Was ACANA bought by Purina

By Isabella Storyclaire

last updated September 16, 2024

Contributions sourced from

Mars Petcare to Purchase Orijen and Acana

The largest manufacturer of pet food in the world just got a bit larger. Mars Petcare announced in a press release today (11/1/22) that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Champion Petfoods.

According to Statista.com, the top three feed grade pet food manufacturers based on revenue in 2021 was:

Mars Petcare with $19 billion in revenue.
Nestle Purina Petcare with $16.5 billion in revenue.
Hills Pet Nutrition with only $3.3 billion in revenue.

With revenue so close between Mars and Purina, did they purchase Champion only to pull further in front of Purina?

But how much more can Mars buy in the pet industry?

From the Mars website, these are existing pet related businesses owned by Mars:

Veterinary and Diagnostic ServicesMars Veterinary HealthAniCuraAntechAsia Veterinary DiagnosticsBanfield Pet HospitalsBlue Pearl Vet HospitalsLinnaeusMount Pleasant Veterinary GroupVCA Animal HospitalsVeterinary Emergency & Specialty HospitalsVeterinary Specialty Hospitals

Pet Nutrition and Therapeutic Health ServicesAPIAquarianBuckeye NutritionCatsanCesarChappieCraveDreamieesEukanubaGreeniesIamsJames WellbelovedKitekatLovebug!MisfitsMy Cat DNAMy Dog DNANatusanNutroPeaweePedigreePerfect FitRoyal CaninShebaSpillersTemptationsThomasWhiskasWinergy

Technology for PetsCompanion FundFluffyGoKinshipLeapPet Insight ProjectVet InsightWalthamWhistleWisdom Panel

When will Mars own too much of the pet industry? When does it become a monopoly?

Wishing you and your pet the best

Susan ThixtonPet Food Safety AdvocateTruthaboutPetFood.comAssociation for Truth in Pet Food

Become a member of our pet food consumer Association. Association for Truth in Pet Food is a a stakeholder organization representing the voice of pet food consumers at AAFCO and with FDA. Your membership helps representatives attend meetings and voice consumer concerns with regulatory authorities. Click Here to learn more.

Whats in Your Pets Food?Is your dog or cat eating risk ingredients? Chinese imports? Petsumer Report tells the rest of the story on over 5,000 cat foods, dog foods, and pet treats. 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee. Click Here to preview Petsumer Report. www.PetsumerReport.com

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The 2022 ListSusans List of trusted pet foods. Click Here to learn more.

Purina Pro Plan vs. Acana

In this comparison article for Purina Pro Plan vs Acana, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Purina Pro Plan and Acana, we'll use up-to-date nutritional and price information.

There are many factors to consider when choosing the best pet food brand for your pet. Factors such as ingredient quality, guaranteed analysis, product safety, brand history, and cost are among the most important factors to consider.

Throughout this Acana vs Purina Pro Plan comparison, we've utilized average data to make general comparisons. If you'd like to see individual product reviews, visit our Purina Pro Plan Review Page or Acana Review Page.

Guaranteed Analysis: Acana vs. Purina Pro Plan

According to AAFCO, all pet food labels must provide a guaranteed analysis of nutrient content. The analysis must provide guaranteed minimum percentages of crude protein and crude fat, and maximum percentages of crude fiber and moisture.

All percentages used in this comparison are averages reported on a dry matter basis.

Purina Pro Plan Dog Food vs. Acana Dog Food

Dry Dog Food	Purina Pro Plan	Acana
Crude Protein	32.1%	36.4%
Crude Fat	17.9%	20.5%
Crude Fiber	4.3%	6.2%

Wet/Canned Dog Food	Purina Pro Plan	Acana
Crude Protein	45.5%	44.2%
Crude Fat	19.5%	19.8%
Crude Fiber	7.0%	8.1%

Crude Protein Comparison For Dog Food

Protein is an extremely important part of your dog's diet. Without sufficient protein, dogs can develop a wide-range of serious health problems.

Our analysis shows that Acana guarantees 4.40% more protein than Purina Pro Plan dry dog food recipes. For wet dog foods, Purina Pro Plan and Acana provide roughly the same amount of protein.

Crude Fat Comparison For Dog Food

Fats are an absolutely vital component of a balanced canine diet. Not only do fats provide energy, but they also serve important roles in the normal development and function of your dog's body. For example, fats help dogs produce prostaglandins, which reduce inflammation among many other significant functions.

According to our data, Acana guarantees 2.58% more fat than Purina Pro Plan. Although this difference is relatively small, it's still a notable difference. For wet dog foods, Acana and Purina Pro Plan provide roughly the same amount of fat.

Purina Pro Plan and Acana both provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber. With regards to wet dog food, Acana and Purina Pro Plan also provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber.

Purina Pro Plan Cat Food vs. Acana Cat Food

Dry Cat Food	Purina Pro Plan	Acana
Crude Protein	44.2%	39.7%
Crude Fat	17.0%	19.1%
Crude Fiber	3.8%	4.3%

Crude Protein Comparison For Cat Food

Protein is an extremely important part of your cat's diet. Without sufficient protein, cats can develop a wide-range of serious health problems.

There is a relatively large difference between the protein content of Purina Pro Plan and Acana. On average, Acana dry cat food recipes contain 4.52% less protein than Purina Pro Plan recipes.

Crude Fat Comparison For Cat Food

There are many ways in which dietary fat contributes to the overall health of our feline friends. Here is a short list of benefits provided by fats (not exhaustive):

Fats help with the digestion and absorption of fat-soluble vitamins
Reduce inflammation associated with arthritis
Slow the growth of yeast infections
Prevent or reduce the likelihood of certain heart problems.
Aid in the development of the retina and visual cortex.

There is a small difference between the fat content of Acana and Purina Pro Plan. We can see that Acana guarantees about 2.13% more fat than Purina Pro Plan.

There is a relatively insignificant difference between the crude fiber content of the two brands.

Purina Pro Plan Pet Food Ingredients vs. Acana Pet Food Ingredients

Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Purina Pro Plan.

Liver

Liver is a controversial ingredient because the source animal is not specified. Anonymous animal ingredients are typically very low quality and may contain almost any animal, including dogs and cats!

Poultry

Poultry is a controversial ingredient because the source animal is not specified. Anonymous ingredients such as poultry are typically low-quality ingredients in comparison to named protein sources (e.g. chicken, turkey, duck).

Canola Oil

Canola oil is a plant-derived oil from the seeds of canola plants. Although fat is an essential component of any diet, canola oil is controversial in pet food. Proponents claim that canola oil provides a better fat profile in comparison to other plant based oils. However, opponents claim that canola oil is typically produced with genetically modified rapeseed and that rapeseed oil has multiple adverse health affects.

Corn Grits

Corn grits are made from ground corn. Corn is a cereal grain which provides a modest amount of vitamins, minerals, and plant based protein. It also happens to be one of the most controversial ingredients in pet food.

Proponents of corn claim that corn is highly digestible and an excellent source of protein, energy, vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids.

Opponents however believe that positive claims in regards to corn are either half-truths or completely false, we'll discuss a few of the opposing arguments.

In regards to digestibility, the claims of "highly digestible" are only true if corn is processed into a meal or flour and subsequently cooked. In regards to the protein contribution, we must note that corn is a plant based protein which does not contain all of the necessary amino acids required by pets to sustain life. Therefore substituting corn for meat is an unsuitable substitution and actually degrades the overall protein quality of the product.

Finally, we'll discuss the claims about vitamins and minerals in corn. Although corn does provide many vitamins and minerals, it not necessarily an exceptional ingredient in this regards. There are many other ingredients which are more complete and biologically appropriate. Therefore the usage of corn as the primary ingredient in pet food should certainly warrant further questioning.

Canola Meal

Canola meal is a high protein by-product of canola oil production. This ingredient is marked controversial because it may be derived from genetically modified rapeseed, which is associated with multiple adverse health affects.

Pea Protein

Pea protein is produced by removing the starchy parts of peas. Pea protein is considered controversial because it provides a substantial plant based protein boost. This boost is undesirable because plant based protein is typically lower in biological value when compared to meat based proteins.

Brewers Rice

Brewer's rice is the small fragments of rice kernel that are separated from the larger kernels of milled rice. The fragments do not contain the same nutrition profile of the whole kernel and therefore brewer's rice is a lower quality grain. Brewer's rice is typically regarded as an inexpensive and low quality filler.

Ground Wheat

Ground wheat is regarded as an inexpensive and low-quality filler in pet food. However, wheat does provide plant-based protein and makes pet food more affordable for consumers. It's important to note that plant based protein does not provide the same amino acid profile as meat based protein.

Wheat Gluten

Wheat gluten is the main protein of wheat. Although wheat gluten is mostly protein, wheat gluten is considered controversial because it significantly boosts the protein content of the product. This is undesirable because plant based protein does not provide the same amino acid profile as meat based protein.

Animal Digest

Animal digest is the result of undecomposed animal tissue after hydrolysis, a chemical reaction. It is typically used as flavoring to improve taste. Animal digest is considered by many as an undesirable low-quality ingredient. What's more, the source animal is not specified and therefore animal digest can contain almost any animal, including dogs and cats!

Caramel Color

Caramel color is a concentrated form of caramel, a natural food colorant. Caramel color has been linked to cancer in laboratory animals. Since our pets do not care about food color, caramel color is an unnecessary addition with possible health risks.

Garlic Powder

Garlic powder in very small quantities can be an acceptable addition, however, garlic can also be toxic. Therefore many pet owners choose to completely avoid garlic.

Soybean Flour

Soybean flour contains more than 50% protein. Therefore, soybean can significantly boost the protein content of the product. The inclusion of non-meat protein typically degrades the overall quality of protein in the recipe. This degradation is due to the inferior amino acid profile of plant based proteins.

Soybean Hulls

Soybean hulls are a by-product of soybean oil and meal processing. They are typically regarded as low quality and inexpensive fillers which lack any significant nutritional value.

Vegetable Oil

Specific vegetable oils are typically positive ingredients; however, this ingredient does not specify which vegetable(s) were used to produce the oil.

Without this information, it is impossible for us to make any specific statements. With any fat source, it is important to know the omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acid ratio, a property which cannot be determined with this ingredient. Thus, we have marked vegetable oil as a controversial ingredient.

Corn Germ Meal

Corn germ meal is a high protein by-product of the oil extraction process from corn (maize). It's considered controversial because plant based protein does not contain all of the necessary amino acids required by pets to sustain life. Therefore substituting corn germ meal protein for meat based protein is an unsuitable substitution and actually degrades the overall protein quality of the product.

Poultry Giblets

Poultry giblets includes the heart, liver, gizzards, and other internal organs of poultry. Organs are nutritiously dense ingredients which provide high quality protein and fat. However, this particular ingredient is considered an anonymous meat ingredient because the type of poultry is not specified. In order words, "named" giblets such as chicken giblets or turkey giblets are preferred over poultry giblets.

Corn Gluten Meal

Corn gluten meal is a by-product from the production of various corn products (corn starch, corn syrup, etc). It's very high in protein (nearly 60% protein) and therefore can significant boost the protein content of the product. Because plant based proteins such as corn gluten meal are inferior to meat based proteins (lack many essential amino acids), they are not suitable substitutes.

Meat By-Products

By-products are defined by AAFCO as the "non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals." Thus, meat by-products contain nearly all parts of the animal which are typically not consumed by humans. These parts include the liver, lung, spleen, kidney, stomach, blood, intestine, bone, etc.

This ingredient is marked controversial because the meat source is not identified. Anonymous ingredients such as meat by-products are typically very low quality additions. The most unpleasing property of this ingredient is that the animal source can contain any mammal, even dogs & cats.

Whole Grain Corn

Whole grain corn is the entire corn kernel (the germ, bran, and endosperm). Corn is a cereal grain which provides a modest amount of vitamins, minerals, and plant based protein. It also happens to be one of the most controversial ingredients in pet food.

Proponents of corn claim that corn is highly digestible and an excellent source of protein, energy, vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids.

Opponents however believe that positive claims in regards to corn are either half-truths or completely false, we'll discuss a few of the opposing arguments.

Whole Grain Wheat

Whole grain wheat contains the entire grain of wheat (the germ, bran, and endosperm). Wheat is the second most-produced cereal grain in the world (corn is the first). Although wheat is a controversial ingredient, it is not necessarily undesirable because it provides dietary fiber and many other nutrients. However, wheat contains a notable amount of plant based protein, which is inferior to meat based protein and therefore an undesirable substitution.

Wheat is also one of the most common ingredients to cause food allergies or intolerance. However, grains such as wheat are typically low offenders in comparison to certain protein sources (such as beef).

Ground Yellow Corn

Ground yellow corn is a cereal grain which provides a modest amount of vitamins, minerals, and plant based protein. It also happens to be one of the most controversial ingredients in pet food.

Proponents of corn claim that corn is highly digestible and an excellent source of protein, energy, vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids.

Opponents however believe that positive claims in regards to corn are either half-truths or completely false, we'll discuss a few of the opposing arguments.

Powdered Cellulose

Powdered cellulose is produced from minuscule pieces of wood pulp and plant fibers. Other than its fiber content, powdered cellulose lacks any nutritional contribution.

Chicken By-Products

By-products are defined by AAFCO as the "non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals." Thus, chicken by-products contain nearly all parts of the chicken which are typically not consumed by humans. These parts include the liver, lung, spleen, kidney, stomach, blood, intestine, bone, etc.

Like other meat by-products, chicken by-products are considered controversial, mainly because they are inexpensive ingredients which consumers have equated with slaughterhouse waste. However, manufactures and many experts claim that animal by-products are unjustly criticized. Proponents state that "named" by-products, such as chicken by-products, supply many important nutrients required by pets.

Poultry By-Products

By-products are defined by AAFCO as the "non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals." Thus, poultry by-products contain nearly all parts of poultry which are typically not consumed by humans. These parts include the liver, lung, spleen, kidney, stomach, blood, intestine, bone, etc.

Like other meat by-products, poultry by-products are considered controversial, mainly because they are inexpensive ingredients which consumers have equated with slaughterhouse waste. However, manufactures and many experts claim that animal by-products are unjustly criticized. Proponents state that by-products, such as poultry by-products, supply many important nutrients required by pets. Finally, we must also note that this ingredient is considered an anonymous meat ingredient because the specific type of poultry is not specified. By-products which are "named", such as chicken by-products are typically higher in quality when compared to the more general poultry by-products.

Chicken By-Product Meal

Chicken by-product meal is produced by cooking chicken by-products using a process called rendering. By-products are defined by AAFCO as the "non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals." Thus, chicken by-products contain nearly all parts of chickens which are typically not consumed by humans. These parts include the liver, lung, spleen, kidney, stomach, blood, intestine, bone, etc.

Poultry By-Product Meal

Poultry by-product meal is a controversial ingredient because the source animal is not specified. Anonymous ingredients such as poultry by-product meal are typically low-quality ingredients in comparison to named protein by-product meals (e.g. chicken by-product meal, turkey by-product meal, duck by-product meal).

Soybean Protein Isolate

Soy protein isolate is a highly refined/purified form of soy bean protein. Roughly 90% of soy protein isolate is protein. The inclusion of non-meat protein typically degrades the overall quality of protein in the recipe. This degradation is due to the inferior amino acid profile of plant based proteins.

Soybean Protein Concentrate

Soybean protein concentrate is produced by removing the water soluble carbohydrates from soybeans. The inclusion of non-meat protein typically degrades the overall quality of protein in the recipe. This degradation is due to the inferior amino acid profile of plant based proteins.

Animal Fat (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols)

Animal fat is a by-product of tissue rendering. The source animal is not specific and therefore we cannot be certain that the source does not include diseased animals or even euthanized dogs and cats.

Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Acana.

Heart

Heart is a controversial ingredient because the source animal is not specified. Anonymous animal ingredients are typically very low quality and may contain almost any animal, including dogs and cats!

Kidney

Kidney is a controversial ingredient because the source animal is not specified. Anonymous animal ingredients are typically very low quality and may contain almost any animal, including dogs and cats!

We believe that certain pet food ingredients are linked to adverse health affects; these ingredients are classified as harmful.

Here are some of the harmful ingredients used only by Purina Pro Plan.

Bha

Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) is an artificial preservative and possible cancer-causing agent. Studies have show that BHA can be linked to various tumors in laboratory animals.

Bht

Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) is an artificial preservative and possible cancer-causing agent. BHT is banned in several countries, but the FDA has classified BHT as "generally recognized as safe."

Corn Oil

Corn oil is extracted from the germ of corn kernels. It contains an omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid ratio of 49:1. Corn oil's unfavorable omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid ratio makes it an undesirable ingredient. Consumption of such ingredients can lead to an array of health problems in both animals and humans.

Yellow 5

Yellow 5 is an artificial dye which may be contaminated with several cancer-causing chemicals. Like other dyes, yellow 5 does not provide any nutritional value.

Added Color

The ingredient "added color" is ambiguous and may include various artificial dyes. Most artificial dyes have been linked to various chronic diseases.

Menadione Sodium Bisulfate Complex

Menadione sodium bisulfate complex is a synthetic version of vitamin K that has been linked to many health concerns. Research has suggested possible toxic reactions in liver cells and red blood cells among other serious problems. In fact, one large chemical supplier warns, "The substance is toxic to kidneys, lungs, liver, mucous membranes. Repeated or prolonged exposure to the substance can produce target organs damage."

Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex

Menadione sodium bisulfite complex is a synthetic version of vitamin K that has been linked to many health concerns. Research has suggested possible toxic reactions in liver cells and red blood cells among other serious problems. In fact, one large chemical supplier warns, "The substance is toxic to kidneys, lungs, liver, mucous membranes. Repeated or prolonged exposure to the substance can produce target organs damage."

Pork Fat (Preserved With Tbhq And Citric Acid)

Pork fat is typically collected while cooking pork using a process called rendering. Pork fat is a relatively high quality source of essential fatty acids. In particular, pork fat is high in linoleic acid, an important omega-6 fatty acid. Unfortunately, this ingredient is preserved with TBHQ, an artificial preservative.

Animal Fat (Preserved With Tbhq And Citric Acid)

Product Safety: Recall History of Purina Pro Plan & Acana?

Purina Pro Plan has been recalled once.

March 9, 2016: Incorrect Vitamins and Minerals

According to our records, Acana has never been recalled.

Price Comparison: Which Brand Is More Expensive?

Dry Dog Food	Purina Pro Plan	Acana
Per Pound	$3.10	$3.57
Per Calorie	$0.0017	$0.0023

Dry Cat Food	Purina Pro Plan	Acana
Per Pound	$4.67	$4.83
Per Calorie	$0.0025	$0.0028

The average cost-per-lb is heavily influenced by the varying amounts of moisture present in each brand's food products (wet vs. dry food, dry vs. freeze-dried food, etc). However, the average cost-per-kcal eliminates the influence of moisture. Therefore, the average cost-per-kcal is the better metric to consider.

If you'd like to calculate the average cost-per-day or cost-pet-year of feeding Purina Pro Plan or Acana, input your pet's weight into our cost analyzer widget.

Averages price data can identify whether or not there exists a significant price difference between two brands. However, the actual price that you'll pay for Purina Pro Plan or Acana will depend on your shopping habits.

Pet owners who use our price comparison feature typically save more than 25% off retail prices for Purina Pro Plan and Acana. In addition, we currently have some great coupons for our readers.

Disclosure: PawDiet has an affiliate relationship with stores featured (or linked-to) in this article. We are compensated for referring customers. Thank you for shopping with our retail partners!

Where To Buy Purina Pro Plan Pet Foods

You can purchase Purina Pro Plan pet foods from the following stores:

122 Recipes In-Stock Today

70 Recipes In-Stock Today

121 Recipes In-Stock Today

Where To Buy Acana Pet Foods

You can purchase Acana pet food products from these retailers:

34 Recipes In-Stock Today

14 Recipes In-Stock Today

13 Recipes In-Stock Today

Type Of Pet Foods Available

Product	Purina Pro Plan	Acana
Dry Dog Food	53 Recipes	46 Recipes
Wet Dog Food	43 Recipes	6 Recipes
Dog Treats	None	9 Treats
Dry Cat Food	31 Recipes	10 Recipes
Wet Cat Food	84 Recipes	None
Cat Treats	None	None