Anyone would regret purchasing a product that does not deliver on its promise. It would not just be waste of money but a waste of time, efforts, and a can of disappointment.
This is why you should put some thought into buying from a brand that is trust worthy with years of experience providing pets with the nourishment that they need.
By the end of this article all your questions about pet food composition will be answered. you will also learn how to pick the best pet food for your furry friend
You are going to need a lot of information to do this. Don’t worry, we have you covered. This article gives you information on two premium brands, Taste of the Wild and Orijen.
For these brands, we will discuss nutritional benefits or lack of it, product safety, brand history, ingredients, pricing and more.
After you are done with this awesome comparison, check out Taste of the wild and Orijen here to see the different flavors and pricing.
Contents:
- 🤔 Taste of the wild vs Orijen FAQ
- ⚖️ Taste of the wild and Orijen Pros and Cons
- 😻 Types Of Pet Food
- 🥕 Nutritional Value Comparison
- 💰 Price Comparison
- 🤤 Ingredients and Flavors
- 🏡 About Taste of the wild and Orijen
- 🙀 Product Safety and Recalls through History
- 🏆 Taste of the wild Vs Orijen: And the winner goes to…
🤔Taste of the wild vs Orijen FAQ
What is guaranteed analysis?
The concept of guaranteed analysis on pet food products is to assure purchasers of the precise nutrient content of each consumable. Emphasized by AAFCO, guaranteed analysis by food labels must meet certain requirements such as an exact value for the minimum percentage of crude protein and fat, as well as the maximum percentages of crude fiber and moisture on the basis of dry matter obtained. All of the percentages that I use in this comparison are averages of dry matter basis. Learn about dry matter basis here.
Which one has more protein?
Orijen outperforms Taste of the Wild with a higher protein content. The difference is significantly clear in this case as Orijen provides over 10 percent more when compared to Taste of the Wild in the dry dog food class.
Similarly, Orijen thumps Taste of the Wild in the cat food category with almost 5 percent. whereas Taste of the wild provides adequate amount of protein required for pet development.
Which is cheaper?
Orijen is far more expensive than taste of the Wild. It costs almost three times the price of Taste of the Wild food products while taste of the wild is known as one of the cheapest pet food brand in the market.
Which of the products has more flavors?
Orijen has more flavors with an aggregate of 28 flavors while Taste of the Wild has 18 flavors only.
Which one has had more recalls?
Both products have the same number of recalls. Taste of the Wild has only been recalled only one time while Orijen has also been recalled once.
Check out the current prices, recipes, and flavors for Taste of the wild and Orijen.
⚖️Taste of the wild and Orijen Pros and Cons
Taste of the wild Pros:
Taste of the wild Cons:
Orijen pros:
Orijen cons:
😻 Types Of Pet Food From Taste of the wild and Orijen
| Product | Taste of the Wild | Orijen |
| Dry Dog Food | 9 Recipes | 8 Recipes |
| Wet Dog Food | 5 Recipes | ❌ |
| Dog Treats | ❌ | 9 Treats |
| Dry Cat Food | 2 Recipes | 5 Recipes |
| Wet Cat Food | 2 Recipes | ❌ |
| Cat Treats | ❌ | 6 Treats |
| 😻 See all Taste of the wild recipes | 😻 See all Orijen recipes |
The table clearly shows that Orijen has a larger product range, although the variance is not too much for comfort. Taste of the Wild has no treats for dogs and cats and Orijen does not produce wet or canned food.
🥕 Nutritional Value Comparison
Food appeals to the taste bud and gives pleasure but it does much more than that. It revitalizes the body and provides needed nutrients. In appraising the best food brand for your pet, you need to examine every brand’s nutritional value.
The most important nutrients required for a balanced for a feline and canine diet are protein, fat, and fiber.
AAFCO mandates that all brands should include the proportion of these nutrients that each recipe/ flavor gives in their food label. This is illustrated on the table below:
| Dry Dog Food | Taste of the Wild | Orijen |
| Crude Protein | 31.90% | 42.30% |
| Crude Fat | 18.00% | 23.90% |
| Crude Fiber | 5% | 6.30% |
| Dry Cat Food | Taste of the Wild | Orijen |
| Crude Protein | 41.10% | 45.80% |
| Crude Fat | 18.90% | 21.10% |
| Crude Fiber | 3.30% | 4.00% |
| 🥕 See more Taste of the wild info | 🥕 See more Orijen info |
With regards to dietary value, Orijen is more nutrient-packed than Taste of the Wild. It offers more value for protein, fiber, and fat altogether.
You may be curious as to why these three nutrients are so important to your pet’s wellbeing. Let’s discuss them so that you can understand why it is important.
Protein
Protein exists throughout your pet’s body; they will be deformed without it. It is in their bone, hair, muscles, skin, organs etc. It is not only a component of their body; it builds, repairs, maintains, and literally nourishes the body.
It contains a large chunk of the essential amino acid they need to survive. If your dogs and cats could speak to you, there is a good chance he or she might say, “More protein, please”
Fat
Imagine a healthy dish that tastes bad. Your pet won’t have any of that! Fat makes food taste very appealing and appetizing. It gets even better; it is healthy and required for a balanced diet.
It is a powerhouse of energy and the major source of the famous Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids which helps their skin and fur glow all year round.
It is great for reproduction and kidney function. Its benefits are endless when taken in the right proportion.
Fiber
This is your key to easy digestion. It comes mostly from the plant-based diet which is often included in recipes. Fiber absorbs water and performs a regulatory role along the digestive tract.
Fiber is perfect for gut health as it helps prevent indigestion. On a long-term basis, it helps with weight management.
💰 Price Comparison
Before you decide to pitch your tent with a brand, you need to count the cost. Budgeting is very important hence, it should be given priority.
Determining the cost implication of buying a pet food tends to be chancy because of the metrics used.
Prices are slated per pound and per calorie. We usually recommend that you consider the “per kilocalorie option” when drawing your budget because of the moisture content that weighs in when measuring per pound.
Below is the price list for taste of the Wild and Orijen
| Dry Dog Food | Taste of the Wild | Orijen |
| Per Pound | $1.86 | $13.65 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0011 | $0.0023 |
| Dry Cat Food | Taste of the Wild | Orijen |
| Per Pound | $2.29 | $6.94 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0013 | $0.0038 |
| 💰 See the best Taste of the wild prices | 💰 See the best Orijen prices |
As shown on the table, Orijen food products are not as affordable as Taste of the Wild regardless of the metric used for measurement.
🤤 Ingredients and Flavors
Taste of the wild
Taste of the Wild combines many ingredients to make diverse recipes with unique flavors. Some include Beef, Lamb, Salmon, Wild Boar, Duck, Venison, peas, garbanzo, beans, eggs, Brewers yeast, Canola Oil, Pea Protein, Tomato Pomace and more.
Popular flavors
- Canyon river-trout and smoked salmon
- Roasted Venison and smoked salmon
- Lamb in gravy
Orijen
Orijen has a variety of flavors and recipes, they comprise of the following ingredients:
Fish, Fresh fruit, Berries, Vegetable, Egg, Chicken, Essential vitamins, Chicken liver, Salmon, pollock, lake white fish, salmon oil, Raw whole herring, Whole pumpkin, Collard greens, red lentils, Green lentils, Pea fiber, Butternut squash, carrots, spinach greens, cranberries, blueberries, fenugreek, peppermint leaves, Whole apples, Salt, Dried kelp, Potassium chloride and more.
Popular Flavors
- Chicken, turkey, and wild-caught fish
- Six fish dry food
- beef, wild boar, goat, lamb, pork and wild mackerel
Check out the current Taste of the wild and Orijen recipes here.
🏡 About Taste of the wild and Orijen
Taste of the wild Information
Taste of the Wild is produced under the auspices of Diamond Pet Food, Missouri. This brand is family-owned and it has five manufacturing facilities in the US. They are in California, Missouri, Arkansas, South Carolina.
Taste of the Wild gets regular supplies of raw materials from international suppliers that are span from Belgium, Germany, New Zealand, and China.
As the name implies, they try to recreate meals to imitate meals that will be consumed by dogs if they were in the Wild.
Their products are rich in natural ingredients. Since its operation started in 2007, it has maintained a good brand positioning in the pet food market.
Orijen Information
Orijen products are made by Champion Pet foods, Canada. Orijen has its operations in Alberta, Canada, and Kentucky.
The catchphrase for their product is “Biologically Appropriate” and they have the mission to make pet food as “Mother Nature” would have intended.
They are reputed to have the highest fresh meat ingredient.
This multiple-award winning brand is popular for using raw, organically grown ingredients.
It is their mission to dispense sophisticated and nourishing meals that would pass as good enough for human consumption.
Orijen has been in the market for over 30 years and their products have maintained that premium standard across all formulas.
🙀 Product Safety and Recalls through History
Companies make scheduled recalls on products that may have a foreseen defect or safety issues.
The importance of a recall is to conduct further safety tests in order to effect changes to product to ensure that it is safe for use.
Taste of the wild Recalls
Taste of the Wild was recalled once – May 5th,2012 – Salmonella risk
Orijen Recalls
Orijen was also recalled once: Nov 22nd, 2008 – Irradiation treatment consequences.
🏆Taste of the wild Vs Orijen : And the winner goes to…
Both brands are exceptional in their unique ways but we have to declare Taste of the wild the winner.
Taste of the wild is an award-winning brand that has remained relevant over the years.
It is quite economical for pet owners on a budget and the greatest merit for this brand is its rich nutritional composition.
| If you want | Then you should choose |
| Higher levels of protein | Orijen |
| A cost effective option | Taste of the wild |
| A wider variety of flavors and ingredients | Orijen |
| Safety, based on number of recalls | Both |
| A balanced diet for all age levels | Taste of the wild |
References:
https://www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com/
https://www.orijen.ca/foods/dog-food/freeze-dried-dog-food/original/
