Dog owners worldwide feed their dogs multiple times a day, relying on dog food to provide essential nutrition at every stage of life. They expect the products to be free from harmful heavy metals and industrial chemicals. At Clean Label Project, we do not take safety claims at face value — we rely on data and scientific evidence to uncover what contaminants consumers are exposed to. Our mission is to champion and safeguard transparency.
The global dog food market size was valued at $72.58 billion in 2024, with North America representing over 35% of the market. Many pet owners care for their dogs as deeply as parents care for their children, hoping to ensure long, happy, and healthy lives, and trusting that the food they give their dogs meets their nutritional needs. However, the Clean Label Project’s Dog Food Category Report reveals that many popular dog foods fall short – and may even be harmful – containing dangerous levels of heavy metals, acrylamide, and plastic contaminants.
This report, which tested 79 top-selling dry, freeze-dried, and fresh/frozen dog food products, raises concerns that call into question current assumptions about product safety and purity.
This free tool—the largest known dog food ingredient and contaminant database in the world—allows anyone with the list of ingredients in their dog’s food to be able to run a prediction, powered by machine learning, as to the levels of contamination that could be found in the final product.
Discover verified products tested by Clean Label Project, build smarter grocery lists, and stay informed with the latest health and food safety news.
Clean Label Project purchased and rigorously evaluated 79 of the top-selling dry, air-dried, freeze-dried, and fresh/frozen dog foods. The scope of testing assessed multiple panels of industrial and environmental contaminants. Collaborating with Ellipse Analytics, an ISO 17025-accredited analytical chemistry laboratory, Clean Label Project amassed over 11,376 individual data points from those 79 products to benchmark the findings.
As industrial and environmental researchers focused on consumer products, we deliberately analyze data in a way that reflects real-world consumer behavior. Most pet owners follow the feeding guidelines on the package and measure their dog’s food by the cup rather than calculating a precise nutritional formula.
Clean Label Project evaluated our findings using both serving size and kilocalories. Both approaches revealed significantly higher levels of contaminants in dry dog food. Because manufacturers present nutritional information by serving size—and consumers rely on those recommendations—our report uses serving size as the basis for comparison.
Click below to view the full list of products tested as part of this study.
| Heavy Metals (in ppb) | Dry (50 Samples) | Air & Freeze Dried (11 Samples) | Fresh/Frozen (18 Samples) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenic Highest Sample | 785.7 | 362.6 | 57.0 |
| Arsenic Average | 184.6 | 148.5 | 13.9 |
| Cadmium Highest Sample | 246.1 | 247.9 | 20.6 |
| Cadmium Average | 68.5 | 69.3 | 11.3 |
| Mercury Highest Sample | 55.3 | 7.9 | 0.9 |
| Mercury Average | 3.8 | 2.4 | 0.2 |
| Lead Highest Sample | 1,576.5 | 194.4 | 16.9 |
| Lead Average | 180.1 | 53.9 | 8.5 |
| Phthalate (DEHP) (in ppb) | Dry (50 Samples) | Air & Freeze Dried (11 Samples) | Fresh/Frozen (18 Samples) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highest Sample | 570.0 | 173.5 | 26.4 |
| DEHP Average | 53.5 | 42.7 | 4.9 |
| Acrylamide (in ppb) | Dry (50 Samples) | Air & Freeze Dried (11 Samples) | Fresh/Frozen (18 Samples) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highest Sample | 780.0 | 103.8 | 24.7 |
| Acrylamide Average | 48.3 | 27.7 | 2.0 |
The Clean Label Project found an exceedingly high amount of arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and lead in dry, air-dried, and freeze-dried dog food. Because there are few regulations for dog food related to contaminants, Clean Label Project compared these findings to data from 3,280 food, beverage, and supplement samples tested over the past 10 years, using the averages to illustrate the elevated contaminant levels in dog food compared to human-consumable products. Over 85% of dog food owners feed their dog dry dog food.
Fresh/Frozen dog food samples we tested were lower in contaminants than our human consumables benchmark from over 3,280 products. Furthermore, on average, fresh/frozen dog food was found to have exponentially lower contaminants than dry dog food.
The difference in heavy metal levels in dry dog food vs. fresh/frozen dog food and human consumables is striking. Check the data out below!
Dry dog food has
more arsenic than human consumables and
13.3x
more arsenic than fresh/frozen dog food
Dry dog food has
3.2x
more cadmium than human consumables and
6.1x
more cadmium than fresh/frozen dog food
Dry dog food has
2.7x
more mercury than human consumables and
20.7x
more mercury than fresh/frozen dog food
Dry dog food has
12.7x
more lead than human consumables and
21.2x
more lead than fresh/frozen dog food
When a test result is typically applied to a serving size, the contamination result will often change to some degree. However, when it comes to dog food, we found that the impact of serving size doesn’t demonstrate much variation in the level of heavy metal contamination. Dog food, in general, has a very large serving size compared to human food. As the following serving size results table demonstrates, there was no significant difference in the test results variances between dry and fresh/frozen.
| Heavy Metals (in ppb) | Dry (50 Samples) | Air & Freeze Dried (11 Samples) | Fresh/Frozen (18 Samples) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenic Highest Sample | 442.3 | 201.2 | 40.7 |
| Arsenic Average | 93.4 | 76.4 | 7.9 |
| Cadmium Highest Sample | 153.8 | 154.9 | 12.9 |
| Cadmium Average | 42.8 | 43.3 | 7.1 |
| Mercury Highest Sample | 34.6 | 4.9 | 0.06 |
| Mercury Average | 2.4 | 1.5 | 0.1 |
| Lead Highest Sample | 985.3 | 121.5 | 10.6 |
| Lead Average | 112.6 | 33.7 | 5.3 |
When we adjusted the raw data (above) to the recommended serving size, dry dog food is still exponentially higher in heavy metals than fresh/frozen. With the recommended serving size, Dry Dog Food has the highest heavy metal result:
There are no comprehensive federal regulations specifically addressing dietary exposure to industrial and environmental chemicals in dog food, as most safety measures concentrate on physical and microbiological contaminants.
The elevated levels of heavy metals in dry, air-dried, and freeze-dried dog food can originate from multiple sources. Based on our research, we believe three key ingredients are the primary contributors:
Meat by-products consist of the parts of an animal that remain after the cuts consumed by humans are removed. This includes organs such as the livers, lungs, kidneys, and spleens, as well as bones, and other tissues. The by-products are then processed to create a meat by-product meal, which is commonly used in many dry dog foods. Heavy metals tend to concentrate in the organs and bones, which leads to higher levels of these heavy metals in dog food.
Vitamin and mineral premixes are added to many dog foods to ensure pets get the essential nutrients they need. Vitamin and minerals can naturally contain or consist of trace metals. It remains unclear whether factors like country of origin, regulatory oversight, inspection practice (announced versus unannounced), and supply-chain complexity – where ingredients change hands multiple times, making traceability more difficult – have any impact. All of these areas merit further study.
Many dog foods include seafood and plant-based carbohydrates, but these ingredients can introduce heavy metals. Seafood often contains high levels of mercury, and certain grains and root vegetables can accumulate metals like arsenic from the soil, such as
arsenic in rice.
Individually, each one of these ingredients may contribute only minimally to heavy metal levels. However, when all three are combined in a single dry dog food product, their cumulative effect can result in a substantial increase in heavy metals.
Clean Label Project partnered with the independent analytical chemistry laboratory, Ellipse Analytics, to test six panels of industrial chemicals:
The heavy metals (arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury), were tested by Inductively Coupled Plasma – Mass Spectroscopy (ICP-MS); Phthalates were tested by Gas Chromatography – Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS/MS); and Bisphenols, glyphosate, and pesticides were
tested by Liquid Chromatography – Tandem Mass Spectroscopy (LC-MS/MS).
The elevated levels of heavy metals in dry, air-dried, and freeze-dried dog food can originate from multiple sources. Based on our research, we believe three key ingredients are the primary contributors:
Meat by-products consist of the parts of an animal that remain after the cuts consumed by humans are removed. This includes organs such as the livers, lungs, kidneys, and spleens, as well as bones, and other tissues. The by-products are then processed to create a meat by-product meal, which is commonly used in many dry dog foods. Heavy metals tend to concentrate in the organs and bones, which leads to higher levels of these heavy metals in dog food.
Vitamin and mineral premixes are added to many dog foods to ensure pets get the essential nutrients they need. Vitamin and minerals can naturally contain or consist of trace metals. It remains unclear whether factors like country of origin, regulatory oversight, inspection practice (announced versus unannounced), and supply-chain complexity – where ingredients change hands multiple times, making traceability more difficult – have any impact. All of these areas merit further study.
Many dog foods include seafood and plant-based carbohydrates, but these ingredients can introduce heavy metals. Seafood often contains high levels of mercury, and certain grains and root vegetables can accumulate metals like arsenic from the soil, such as
Individually, each one of these ingredients may contribute only minimally to heavy metal levels. However, when all three are combined in a single dry dog food product, their cumulative effect can result in a substantial increase in heavy metals.
Our mission is to empower consumers by delivering accurate and reliable product information based on our testing and analysis of the products they purchase. This data enables consumers to make informed choices that prioritize safety and quality in the dog food they purchase.
“The love and joy a dog brings to a family are immeasurable,” said Molly Hamilton, Executive Director of Clean Label Project®. “Every dog owner should feel confident that the food they give their pup is nutritious and free from harmful substances.”
The following companies have dog foods that are Clean Label Project Certified®:
