Is Zealandia Pets Venison Pâté Wet Dog Food a good dog food?
We score it 59/100 (Average). This reflects the ingredient quality, composition and label transparency of the recipe as declared on the label.
Why this score?
The food scored 59 out of 100. Ingredients without printed percentages pulled the score down by -10.6, while the overall quality of the ingredient list lifted it by +7.3. Being labelled nutritionally complete added a further +2.3 points, and the additive load took off -1.7.
100% of this recipe has no printed percentage. Estimated shares are model estimates, not label facts.
- Recipe59
- NutritionalNot recorded
- Transparency45
- 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
- Scores 59, in the top quarter of wet foods we track.
- Doesn't list grain ingredients.
Why you might not
- No analytical breakdown is published.
- 100% of the recipe mass has no printed percentage, so the exact split cannot be verified.
Estimated composition
Typical analysis (as fed)
No analysis recorded yet.
Additives & feeding info
Nutritional additives
Iron Proteinate; Zinc Glycine Complex; Niacin Supplement; Alpha-Tocopherol Acetate; Selenium Yeast; Manganese Proteinate; Copper Glycine Complex; Thiamine Mononitrate; Calcium Pantothenate; Riboflavin; Pyridoxine Hydrochloride; Vitamin A Acetate; Biotin; Vitamin B12 Supplement; Calcium Iodate; Folic Acid; Cholecalciferol; Taurine; Choline Chloride
Feeding guide
Transition over 7 days. Toy (2.5/5kg): 1 x 185g can per day; 0.5/1 x 385g can per day. Small (10kg): 2 x 185g per day; 0.5 x 385g per day. Medium (25kg): 3 x 385g per day. Large (50kg): 5 x 385g per day.
Who is this food for?
Suits
- Labelled by the manufacturer for adult dogs
- Grain-free: no grain ingredients listed
- Doesn't list chicken, beef, turkey, pork, duck as ingredients
Consider something else if:
- Your dog avoids lamb: the label lists lambs liver
- Your dog avoids fish: the label lists mussels
- Your dog avoids venison: the label lists venison
- 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 (34)
| # | As declared | Matched | Category | Tier | Declared % | Est. % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Venison | Venison | meat | good | - | 3.9 |
| 2 | Water Sufficient for Processing | Water | other | - | - | 3.8 |
| 3 | Lamb Liver | Lambs Liver | meat | good | - | 3.8 |
| 4 | Lamb Lung | Lamb Lung | meat | medium | - | 3.7 |
| 5 | Lamb Green Tripe | Tripe | meat | medium | - | 3.7 |
| 6 | Lamb Heart | Lamb Heart | meat | good | - | 3.6 |
| 7 | Lamb Kidney | Kidney | meat | good | - | 3.5 |
| 8 | New Zealand Green Mussels | Mussels | meat | good | - | 3.5 |
| 9 | Lamb Plasma | Lamb | meat | medium | - | 3.4 |
| 10 | Dried Yeast | Yeast | supplement | good | - | 3.4 |
| 11 | Agar-Agar | Agar-agar | additive | medium | - | 3.3 |
| 12 | Calcium Carbonate | Calcium Carbonate | supplement | medium | - | 3.3 |
| 13 | Salmon Oil | Salmon Oil | oil | good | - | 3.2 |
| 14 | Guar Gum | Guar gum | additive | medium | - | 3.1 |
| 15 | Potassium Chloride | Potassium Chloride | supplement | medium | - | 3.1 |
| 16 | Taurine | Taurine | supplement | good | - | 3.0 |
| 17 | Choline Chloride | Choline | supplement | good | - | 3.0 |
| 18 | Iron Proteinate | Iron Proteinate | mineral | good | - | 2.9 |
| 19 | Zinc Glycine Complex | Zinc Oxide | supplement | good | - | 2.9 |
| 20 | Niacin Supplement | Niacin | supplement | good | - | 2.8 |
| 21 | Alpha-Tocopherol Acetate | Vitamin E | supplement | good | - | 2.7 |
| 22 | Selenium Yeast | Selenium | mineral | good | - | 2.7 |
| 23 | Manganese Proteinate | Manganese proteinate | supplement | good | - | 2.6 |
| 24 | Copper Glycine Complex | Copper | mineral | good | - | 2.6 |
| 25 | Thiamine Mononitrate | Thiamine mononitrate | supplement | good | - | 2.5 |
| 26 | Calcium Pantothenate | Calcium pantothenate | supplement | good | - | 2.5 |
| 27 | Riboflavin | Riboflavin | supplement | good | - | 2.4 |
| 28 | Pyridoxine Hydrochloride | Pyridoxine hydrochloride | supplement | good | - | 2.3 |
| 29 | Vitamin A Acetate | Vitamin A | supplement | good | - | 2.3 |
| 30 | Biotin | Biotin | supplement | good | - | 2.2 |
| 31 | Vitamin B12 Supplement | Vitamin B12 | supplement | good | - | 2.2 |
| 32 | Calcium Iodate | Calcium iodate | supplement | medium | - | 2.1 |
| 33 | Folic Acid | Folic acid | supplement | good | - | 2.1 |
| 34 | Cholecalciferol. | Vitamin D3 supplement | supplement | good | - | 2.0 |
Brand
Trust and provenance
- Recall history
- No recalls recorded in our database
- Label data last checked
- 2026-09-14
- Scored with
- Model v3 (methodology)
- Product page
- www.zealandiapets.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 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 | 0.8 | 9.191 | +7.29 |
| Oil share of dry matter | 4.5% | -0.092 | -0.41 |
| Additive share of dry matter | 8.3% | 0.163 | +1.35 |
| Supplement share of dry matter | 64.6% | -0.012 | -0.79 |
| 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 | -7.74 | 0.222 | -1.72 |
| 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 | 0.8 | 9.191 | +7.29 |
| 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 | 4.5% | -0.092 | -0.41 |
| Vegetable share of dry matter | 0.0% | -0.005 | +0.00 |
| Additive share of dry matter | 8.3% | 0.163 | +1.35 |
| Supplement share of dry matter | 64.6% | -0.012 | -0.79 |
| 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 | 0.0% | -0.065 | +0.00 |
| Poor-quality meat in recipe | 0.0% | -0.179 | +0.00 |
| Number of poor ingredients | 0 | -0.876 | +0.00 |
| Largest single poor ingredient | 0.0% | 0.060 | +0.00 |
| 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 | -7.74 | 0.222 | -1.72 |
| 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
- +1 transparency bonus
- Subtotal
- 59.2
- Final score
- 59/100
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
Analytical constituents not declared
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) - not on file | 0/15 |
| Additives declared (mandatory) | 5/10 |
| 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 (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.
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
- "Complete & Balanced Nutrition, Optimised for Adult Dogs" — supported by the declared complete and balanced data.
9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand Venison is hypoallergenic, free from any growth hormones, and antibiotics (on page) | provenance | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| Cruelty-Free, High Animal Welfare Standards (on page) | provenance | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| Digestion Support: Precise Base of Enzyme-Rich Green Lamb Tripe (on page) | Functional | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| Hip & Joint Support: NZ Green-Lipped Mussels (on page) | Functional | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| Skin & Coat Care: Salmon Oil rich in Omega 3 & Astaxanthin (on page) | Functional | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| Deboned Meat as No.1 Ingredient (on page) | Content | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| Natural Source of CoQ10: Lamb Hearts (on page) | Nutrient | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| Grain-Free: 95% Meat, Lamb Organs & NZ Green Mussels (on page) | Content | not checkable | Manufacturer assertion |
| Complete & Balanced Nutrition, Optimised for Adult Dogs (on page) | Content | consistent | Manufacturer assertion |
| Free From: Added Flavourings, Preservatives, Carrageenan, & BPA (on page) | Free-from | not checkable | 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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