Belcando Puppy Granula-Start
Dry Extruded complete Clear label
Is Belcando Puppy Granula-Start a good dog food?
We score it 61/100 (Average). This reflects the ingredient quality, composition and label transparency of the recipe as declared on the label.
Why this score?
This recipe achieves an overall rating of 61 out of 100 based on several key factors. The processing format contributed -7 points, and the carbohydrate content added -4 points to the assessment. Conversely, the overall quality of the ingredient list contributed +4.1 points, while printing percentages on the label added +3.2 points.
- Recipe61
- Nutritionalmedium100
- Transparency60
- Safety100
- Evidencelimited33
The Recipe score measures how attractive and transparent the declared ingredient list is. It is not, by itself, proof that the food is nutritionally appropriate for long-term feeding. The Nutritional and Evidence scores measure what we can verify towards that stronger claim.
Complete extruded dry food for puppies, with poultry, rice and dehydrated poultry proteins as the main ingredients.
Why you might choose it
- Prints ingredient percentages on the label.
- High in protein: 32% protein on a dry-matter basis.
- Nutritionally complete: formulated to be fed as the whole diet.
Why you might not
- Around 18% of the recipe is generic or unspecified ingredients.
Estimated composition
Typical analysis (as fed)
- Protein
- 29%
- Fat
- 17%
- Fibre
- 2%
- Ash
- 6.50%
- Moisture
- 10%
- Calcium
- 1.25%
- Phosphorus
- 1%
- Sodium
- 0.35%
Additives & feeding info
Nutritional additives
Vitamin A 15,000 IU; Vitamin D3 1,500 IU; Vitamin E 150 mg; Taurine 500 mg; Copper (as copper(II) sulphate pentahydrate) 12.5 mg; Iron (as iron(II) sulphate monohydrate) 200 mg; Manganese (as manganese (II) oxide) 40 mg; Zinc (as zinc oxide) 125 mg; Iodine (as calcium iodate anhydrous) 2 mg; Selenium (as sodium selenite) 0.05 mg; Bacillus velezensis DSM 15544 (4b1820) 1.02 x 10⁹ CFU
Technological additives
Lecithin 2,400 mg; Tocopherol extracts from vegetable oils 48 mg
Storage
Fresh drinking water should be available at all times.
Feeding guide
When you gently mix 2-3 parts BELCANDO Puppy Granula-Start with 1 part warm (40-50 °C) water, an especially tasty gravy forms over the food particles.
Reviews
3 reviews on this product · 5.0/5
Who is this food for?
Suits
- Labelled by the manufacturer for puppies
- Doesn't list beef, lamb, venison, pork, duck as ingredients
Consider something else if:
- Your dog avoids chicken: the label lists poultry
- Your dog avoids turkey: the label lists poultry
- Your dog avoids fish: the label lists fish meal
- Your dog avoids grain: the label lists rice - white
- You want a single-protein recipe: this one lists more than one animal protein
These points are derived from declared ingredients and analysis, not a substitute for veterinary advice. If your dog has a diagnosed condition, food choice is a medical nutrition decision: speak to your vet. Use the homepage filter to find foods that fit your dog.
Ingredients (21)
| # | As declared | Matched | Category | Tier | Declared % | Est. % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fresh poultry meat (30%) | Poultry | meat | medium | 30 | 30.0 |
| 2 | Rice (23%) | Rice - white | carb | medium | 23 | 23.0 |
| 3 | Poultry protein | Dehydrated Poultry Proteins | meat | good | - | 1.3 |
| 4 | low ash (19%) | unmatched | - | - | 19 | 19.0 |
| 5 | Maize | Maize / Corn | carb | poor | - | 1.3 |
| 6 | Fish meal from sea fish (6%) | Fish Meal | meat | medium | 6 | 6.0 |
| 7 | Poultry fat | Poultry Fat | oil | medium | - | 1.3 |
| 8 | Vegetable oil (coconut) | Vegetable oil | oil | medium | - | 1.2 |
| 9 | Egg (2.5%) | Egg | meat | good | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| 10 | Gelatine (2.5%) | Gelatin | supplement | medium | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| 11 | Brewers’ yeast | Brewer's Yeast | supplement | good | - | 1.2 |
| 12 | inactivated (2.5%) | Inactivated Lactobacillus helveticus | supplement | good | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| 13 | Kibbled carob | Carob | fibre | medium | - | 1.1 |
| 14 | Dried beet pulp | Beet Pulp | fibre | medium | - | 1.1 |
| 15 | Dicalcium phosphate | Dicalcium phosphate | supplement | medium | - | 1.0 |
| 16 | Poultry liver | Chicken Liver | meat | good | - | 1.0 |
| 17 | Linseed | Linseed | veg | good | - | 0.9 |
| 18 | Salmon oil | Salmon Oil | oil | good | - | 0.9 |
| 19 | Chia seed | Chia Seeds | veg | good | - | 0.8 |
| 20 | Sodium chloride | Salt | additive | poor | - | 0.8 |
| 21 | Potassium chloride | Potassium Chloride | supplement | medium | - | 0.7 |
Brand
- Website
- https://www.belcando.com/
Trust and provenance
- Recall history
- No recalls recorded in our database
- Label data last checked
- 2026-09-09
- Scored with
- Model v2 (methodology)
- Product page
- www.belcando.com
Recall history is presentation-only and never affects the score. Dates are when we recorded the data, not when the manufacturer last changed the recipe.
Spotted a mistake in this listing? Report it here and we'll take a look.
Recipe: how the 1-100 score is calculated
Scored with model v2 on 2026-09-22. Each component is the feature value for this product multiplied by the model's published coefficient.
| Component | Input | Coefficient | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base score | - | 32.336 | +32.34 |
| Average ingredient quality | 0.4 | 9.915 | +4.05 |
| Meat share of dry matter | 26.6% | 0.116 | +3.08 |
| Carb share of dry matter | 35.2% | -0.113 | -3.97 |
| Oil share of dry matter | 5.4% | -0.088 | -0.48 |
| Additive share of dry matter | 1.1% | 0.177 | +0.20 |
| Supplement share of dry matter | 8.2% | -0.009 | -0.07 |
| Unrecognised share of dry matter | 17.7% | -0.022 | -0.40 |
| Recipe graded poor | 2.1% | -0.045 | -0.09 |
| Number of poor ingredients | 2 | -0.868 | -1.74 |
| Largest single poor ingredient | 1.3% | 0.056 | +0.07 |
| Undeclared quantities | 14.5% | -0.131 | -1.90 |
| Prints ingredient percentages | yes | 3.194 | +3.19 |
| Complete diet | yes | 1.703 | +1.70 |
| Meat share × printed percentages | 26.6 | -0.073 | -1.95 |
| Additive penalty | -0.96 | 0.236 | -0.23 |
| Processing multiplier | 1.00 | 32.336 | +32.34 |
| Processing: Dry Extruded | yes | -6.996 | -7.00 |
Show all 40 components
| Component | Input | Coefficient | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base score | - | 32.336 | +32.34 |
| Average ingredient quality | 0.4 | 9.915 | +4.05 |
| Meat share of dry matter | 26.6% | 0.116 | +3.08 |
| Carb share of dry matter | 35.2% | -0.113 | -3.97 |
| Oil share of dry matter | 5.4% | -0.088 | -0.48 |
| Vegetable share of dry matter | 2.6% | -0.002 | -0.00 |
| Additive share of dry matter | 1.1% | 0.177 | +0.20 |
| Supplement share of dry matter | 8.2% | -0.009 | -0.07 |
| Other share of dry matter | 0.0% | -0.371 | +0.00 |
| Unrecognised share of dry matter | 17.7% | -0.022 | -0.40 |
| Recipe graded poor | 2.1% | -0.045 | -0.09 |
| Poor-quality meat in recipe | 0.0% | -0.182 | +0.00 |
| Number of poor ingredients | 2 | -0.868 | -1.74 |
| Largest single poor ingredient | 1.3% | 0.056 | +0.07 |
| Undeclared quantities | 14.5% | -0.131 | -1.90 |
| Prints ingredient percentages | yes | 3.194 | +3.19 |
| Complete diet | yes | 1.703 | +1.70 |
| Frozen or chilled fresh | no | 11.440 | +0.00 |
| High meat (30%+ of dry matter) | no | -0.506 | +0.00 |
| Low meat (under 10% of dry matter) | no | -1.988 | +0.00 |
| High carb and low meat | no | -1.250 | +0.00 |
| Meat share × printed percentages | 26.6 | -0.073 | -1.95 |
| Meat share × fresh | 0.0 | -0.339 | +0.00 |
| Fresh × high meat | 0.0 | 16.475 | +0.00 |
| Additive penalty | -0.96 | 0.236 | -0.23 |
| Processing multiplier | 1.00 | 32.336 | +32.34 |
| Processing: Raw | no | 13.322 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Fresh Chilled | no | 7.712 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Fresh Frozen | no | 6.583 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Fresh Refrigerated | no | 4.857 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Fresh Shelf | no | 0.072 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Freeze Dried | no | 11.127 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Air Dried | no | 9.320 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Cold Pressed | no | 4.569 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Baked | no | -2.321 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Extruded | yes | -6.996 | -7.00 |
| Processing: Dry Semi Moist | no | -6.833 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Muesli | no | -10.711 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Wet Pate | no | 2.935 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Wet Chunks | no | 2.292 | +0.00 |
- Processing-type offset
- -0.01
- Additives declared on label
- +2 transparency bonus
- Subtotal
- 61.2
- Final score
- 61/100
Contributions are rounded to two decimals, so they may not sum exactly to the subtotal. The full coefficient table is published on the methodology page.
Score history across model versions
The score shown above is always computed with the latest published model. Earlier scores are kept for the record and are never edited or deleted; a scoring change ships as a new model version with a public write-up on the methodology page.
| Model | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| v2 | 61/100 | current |
| v1 | 60/100 | |
| v1.9 | 61/100 |
Nutritional: declared analysis vs reference ranges
How the declared analysis compares with FEDIAF reference ranges for puppies and growth. The label prints as-fed values; we convert to a dry-matter basis before scoring, and the bands are dry-matter ranges. Scores rise to 100 at the band midpoint: the reference is adequacy, not maximisation. Nutrients with a published upper limit taper again above it; fat is policed through calorie density rather than a direct penalty.
Scored against FEDIAF growth minima; puppy scoring is under review.
| Nutrient | As fed (label) | Dry matter (scored) | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein | 29 | 32.2 | 100 |
| Fat | 17 | 18.9 | 100 |
| Calcium | 1.25 | 1.4 | 100 |
| Phosphorus | 1 | 1.1 | 100 |
| Calcium:phosphorus ratio | 1.3 | 1.3 | 100 |
Scored over 5 declared nutrients (combined weight 70); undeclared nutrients do not affect the score.
Medium confidence: the full five-part analysis is on file; where moisture was not declared it was estimated from the food type.
This measures agreement with published reference ranges, not suitability for an individual dog. For medical conditions, follow veterinary guidance.
Transparency: what the label discloses
How much the manufacturer discloses, measured against the FEDIAF Code of Good Labelling Practice and Regulation 767/2009. Mandatory items dominate the weighting.
| Item | Points |
|---|---|
| Ingredient list on the label (mandatory) | 10/10 |
| Printed percentages on the label (85.5% of the recipe mass) (voluntary) | 17.1/20 |
| Analytical constituents declared (mandatory) | 15/15 |
| Additives declared (mandatory) | 10/10 |
| Energy value declared (voluntary) - not on file | 0/5 |
| Complete/complementary designation (mandatory) | 5/5 |
| Feeding guidance given (mandatory) | 10/10 |
| Manufacturer identity and address (mandatory) | 5/10 |
| Country of manufacture stated (voluntary) | 10/10 |
| Batch and date labelling (mandatory) - not on file | 0/5 |
Capped at 60: mandatory items missing (Batch and date labelling).
Safety: recall history
Recall and safety-notice history, time-decayed. This dimension is shown alongside the score and never feeds the headline number.
No recalls recorded in our database.
See all current recalls we track.
Evidence: what the brand claims, and what supports it
The marketing claims made on the pack and product page, and how much evidence sits behind them. We record the claims as stated; we do not assess whether they are true.
| Claim | Type | Substantiation |
|---|---|---|
| Strengthens your dog’s immune system with cell wall components (beta-glucans) from natural yeast (on page) | Functional | Manufacturer assertion |
| Promotes the formation of cartilage in the joints and helps to prevent joint problems with gelatin hydrolysate (on page) | Functional | Manufacturer assertion |
| Probiotics support and stabilise digestion, promote stool quality and help to reduce unpleasant odours (on page) | Functional | Manufacturer assertion |
| Made without WHEAT, SOYA, MILK PRODUCTS (on pack) | Free-from | Manufacturer assertion |
Limited: at least one claim rests on manufacturer assertion alone.
The full scoring method is published. See the methodology for exactly how the headline score and each dimension are calculated.
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