Burgess Active Chicken and Beef
Dry Extruded · complete
Our verdict
Is Burgess Active Chicken and Beef a good dog food?
We score it 37/100 (Poor). The main reasons are set out in "Why you might not" below, and every step of the calculation is shown under "How we calculated this score".
Complete extruded dry food for adult dogs, with wheat, dehydrated poultry proteins and chicken as the main ingredients.
Only part of the analytical constituents are declared, so the nutritional picture is incomplete.
96% of this recipe has no printed percentage. Estimated shares are model estimates, not label facts.
Who is this food for?
Suits
- Labelled by the manufacturer for adult dogs
- Doesn't list lamb, fish, venison, pork, duck as ingredients
Consider something else if:
- Your dog avoids chicken: the label lists dehydrated poultry proteins
- Your dog avoids beef: the label lists beef
- Your dog avoids turkey: the label lists dehydrated poultry proteins
- Your dog avoids grain: the label lists wheat
- 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. Find foods that fit your dog.
Nutrition and feedingProtein 25% · Fat 9%
Typical analysis (as fed)
| Nutrient | As fed |
|---|---|
| Protein | 25% |
| Fat | 9% |
| Fibre | 2% |
| Ash | 10% |
| Calcium | 2.40% |
Energy: 349 kcal/100g
Additives & feeding info
Feeding and storage
Feeding guide
Introduce gradually by mixing the new food with the old over 7–10 days. Split the daily portion into two or three servings, provide fresh water, adjust portions according to appetite, environment and activity level, and take treats into account.
Additives declared on the label
Nutritional additives
Vitamin A 16,780 IU/Kg; Vitamin D3 1259 IU/Kg; Vitamin E 85 mg/kg; Biotin 0.13 mg/kg; Zinc (as Zinc sulphate monohydrate) 84 mg/kg; Iron (as Iron (II) sulphate monohydrate 33.5 mg/kg; Manganese (as Manganese (II) oxide) 8.5 mg/kg; Copper (as Copper (II) sulphate pentahydrate 4 mg/kg; Iodine (as Calcium iodate anhydrous) 0.8 mg/kg; Selenium (as Sodium selenite 0.08 mg/k
Ingredients (15)96% of the recipe is estimated
Estimated composition
- carb 38.0%
- meat 28.4%
- mineral 8.5%
- oil 7.0%
- supplement 6.6%
- veg 5.9%
- other 5.5%
| # | As declared | Matched | Label reading | Declared % | Est. % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wholegrain Wheat | Wheat | carb · poor | - | 8.5 |
| 2 | Poultry Meal | Dehydrated Poultry Proteins | meat · good | - | 8.2 |
| 3 | 11% Chicken | Chicken | meat · medium | 11 | 11.0 |
| 4 | Meat & Bone Meal | Bone meal | mineral · medium | - | 7.8 |
| 5 | 4% Beef | Beef | meat · medium | 4 | 4.0 |
| 6 | Wheat Feed | Wheat feed | carb · poor | - | 7.5 |
| 7 | Wholegrain Maize | Whole-Grain Maize | carb · medium | - | 7.2 |
| 8 | Soya Bean Meal Feed | Soya | carb · poor | - | 6.9 |
| 9 | Dehulled | unmatched | - | - | 6.5 |
| 10 | Poultry Fat | Poultry Fat | oil · medium | - | 6.2 |
| 11 | Minerals | Vitamins and minerals | supplement · medium | - | 5.9 |
| 12 | Poultry Gravy | Poultry | meat · medium | - | 5.6 |
| 13 | Dried Peas | Peas | veg · good | - | 5.2 |
| 14 | Glycerol | Glycerine | other · medium | - | 4.9 |
| 15 | Oat Feed | Oat Feed | carb · medium | - | 4.6 |
- 1. Wholegrain Wheat8.5% estimated
- 2. Poultry Meal8.2% estimated
- 3. 11% Chicken11% declared11.0% estimated
- 4. Meat & Bone Meal7.8% estimated
- 5. 4% Beef4% declared4.0% estimated
- 6. Wheat Feed7.5% estimated
- 7. Wholegrain Maize7.2% estimated
- 8. Soya Bean Meal Feed6.9% estimated
- 9. Dehulled6.5% estimated
- 10. Poultry Fat6.2% estimated
- 11. Minerals5.9% estimated
- 12. Poultry Gravy5.6% estimated
- 13. Dried Peas5.2% estimated
- 14. Glycerol4.9% estimated
- 15. Oat Feed4.6% estimated
Trust and sourceNo recalls recorded in our database · checked 2026-09-12
Brand and contact: Burgess
- Contact page
- burgesspetcare.co.uk
Trust and provenance
- Recall history
- No recalls recorded in our database
- Label data last checked
- 2026-09-12
- Scored with
- Model v3 (methodology)
- Product page
- www.burgesspetcare.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.
Score details and methodologyCalculations, history and evidence
Recipe: how the 1-100 score is calculated
Why this score?
This recipe achieves an overall score of 37 out of 100. Being labelled nutritionally complete adds +2.3 points to the total. However, ingredients without printed percentages deducts -10.1, the processing format takes away -6.7, and the carbohydrate content reduces the score by -5.1.
Scored with model v3 on 2026-10-25. Each component is the feature value for this product multiplied by the model's published coefficient.
| Component | Input | Coefficient | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base score | - | 30.909 | +30.91 |
| Average ingredient quality | 0.1 | 9.191 | +0.81 |
| Meat share of dry matter | 1.5% | 0.096 | +0.14 |
| Carb share of dry matter | 44.6% | -0.115 | -5.13 |
| Oil share of dry matter | 9.2% | -0.092 | -0.85 |
| Vegetable share of dry matter | 7.0% | -0.005 | -0.04 |
| Supplement share of dry matter | 8.1% | -0.012 | -0.10 |
| Other share of dry matter | 3.7% | -0.375 | -1.38 |
| Recipe graded poor | 25.1% | -0.065 | -1.63 |
| Number of poor ingredients | 3 | -0.876 | -2.63 |
| Largest single poor ingredient | 9.6% | 0.060 | +0.58 |
| Undeclared quantities | 96.0% | -0.106 | -10.14 |
| Complete diet | yes | 2.294 | +2.29 |
| Low meat (under 10% of dry matter) | yes | -3.158 | -3.16 |
| Processing multiplier | 0.98 | 33.786 | +33.11 |
| Processing: Dry Extruded | yes | -6.713 | -6.71 |
Show all 40 components
| Component | Input | Coefficient | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base score | - | 30.909 | +30.91 |
| Average ingredient quality | 0.1 | 9.191 | +0.81 |
| Meat share of dry matter | 1.5% | 0.096 | +0.14 |
| Carb share of dry matter | 44.6% | -0.115 | -5.13 |
| Oil share of dry matter | 9.2% | -0.092 | -0.85 |
| Vegetable share of dry matter | 7.0% | -0.005 | -0.04 |
| Additive share of dry matter | 0.0% | 0.163 | +0.00 |
| Supplement share of dry matter | 8.1% | -0.012 | -0.10 |
| Other share of dry matter | 3.7% | -0.375 | -1.38 |
| Unrecognised share of dry matter | 0.0% | -0.027 | +0.00 |
| Recipe graded poor | 25.1% | -0.065 | -1.63 |
| Poor-quality meat in recipe | 0.0% | -0.179 | +0.00 |
| Number of poor ingredients | 3 | -0.876 | -2.63 |
| Largest single poor ingredient | 9.6% | 0.060 | +0.58 |
| Undeclared quantities | 96.0% | -0.106 | -10.14 |
| Prints ingredient percentages | no | 0.000 | +0.00 |
| Complete diet | yes | 2.294 | +2.29 |
| Frozen or chilled fresh | no | 0.000 | +0.00 |
| High meat (30%+ of dry matter) | no | 0.707 | +0.00 |
| Low meat (under 10% of dry matter) | yes | -3.158 | -3.16 |
| High carb and low meat | no | -1.180 | +0.00 |
| Meat share × printed percentages | 0.0 | 0.000 | +0.00 |
| Meat share × fresh | 0.0 | 0.000 | +0.00 |
| Fresh × high meat | 0.0 | 11.084 | +0.00 |
| Additive penalty | 0.00 | 0.222 | +0.00 |
| Processing multiplier | 0.98 | 33.786 | +33.11 |
| Processing: Raw | no | -0.054 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Fresh Chilled | no | -2.354 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Fresh Frozen | no | -2.354 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Fresh Refrigerated | no | 0.000 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Fresh Shelf | no | -0.672 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Freeze Dried | no | 6.629 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Air Dried | no | 6.331 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Cold Pressed | no | -6.713 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Baked | no | -6.713 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Extruded | yes | -6.713 | -6.71 |
| Processing: Dry Semi Moist | no | -6.174 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Muesli | no | -10.146 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Wet Pate | no | -0.672 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Wet Chunks | no | -0.672 | +0.00 |
- Processing-type offset
- +0.02
- Additives declared on label
- +1 transparency bonus
- Subtotal
- 37.1
- Final score
- 37/100
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.
Nutritional: declared analysis vs reference ranges
How the declared analysis compares with FEDIAF reference ranges for adult dogs. 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.
| Nutrient | As fed (label) | Dry matter (scored) | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein | 25 | 27.6 (band 18 to 40%) | 96.2 |
| Fat | 9 | 9.9 (band 5.5 to 20%) | 88.4 |
| Fibre | 2 | 2.2 (band 0.5 to 5%) | 92.8 |
| Calcium | 2.4 | 2.7 (band 0.5 to 2.5%) | 93.9 |
| Energy (kcal/100g) | 349 | 385.6 | 100 |
Scored over 5 declared nutrients (combined weight 70); undeclared nutrients do not affect the score. Moisture was not declared and was estimated at 9.5% from the food type.
Declared fortification: 10 nutritional additives on the label
- Vitamin A 16,780 IU/Kg
- Vitamin D3 1259 IU/Kg
- Vitamin E 85 mg/kg
- Biotin 0.13 mg/kg
- Zinc (as Zinc sulphate monohydrate) 84 mg/kg
- Iron (as Iron (II) sulphate monohydrate 33.5 mg/kg
- Manganese (as Manganese (II) oxide) 8.5 mg/kg
- Copper (as Copper (II) sulphate pentahydrate 4 mg/kg
- Iodine (as Calcium iodate anhydrous) 0.8 mg/kg
- Selenium (as Sodium selenite 0.08 mg/k
Low confidence: partial analysis or moisture 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 (4% of the recipe mass) (voluntary) | 0.8/20 |
| Analytical constituents declared (mandatory) - not on file | 0/15 |
| Additives declared (mandatory) | 5/10 |
| Energy value declared (voluntary) | 5/5 |
| 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 (Analytical constituents declared, 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 claims made on the pack and product page, checked against the declared label. We record claims as stated; "consistent" means our stored label data supports the claim, "contradicted" means it conflicts with it. Functional claims are recorded but never scored.
100/100 · moderate — 2 checkable claims: 2 consistent, 0 contradicted.
Consistent with the label
- "MADE IN BRITAIN" — supported by the declared made in the UK data.
- "COMPLETE NUTRITION" — supported by the declared complete and balanced data.
11 further claims on file that we cannot check against the label.
Moderate: every checkable claim is consistent with the declared label.
| Claim | Type | Check | Substantiation |
|---|---|---|---|
| MADE IN BRITAIN (on page) | provenance | consistent | Manufacturer assertion |
| natural dog food (on page) | Content | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| a delicious, nutritionally balanced recipe, developed by vets for active, working dogs (on page) | Functional | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| Biotin and zinc to support skin and coat health (on page) | Functional | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| A blend of highly digestible ingredients to support a healthy digestion (on page) | Functional | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| no artificial flavours, colours or added preservatives (on page) | Free-from | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| Calcium and minerals to support healthy teeth and bones (on page) | Functional | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| Balanced carbohydrates for high energy (on page) | Functional | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| Digestive support (on page) | Functional | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| 25% protein to help support healthy muscle (on page) | Functional | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| Balanced carbohydrates for high energy throughout the working day (on page) | Functional | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| Contains 25% protein (on page) | Nutrient | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| COMPLETE NUTRITION (on page) | Content | consistent | Manufacturer assertion |
The full scoring method is published. See the methodology for exactly how the headline score and each dimension are calculated.
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