Label analysisGrade DKibble (Extruded)

Natural Core

Natural Core Sensitive Care Mealworm

Editor ingredient insight

Natural Core Sensitive Care Mealworm uses hydrolyzed mealworm first, then organic brown rice, sweet potato, mung bean, sunflower seeds, barley, and peas, making it an insect-protein sensitive-care formula. With 24% protein, 13% fat, 3,500 kcal/kg, krill oil, FOS, and taurine, I would recommend it for dogs avoiding chicken or beef proteins, while skipping it for stricter grain-and-legume elimination diets.

Logic-based verdict

This food can stay in comparison, but ingredient quality still needs a more conservative read.

Manufacturer-independentPublic-data basedIngredients · nutrition · safety

Protein source

Ingredient guide

Insect protein source

Animal protein

Hydrolyzed Mealworm (#1)

Plant protein

Organic Mung Bean (#4), Organic Pea (#7)

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

Krill oil

Skin and joint support ingredient

Yucca extract

Stool odor support ingredient

FOS

Gut support ingredient

Taurine

Heart support ingredient

Green-lipped mussel

Joint support ingredient

Glucosamine

Joint support ingredient

MSM

Joint support ingredient

L-carnitine

Heart and weight support ingredient

Probiotics

Gut support ingredient

View full ingredients
Needs context

Ingredient grade

C

Grade C

Top ingredient profile

Hydrolyzed Mealworm
Organic Brown Rice
Organic Sweet Potato
Insect-protein leadPlant booster present
Crude protein24%
Crude protein24%
Crude fat13%
Other 63%

Calcium

0.9%

Phosphorus

0.7%

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

biotechProtein position
Typical
query_statsFat position
Typical
local_fire_departmentCalorie density
Lower

There is enough public data to keep this food in comparison, but the top ingredient structure does not support a stronger positive claim yet.

Nutritional strengths

  • Insect protein can be worth reviewing when you are trying to avoid a specific meat protein.
  • Crude protein does not drop into a clearly low band.
  • Nutrient disclosure is broad enough to compare real numbers directly.

What still needs work

  • Plant proteins can lift crude protein on the label, but the real animal-protein share still needs a closer check.
  • Top ingredients include an FDA-investigated non-hereditary DCM ingredient profile, so this part deserves a more cautious read.
  • Public data trust is usable, but it does not sit in the highest-trust tier.

Alternative foods

Smart insect alternatives

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

4 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.

Natural Core

Eco5b Puppy Salmon

Puppy · All sizes

Plant-protein boosted

Label score

3.0/5

Grade C

Natural Core

Bene M50 Chicken & Salmon

All life stages · All sizes

Label score

2.0/5

Grade C

Natural Core

Eco1 Hypoallergenic Lamb

All life stages · All sizes

Plant-protein boosted

Label score

2.0/5

Grade D

Natural Core

Eco2 Hypoallergenic Duck

All life stages · All sizes

Plant-protein boosted

Label score

2.0/5

Grade D

Brand context

Brand background availableRecall research scope limited

Founded in 2009 in South Korea. The currently searched public sources are not enough to make a confident recall or withdrawal call for this brand.

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
1Hydrolyzed Mealworm
Insect Protein · Mid
2Organic Brown Rice
Whole Grain · Upper
3Organic Sweet Potato
Starchy Tuber · Upper

Ingredient Analysis Comments

  • •Hydrolyzed Mealworm 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.
  • •Organic Brown Rice is a whole or coarse grain ingredient. It usually plays more of a carbohydrate and fiber role than a core protein role. It reads as an upper-tier carb and fiber source.
  • •Organic Sweet Potato is a starchy tuber ingredient. It is not a grain, but it still reads mainly as a starch and energy source. It reads as an upper-tier carb and fiber source.
restaurantIngredient Grade CMixed

Full collected ingredient list

50 ingredients
Hydrolyzed MealwormOrganic Brown RiceOrganic Sweet PotatoOrganic Mung BeanOrganic Sunflower SeedsOrganic Whole BarleyOrganic PeaOrganic Whole Flax SeedsBeet PulpKrill OilCalcium PhosphateYucca Schidigera ExtractDried KrillFructooligosaccharideMethionineSun Dried SaltTaurineHydrolyzed Green Lipped Mussel Complex (Source of Collagen and Chondroitin)FucoidanGlucosamineMSM (Methyl Sulfonyl Methane)L-CarnitineSea Buckthorn FruitsEvening Primrose SeedsCarrotCorianderSpinachAscorbic AcidLactobacillus spp.Lactobacillus Dried PowderVitamin CVitamin EVitamin AVitamin D3Vitamin B1Vitamin B2Vitamin B6Vitamin B12BiotinPantothenic AcidFolic AcidNicotinic AcidCholineFe (iron)Cu (copper)Zn (zinc)Se (selenium)Mn (manganese)I (iodine)K (potassium)
Primary positive ingredients
Support positive ingredients
Alternative protein
Neutral ingredients
Caution ingredients
High-caution ingredients

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)

C2 tier

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

Final word

Treat this review as an early screen. If the food stays interesting, verify it again with your dog-specific context before acting.

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