Label analysisGrade CKibble (Extruded)

Merrick

Merrick Lil Plates Small Breed Chicken Sweet Potato

Editor ingredient insight

Merrick Lil Plates Small Breed Chicken starts with chicken, chicken meal, turkey meal, potatoes, sweet potatoes, peas, and chicken fat. I would use it for small active poultry-tolerant dogs, not for protein troubleshooting or potato/pea avoidance.

Logic-based verdict

This food offers a stable basic protein structure.

Manufacturer-independentPublic-data basedIngredients · nutrition · safety

Protein source

Ingredient guide

Whole plant protein source observed early

Animal protein

Deboned Chicken (#1), Chicken Meal (#2), Turkey Meal (#3), Whitefish Meal (#9)

Plant protein

Peas (#6)

The protein number may include influence from whole plant ingredients.

This is not treated like processed protein boosting, but it is worth checking.

Included support ingredients

Nutrient guide

Salmon oil

Skin and joint support ingredient

Taurine

Heart support ingredient

Probiotics

Gut support ingredient

Omega-3

Skin and joint support ingredient

Omega-6

Skin and coat support ingredient

Glucosamine

Joint support ingredient

Chondroitin

Joint support ingredient

View full ingredients
Solid build

Ingredient grade

B

Grade B

Top ingredient profile

Deboned Chicken
Chicken Meal
Turkey Meal
Fresh-meat leadNo plant booster
Crude protein32%
Crude protein32%
Crude fat16%
Other 52%

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

biotechProtein position
Higher
query_statsFat position
Higher
local_fire_departmentCalorie density
Lower

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

  • The first ingredient is a species-named fresh meat.
  • Crude protein is on the higher side.
  • Calorie density is on the lower side.
  • Top ingredients do not show a prominent FDA-investigated non-hereditary DCM ingredient profile.

What still needs work

  • Whole plant protein sources can contribute to crude protein, so the animal-protein share still needs a closer read.
  • Public data is usable, but not at the highest-trust tier.

Alternative foods

Smart chicken / turkey alternatives

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

122 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.

Merrick

Healthy Grains Adult Beef Brown Rice

Adult · All sizes

Plant-protein boosted

Label score

4.0/5

Grade B

Merrick

Healthy Grains Healthy Weight Chicken Brown Rice

Adult · All sizes

Label score

3.0/5

Grade C

Merrick

Grain Free Healthy Weight

Adult · All sizes

Label score

3.0/5

Grade C

Merrick

Healthy Grains Senior Chicken Brown Rice

Senior · All sizes

Label score

3.0/5

Grade C

Brand context

Brand background availableRecall history confirmed

Founded in 1988 in the United States. This brand has multiple confirmed recall events, with the most recent public case here in 2018.

Ingredient analysis

The top ingredients give this recipe a strong first protein read, so the ingredient section starts from a favorable position.

restaurantIngredient Quality Analysis

B4.5/6
Ingredient Grade
Good
1Deboned Chicken
Fresh Meat · Top
2Chicken Meal
Named Meal · Upper
3Turkey Meal
Named Meal · Upper

Ingredient Analysis Comments

  • •Deboned Chicken is a named fresh meat ingredient. The animal source is clearly identified. It reads as an top-tier protein source.
  • •Chicken 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.
  • •Turkey 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.
restaurantIngredient Grade BGood

Full collected ingredient list

26 ingredients
Deboned ChickenChicken MealTurkey MealPotatoesSweet PotatoesPeasChicken FatNatural FlavorWhitefish MealMiscanthus GrassDried YeastFlaxseedPotassium ChlorideSaltCholine ChlorideApplesSalmon OilBlueberriesMinerals (Zinc Amino Acid Complex, Iron Amino Acid Complex, Sodium Selenite, Manganese Amino Acid Complex, Copper Amino Acid Complex, Calcium Iodate)DL-MethionineSunflower OilTaurineVitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Calcium Pantothenate, Folic Acid, Riboflavin Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin, Vitamin D3 Supplement)Mixed Tocopherols for freshnessDried Bacillus Coagulans Fermentation ProductRosemary Extract
Primary positive ingredients
Support positive ingredients
Alternative protein
Neutral ingredients
Caution ingredients
High-caution ingredients

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

Detailed nutrition is visible, but not at a product-level traceability standard.

Final word

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

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