Label analysisGrade CKibble (Extruded)

Hill's

Hill's Adult Sensitive Stomach & Skin Pollock Meal & Insect Recipe Dog Food | Hill's Science Diet

Editor ingredient insight

Hill’s Sensitive Stomach & Skin Pollock Meal & Insect starts with pollock meal, cracked pearled barley, and black soldier fly larvae, with strong omega-3 disclosure. I would use it when moving away from chicken or beef, not for insect or grain avoidance.

Logic-based verdict

This food offers a stable basic protein structure.

Manufacturer-independentPublic-data basedIngredients · nutrition · safety

Protein source

Ingredient guide

Insect protein source

Animal protein

Pollock Meal (#1), Dried Black Soldier Fly Larvae (#3)

Plant protein

Pea Protein (#8), Corn Protein Meal (#12), Green Peas. (#30)

Insect protein can provide amino acids as an alternative animal protein.

It is distinct from plant-protein boosting, but it is not scored the same as conventional meat protein.

Included support ingredients

Nutrient guide

Taurine

Heart support ingredient

Cranberry

Urinary support ingredient

Omega-3

Skin and joint support ingredient

Omega-6

Skin and coat support ingredient

L-carnitine

Heart and weight support ingredient

Glucosamine

Joint support ingredient

Chondroitin

Joint support ingredient

Vitamin E

Antioxidant and skin support ingredient

View full ingredients
Needs context

Ingredient grade

C

Grade C

Top ingredient profile

Pollock Meal
Cracked Pearled Barley
Dried Black Soldier Fly Larvae
Meal-basedPlant booster present
Crude protein27.9%
Crude protein27.9%
Crude fat17.8%
Other 54%

Calcium

0.9%

Phosphorus

0.7%

Sodium

0.4%

Protein position, fat position, and calorie density position are relative to foods in the same processing type cohort.

biotechProtein position
Typical
query_statsFat position
Higher
local_fire_departmentCalorie density
Higher

Species-named animal protein ingredients stay near the top, and protein does not fall into a clearly low band. The trade-off is that this is not the same as a fresh-meat-first premium pattern.

Nutritional strengths

  • Crude protein does not drop into a clearly low band.
  • Top ingredients do not show a prominent FDA-investigated non-hereditary DCM ingredient profile.

What still needs work

  • Plant proteins can lift crude protein on the label, but the real animal-protein share still needs a closer check.
  • The recipe leans on named rendered meal ingredients, so palatability and digestibility can feel weaker than a fresh-meat-led recipe.
  • Calorie density is high, so this is not the best fit when weight reduction matters most.

Alternative foods

Smart whitefish / insect alternatives

Exact protein-type matches come first, then close protein-family matches fill the comparison.

79 alternativesKibble (Extruded) · protein type/family cohort

Other recipes from the same brand

Other recipes from the same brand with a different purpose or feeding target.

Hill's

Puppy Large Breed Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe | Hill's Science Diet

Puppy · Large breed

Plant-protein boosted

Label score

4.5/5

Grade A

Hill's

Adult Sensitive Stomach & Skin Chicken & Barley Recipe Dog Food | Hill's Science Diet

Adult

Plant-protein boosted

Label score

3.5/5

Grade C

Hill's

Adult Oral Care Chicken, Brown Rice & Barley Recipe Dog Food | Hill's Science Diet

Adult

Label score

3.0/5

Grade C

Hill's

Puppy Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe | Hill's Science Diet

Puppy

Plant-protein boosted

Label score

3.0/5

Grade C

Brand context

Brand background availableRecall history confirmed

Founded in 1907 in the United States. This brand has a confirmed recall history. The most recent public recall noted here was the 2019 vitamin D incident.

Ingredient analysis

The top ingredients are still usable, but this is the part to inspect more carefully before calling the recipe a clear strength.

restaurantIngredient Quality Analysis

C3/6
Ingredient Grade
Mixed
1Pollock Meal
Named Meal · Upper
2Cracked Pearled Barley
Semi-Refined Grain · Mid
3Dried Black Soldier Fly Larvae
Insect Protein · Mid

Ingredient Analysis Comments

  • •Pollock Meal is a species-named animal meal ingredient. It is rendered rather than fresh, but the species source is still clearly identified. It reads as an upper-tier protein source.
  • •Cracked Pearled Barley is disclosed, but its role is not explicit enough to count as a strong quality signal. It reads as an mid-tier carb source.
  • •Dried Black Soldier Fly Larvae is an insect-protein ingredient. It can provide amino acids as an alternative animal protein, but it should not be read the same way as chicken, duck, salmon, or other conventional meat proteins. Check the insect source, processing method, digestibility, and the carbohydrate ingredients around it. It reads as an mid-tier protein source.
restaurantIngredient Grade CMixed

Full collected ingredient list

30 ingredients
Pollock MealCracked Pearled BarleyDried Black Soldier Fly LarvaeWhole Grain CornWhole Grain SorghumCorn StarchChicken FatPea ProteinSoybean OilDried Beet PulpHydrolyzed Chicken FlavorCorn Protein MealLactic AcidPotassium ChlorideFish FlavorCholine ChlorideFlaxseedvitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Niacin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement)Iodized SaltTaurineMixed Tocopherols for freshnessOat FiberNatural Flavorsminerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite)Beta-CaroteneApplesBroccoliCarrotsCranberriesGreen Peas.
Primary positive ingredients
Support positive ingredients
Alternative protein
Neutral ingredients
Caution ingredients
High-caution ingredients

Why processed plant proteins are reviewed cautiously

Ingredient lists are ordered by input weight, not protein contribution. Fresh meat 100g and Soybean Meal 50g can both contribute about 20g of protein, and Pea Protein can deliver a similar amount at around 30g. So these ingredients can materially lift crude protein even outside the top three. The review treats processed plant-protein boosters cautiously because they can weaken the animal-protein-centered profile most guardians expect from a high-protein food.

Insect protein

Alternative protein

Insect protein can provide amino acids as an alternative animal protein. It is not treated like a plant-protein booster that only inflates crude-protein numbers, but it is also not scored the same as chicken, duck, salmon, or other conventional meat proteins. Review the insect source, processing method, digestibility, and surrounding carbohydrate ingredients together.

If pea, soy, or other legumes follow closely, the crude-protein number may reflect both insect protein and plant-protein support.

Why did the base review land here?

Ingredient qualityNutrient disclosure levelManufacturing & trust

This review score combines ingredient composition, nutrient disclosure, manufacturing trust, and core nutrient caution signals.

Nutrient disclosure

Partial disclosure

Core guaranteed analysis is usable, but deeper rows still need a more cautious read.

Safety verification

No fails

No major red flag jumps out first, though undisclosed rows still define the limits of this safety read.

Public data trust (ETF)

C1 tier

There is a usable disclosure baseline, but the public record is still fairly thin.

Final word

There is enough here to keep the food in comparison, but not enough to stop comparing yet.

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