Is Kiwikitchens Canned Beef & Mussel Dinner for Puppies a good dog food?
We score it 58/100 (Average). This reflects the ingredient quality, composition and label transparency of the recipe as declared on the label.
Why this score?
This recipe achieves a total score of 58 out of 100 based on several key factors. The presence of ingredients without printed percentages contributed -10.6 to the overall rating, while the overall quality of the ingredient list added +6.7. Furthermore, the additive load contributed -3.2, and the additives in the recipe adjusted the score by +2.4.
100% of this recipe has no printed percentage. Estimated shares are model estimates, not label facts.
- Recipe58
- Nutritionallow100
- Transparency60
- Safety100
- Evidencemoderate100
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.
Why you might choose it
- Doesn't list grain ingredients.
- Declares energy content, which most labels omit.
- Nutritionally complete: formulated to be fed as the whole diet.
Why you might not
- Meat makes up an estimated 8% of the dry matter (20% as fed); carbohydrates dominate.
- 100% of the recipe mass has no printed percentage, so the exact split cannot be verified.
- Its additive load costs about 3 points in the rating.
Estimated composition
Typical analysis (as fed)
- Protein
- 8%
- Fat
- 6%
- Fibre
- 1%
- Ash
- 3%
- Moisture
- 78%
Energy: 103.1 kcal/100g
Additives & feeding info
Nutritional additives
Choline Chloride; Iron Amino Acid Chelate; Zinc Amino Acid Chelate; Niacin; Alpha-Tocopherol Acetate; Selenium Yeast; Magnesium Sulphate; Copper Amino Acid Complex; Thiamine Mononitrate; Manganese Proteinate; Calcium Pantothenate; Riboflavin; Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine Hydrochloride); Vitamin A Acetate; Vitamin B7 (Biotin); Vitamin B12 Supplement; Calcium Iodate; Folic Acid; Vitamin D3 (Cholecalciferol)
Technological additives
Cassia Gum; Guar Gum; Agar Agar
Feeding guide
Feeding quantities vary by breed, age, activity level, body condition and neutered status. As a complete meal: puppies 5lb/2.3kg: 160g/day; 20lb/9kg: 440g/day; 50lb/22kg: 860g/day; 100lb/45kg: 1470g/day. As a meal mixer: 1 can combined with Freeze-Dried or Air-Dried dinner, reducing calories of current food. Transition over 7 days.
Who is this food for?
Suits
- Labelled by the manufacturer for puppies
- Grain-free: no grain ingredients listed
- Doesn't list chicken, turkey, lamb, venison, pork, duck as ingredients
Consider something else if:
- Your dog avoids beef: the label lists beef
- Your dog avoids fish: the label lists green-lipped mussel
- 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 (37)
| # | As declared | Matched | Category | Tier | Declared % | Est. % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beef | Beef | meat | medium | - | 3.6 |
| 2 | Water | Water | other | - | - | 3.5 |
| 3 | Beef Lung | Beef lung | meat | medium | - | 3.5 |
| 4 | Beef Liver | Beef Liver | meat | good | - | 3.4 |
| 5 | Beef Kidney | Kidney | meat | good | - | 3.4 |
| 6 | Green-Lipped Mussel | Green-Lipped Mussel | supplement | good | - | 3.3 |
| 7 | Salmon Offal | Offal | meat | medium | - | 3.3 |
| 8 | Beef Tripe | Beef Tripe | meat | medium | - | 3.2 |
| 9 | Pumpkin | Pumpkin | veg | good | - | 3.2 |
| 10 | Cassia Gum | Cassia gum | additive | poor | - | 3.1 |
| 11 | Sunflower Oil | Sunflower oil | oil | good | - | 3.1 |
| 12 | Dried Seaweed | Seaweed | veg | good | - | 3.0 |
| 13 | Agar Agar | Agar-agar | additive | medium | - | 3.0 |
| 14 | Salt | Salt | additive | medium | - | 2.9 |
| 15 | Guar Gum | Guar gum | additive | medium | - | 2.9 |
| 16 | Potassium Chloride | Potassium Chloride | supplement | medium | - | 2.8 |
| 17 | Calcium Carbonate | Calcium Carbonate | supplement | medium | - | 2.8 |
| 18 | Choline Chloride | Choline | supplement | good | - | 2.8 |
| 19 | Iron Amino Acid Chelate | Iron Proteinate | mineral | good | - | 2.7 |
| 20 | Zinc Amino Acid Chelate | Zinc Proteinate | supplement | good | - | 2.7 |
| 21 | Yucca Schidigera Extract | Yucca Schidigera | supplement | good | - | 2.6 |
| 22 | Niacin | Niacin | supplement | good | - | 2.6 |
| 23 | Alpha-Tocopherol Acetate | Vitamin E | supplement | good | - | 2.5 |
| 24 | Selenium Yeast | Selenium | mineral | good | - | 2.5 |
| 25 | Magnesium Sulphate | Magnesium Sulphate | mineral | good | - | 2.4 |
| 26 | Copper Amino Acid Complex | Copper | mineral | good | - | 2.4 |
| 27 | Thiamine Mononitrate | Thiamine mononitrate | supplement | good | - | 2.3 |
| 28 | Manganese Proteinate | Manganese proteinate | supplement | good | - | 2.3 |
| 29 | Calcium Pantothenate | Calcium pantothenate | supplement | good | - | 2.2 |
| 30 | Riboflavin | Riboflavin | supplement | good | - | 2.2 |
| 31 | Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine Hydrochloride) | Vitamin B complex | supplement | good | - | 2.1 |
| 32 | Vitamin A Acetate | Vitamin A | supplement | good | - | 2.1 |
| 33 | Vitamin B7 (Biotin) | Vitamin B complex | supplement | good | - | 2.0 |
| 34 | Vitamin B12 Supplement | Vitamin B12 | supplement | good | - | 2.0 |
| 35 | Calcium Iodate | Calcium iodate | supplement | medium | - | 1.9 |
| 36 | Folic Acid | Folic acid | supplement | good | - | 1.9 |
| 37 | Vitamin D3 (Cholecalciferol) | Vitamin D | supplement | good | - | 1.8 |
Brand
- Website
- https://kiwikitchens.nz/
- [email protected]
- Phone
- +64 800 738 546
- Contact page
- kiwikitchens.nz
Trust and provenance
- Recall history
- No recalls recorded in our database
- Label data last checked
- 2026-09-19
- Scored with
- Model v3 (methodology)
- Product page
- kiwikitchens.nz
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 v3 on 2026-09-26. 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 | 0.7 | 9.191 | +6.66 |
| Oil share of dry matter | 4.2% | -0.092 | -0.38 |
| Vegetable share of dry matter | 4.4% | -0.005 | -0.02 |
| Additive share of dry matter | 14.7% | 0.163 | +2.39 |
| Supplement share of dry matter | 56.2% | -0.012 | -0.69 |
| Recipe graded poor | 3.1% | -0.065 | -0.20 |
| Number of poor ingredients | 1 | -0.876 | -0.88 |
| Largest single poor ingredient | 3.1% | 0.060 | +0.19 |
| Undeclared quantities | 100.0% | -0.106 | -10.56 |
| Complete diet | yes | 2.294 | +2.29 |
| Low meat (under 10% of dry matter) | yes | -3.158 | -3.16 |
| Additive penalty | -14.42 | 0.222 | -3.20 |
| Processing multiplier | 1.00 | 33.786 | +33.79 |
| Processing: Wet Pate | yes | -0.672 | -0.67 |
Show all 40 components
| Component | Input | Coefficient | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base score | - | 30.909 | +30.91 |
| Average ingredient quality | 0.7 | 9.191 | +6.66 |
| Meat share of dry matter | 0.0% | 0.096 | +0.00 |
| Carb share of dry matter | 0.0% | -0.115 | +0.00 |
| Oil share of dry matter | 4.2% | -0.092 | -0.38 |
| Vegetable share of dry matter | 4.4% | -0.005 | -0.02 |
| Additive share of dry matter | 14.7% | 0.163 | +2.39 |
| Supplement share of dry matter | 56.2% | -0.012 | -0.69 |
| Other share of dry matter | 0.0% | -0.375 | +0.00 |
| Unrecognised share of dry matter | 0.0% | -0.027 | +0.00 |
| Recipe graded poor | 3.1% | -0.065 | -0.20 |
| Poor-quality meat in recipe | 0.0% | -0.179 | +0.00 |
| Number of poor ingredients | 1 | -0.876 | -0.88 |
| Largest single poor ingredient | 3.1% | 0.060 | +0.19 |
| Undeclared quantities | 100.0% | -0.106 | -10.56 |
| 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 | -14.42 | 0.222 | -3.20 |
| Processing multiplier | 1.00 | 33.786 | +33.79 |
| 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 | no | -6.713 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Semi Moist | no | -6.174 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Dry Muesli | no | -10.146 | +0.00 |
| Processing: Wet Pate | yes | -0.672 | -0.67 |
| Processing: Wet Chunks | no | -0.672 | +0.00 |
- Processing-type offset
- -0.08
- Additives declared on label
- +2 transparency bonus
- Subtotal
- 58.4
- Final score
- 58/100
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.
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; Guaranteed-analysis FEDIAF score: crude minimums and maximums are bounds, not typical values; moisture (a maximum) uses the processing median where available; experimental US score.
| Nutrient | As fed (label) | Dry matter (scored) | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein | 8 | 36.4 | 100 |
| Fat | 6 | 27.3 | 100 |
| Energy (kcal/100g) | 103.1 | 468.6 | 100 |
Scored over 3 declared nutrients (combined weight 50); undeclared nutrients do not affect the score. Moisture was not declared and was estimated at 78% from the food type.
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 (voluntary) - not on file | 0/20 |
| Analytical constituents declared (mandatory) | 15/15 |
| Additives declared (mandatory) | 10/10 |
| 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 (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.
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 — 1 checkable claim: 1 consistent, 0 contradicted.
Consistent with the label
- "high meat, fully balanced, whole food diet specifically designed for puppies" — supported by the declared complete and balanced data.
6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| turbo boost your dog's protein & nutrient requirements for ultimate health (on page) | Functional | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| high meat, fully balanced, whole food diet specifically designed for puppies (on page) | Content | consistent | Manufacturer assertion |
| NEW ZEALAND GREEN-LIPPED MUSSEL PROTEIN PACKED (on pack) | Content | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| no less than 93% NZ meats, organs, and green-lipped mussels (on pack) | Content | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| NZ GRASS-FED BEEF & MUSSEL WET DINNER FOR PUPPIES (on pack) | Content | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| NATURALLY RICH IN VITAMINS (on pack) | Nutrient | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for All Life Stages including growth of large size dogs (on pack) | Nutrient | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
The full scoring method is published. See the methodology for exactly how the headline score and each dimension are calculated.
Other products from Kiwikitchens
See all products from Kiwikitchens
Alternatives to Canned Beef & Mussel Dinner for Puppies
Foods in our database that are similar on ingredients, protein, format or price. Scores and figures are from the same deterministic model used everywhere on the site.
Community
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share how this went down with your dog.