat foods, veterinary diets, and the new Blue True Solutions line of health-specific products.
What Do Customers Think of Blue Buffalo Cat Food?
To get an idea of what real customers are saying about Blue Buffalo, here are a few reviews selected from several popular recipes listed on Amazon and Chewy.
Positive Reviews
My 6-year-old kitty loves this food. He cant get enough of it. He was on Science Diet A/D food for a while when I first adopted him because he wouldnt eat anything else. This food was a great next step for him, since it has a similar texture and some similar ingredients. CatDog, reviewing Blue Buffalo Freedom Indoor Adult Canned Cat Food
I started feeding Blue when my oldest cat developed diabetes. He has been on this food for 8 years and my vet says I dont know what youre doing but whatever it is keep doing because he is doing great. All my cats are on this. Quacker, reviewing Blue Buffalo Wilderness Chicken Dry Cat Food
Negative Reviews
My older cat has grain allergies. The vet said this must have grain in it since she was sick while trying to eat it. The name is deceiving. Im disappointed. My kitten loves Blue Buffalo Debbi, reviewing Freedom Indoor Adult Pate
I got this food thinking that I was treating my cat but instead, I was just treating Blue Buffalos marketing department. Blue Buffalo has a host of problems associated with it and the vets I spoke to told me to avoid this stuff like wildfire. They had seen countless cats come in with urinary and kidney problems who were being fed Blue Buffalo. MarketingGotMe, reviewing Blue Buffalo Wilderness Chicken Recipe Dry Food
Blue Buffalo Cat Food Top 3 Recipes Reviewed
All nutritional percentages in this table and hereafter are taken from the manufacturers guaranteed analysis. Exact nutritional percentages are not available. All calculated values are determined using these minimum and maximum published values and may differ from actual values. Blue Buffalo is the ultimate authority on their products, so please contact the company for more nutritional information.
#1 Blue Buffalo Wilderness Chicken Recipe Grain-Free Dry Food
Like all products in the Wilderness line, this food is grain-free and promises to deliver increased levels of high-quality protein.
What is important to note with this recipe, however, is that the name states its made with chicken. The word with in pet product names usually implies that the formula isnt primarily made from that ingredient, even if its the first one on the list.
The recipe starts with deboned chicken as the first ingredient, followed by chicken meal. Along with pea protein, these serve as the foods primary protein sources. Menhaden fish meal and dried egg product appear later on the ingredient list.
Instead of grains like corn, rice, or wheat, the food contains peas and tapioca starch as its primary binding agents. Though these ingredients tend to look more appealing than grains, none of them are particularly nourishing for cats. They drive up the foods carbohydrate content and the protein is generally less digestible than protein from animal sources.
The food is enhanced with what Blue Buffalo calls LifeSource Bits. These are pieces of kibble containing concentrated antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Additionally, the food contains a smattering of nutraceuticals, with probiotics, turmeric, and berries appearing near the end of the ingredient list.
Overall, this food has slightly below-average carbohydrate content when compared to other dry foods, moderate protein content, and moderate fat.
As an economical dry food, this recipe is one of the better ones you can buy. It doesnt contain any animal by-products or vaguely named ingredients. Its free of artificial colors or potentially harmful preservatives. And it contains several species of probiotic bacteria, promising to support better digestive health.
But its not great.
Pea protein takes up some significant real estate near the beginning of the ingredient list, indicating that this foods protein may be more plant-derived than meat-based. The food is significantly starchier than it should be, raising your cats blood sugar and potentially contributing to diabetes over time.
Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Pea Protein, Tapioca Starch, Peas, Menhaden Fish Meal (source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids), Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Dried Egg Product, Pea Fiber, Natural Flavor, Flaxseed (source of Omega 6 Fatty Acids), Calcium Chloride, Potassium Sulfate, DL-Methionine, Choline Chloride, Direct Dehydrated Alfalfa Pellets, Potatoes, Dried Chicory Root, Alfalfa Nutrient Concentrate, Calcium Carbonate, Taurine, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, preserved with Mixed Tocopherols, Vegetable Juice for color, Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin (Vitamin B3), Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Blueberries, Cranberries, Barley Grass, Parsley, Turmeric, Dried Kelp, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Copper Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Copper Amino Acid Chelate, L-Carnitine, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), L-Lysine, Biotin (Vitamin B7), Vitamin A Supplement, Manganese Sulfate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B5), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid (Vitamin B9), Dried Yeast, Dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, Dried Aspergillus niger fermentation extract, Dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract, Dried Bacillus subtilis fermentation extract, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite, Oil of Rosemary.
Ingredients We Liked: Deboned Chicken
Ingredients We Didnt Like: Pea Protein, Tapioca Starch, Potatoes, Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal
Crude Protein: 40%
Crude Fat: 18%
Crude Fiber: 4%
Moisture: 9%
Protein: 43.96%
Fat: 19.78%
Fiber: 4.4%
Carbs: 31.87%
Protein: 35.49%
Fat: 38.78%
Carbs: 25.73%
Pros
- Relatively low carbohydrate content compared to other dry foods
- Cats seem to like the chicken flavor
- No by-product meals or vaguely named food products
Cons
- Contains a concentrated source of plant protein
- Excessive carbohydrate content for carnivores
- Doesnt contain the moisture your cat needs
How Much Does Blue Buffalo Cat Food Cost?
Compared to other brands positioned as super-premium and natural, Blue Buffalo is relatively inexpensive. For example, if you have a 10-lb cat who needs about 200 calories per day, Blue Buffalo Freedom canned food will cost you around$2.82 per day.
That makes it just a little bit more expensive than budget brands like Friskies and Fancy Feast.
Overall, Is Blue Buffalo a Good Choice?
Blue Buffalo cat food is popular and well-loved, but its far from perfect nutritionally or in terms of quality. Where they really excel is in price and variety.
Most Blue Buffalo cat foods contain considerable amounts of plant matter. Worse than the brands reliance on plant-heavy recipes, Blue Buffalo has been recalled multiple times during the last decade. These incidents suggest deficits in quality control and transparency from Blues suppliers and manufacturing partners.
Blue Buffalo, therefore, isnt one of our favorite cat food brands to recommend to pet owners. If youre going to feed your cat Blue Buffalo, we recommend choosing a canned food formula that is rich in animal protein and moisture with limited added carbohydrate content.
Where Is Blue Buffalo Cat Food Sold?
Blue Buffalo is available almost anywhere you can buy cat food. Youll find it in grocery stores, pet specialty retailers, and more. Online, its available on Amazon, Chewy, and other web retailers.
Also Read:The 10 Best Cat Foods
