The Prime100 Dog Food Review: Tested & Evaluated 2024
Written By Eloisa Thomas | Canine Coach, Double M.A in Anthropology.
Edited & Fact Checked By Renae Soppe | B.A Journalism & Science.
Last Updated: 23rd January 2024
Have you ever heard of Prime100? If you were wondering about this brand and if the hype is worth it, keep reading! We teamed up with a panel that included veterinarians, canine nutritionists, and dedicated doggy parents to put the brand to the test. In doing so, our expert panel spent months researching and testing dozens of Prime100's top dog food options.
Our dog food experts have the ultimate Prime100 dog food review so you can have all the facts… and none of the fluff. Here’s what you should know about this brand.
Related: The Best Dog Food Australia.
Related: How To Choose The Right Dog Food?
Related: How Is Australia’s Dog Food Industry Regulated?
Related: What is AAFCO? The Association of American Feed Control Officials.
Related: What Is the Pet Food Industry Association of Australia (PFIAA)?
Related: AAFCO vs PFIAA: Dog Food Standards Comparison Australia.
Related: Understanding Guaranteed Analysis Levels in Dog Food.
Related: Real Meat vs Meat Meal.
Quick Pick - Our Best Rated Dog Food
Our Number 1 Pick -
Petzyo Dog Food
- Ethically sourced kangaroo, chicken or salmon, sweet potato & superfood extras
- Iron-rich & low fat proteins
- Three Omega-3 and Omega-6 rich oils with a well balanced 11% fat content
- Made in Australia
Australia's Prime100 SPD™ Fresh Rolls Food Review
Prime100 - 3 Star Rating
- Ingredients: Chicken and brown rice roll: Chicken (including ground chicken bone), brown rice, potato starch, vitamins, minerals, flaxseed oil, psyllium husk, sunflower oil, salt, natural digestive enzymes, celery seed powder.
- Named Protein First: Yes.
- Dog Food Type: Cooked, chilled rolls; a small variety of dry kibble; some treats.
- Recipe Range: Chicken & brown rice, lamb & rosemary, duck & sweet potato, turkey & flaxseed, wild boar & pumpkin, salmon & tapioca, crocodile & tapioca, kangaroo & pumpkin, kangaroo & potato, pea & hemp oil, chicken & veggies, beef & veggies.
- Suitable For: Chilled rolls are for adult dogs. Puppies and seniors can eat chilled rolls as a supplement and there are age-specific kibble recipes as well.
- Cost: $$
- Australian Owned: Yes.
Prime100 offers both chilled food and regular kibble, but their chilled rolls are the better known of the two. True to this, we’ll be dedicating the first part of this review to the chilled rolls, and address the kibble in the second half.
Taste | |
Ingredients | |
Protein content | |
Additives | |
Variety | |
Price | |
Taste 4/5
Prime100 has gathered a loyal following that is very active in social media. And our team of independent experts shared their own raves, claiming their pups seemed to love the taste of the food. We also liked that the rolls were relatively easy to cut up before mealtime.
The smell of the rolls is also pleasant for dog food, so we had no complaints from that aspect either. Chilled dog food also tends to be more palatable for picky eaters, so we’re giving this brand 4 out of 5 stars in this category.
Ingredients 3.5/5
The ingredients in Prime100 rolls are fairly nice, especially considering the usual ingredients in chilled dog food (gelatine and soy). Our team of experts also thought it good to see the ingredient list is relatively short and doesn’t have any obvious fillers to bulk it up.
Potato starch might be the only “filler” ingredient, used to thicken up and give structure to the roll. Overall it has a nice composition that can be a good base for a dog’s diet.
The dry matter analysis on the SPD rolls mentions a minimum of 28.5% protein and a minimum of 20% fat, which are great to see and satisfy the macronutrient requirements of most dogs.
Related: Understanding Dry Matter In Dog Food.
Nevertheless, it’s important to note this brand also has a “supermarket line” aimed at clients that don’t want to pay as much. The “regular” Prime100 rolls that aren’t labelled as “SPD” have a slightly different composition that isn’t as good.
The cheaper Prime100 rolls have meat as the first ingredient, followed by tapioca, peas and carrots. Following our proportion estimate, it’s safe to say meat would make up only around a quarter of the overall food. Plus, the high proportion of tapioca and peas means the carbs in the food are relatively high.
There are no other ingredients in the food besides the four already mentioned, plus vitamins, minerals, salt and water. While this option might get you by in a pinch, it isn’t a composition anyone on our panel of experts was particularly thrilled about.
We’re giving this brand 3.5 out of 5 stars in this category mainly because of the high proportion of carbs to protein and the differences between the premium and supermarket options.
Protein content 3/5
All Prime100 rolls have meat as the first ingredient. Of course, this doesn’t necessarily mean animal protein is the base of the food. As with many dog food brands, our canine nutritionists share that the first two to five ingredients are roughly in the same proportions. For example, the Chicken recipe with chicken, brown rice and potato starch as the first three ingredients probably has the same quantity of the three ingredients.
In the more affordable “supermarket” line (Prime100 instead of SPD), there is an even lower percentage of meat-to-other-ingredients. For example, the chicken and veggies has chicken, tapioca, peas and carrots as the first ingredients. This hints that chicken is in a 1:4 proportion to the rest of the carbohydrates.
Nevertheless, the meat used in the recipes seems to be of good quality. We also appreciate that, when possible, the meat includes ground bone and cartilages to round up the nutritional profile of the food adding calcium and collagen.
The SPD recipes are all single protein, and we're pleased that this brand has many options to choose from. On top of the typical chicken, beef, lamb and kangaroo, they have options like crocodile, wild boar, duck and even a no-meat option for dogs going through an elimination diet.
We would have liked to see some organ meals and a higher proportion of animal products in the recipes. Overall, the meat options are good enough in the SPD diet, and it’s definitely the better choice among the two lines offered by the brand. Our team of independent experts is giving Prime100 3 out of 5 in this category.
Additives 3/5
This brand’s recipes are fairly simple, so the extra goodies are scarce. In this category, there is a significant difference between the more premium SPD line and the supermarket option (marketed as Prime100).
The Prime100 rolls only have the main ingredients. Besides the necessary vitamin & mineral premix, salt and water, there are no extras. Considering this is a low to mid-range food, we would have expected more ingredients to round up the food. Carrots, celery or sweet potato could have been used. The lack of other ingredients mean that the micronutrient profile of this line is probably poor and you’d have to complement the food with fresh fruits and veggies.
On the other hand, the premium SPD rolls do have a few more extras, though nothing too impressive. On top of the bulk of the food, vitamins and minerals, there’s psyllium husk, sunflower oil, evening primrose oil, digestive enzymes and celery seed powder.
It’s nice to see both sunflower and evening primrose oil in the composition: these ingredients help keep your dog’s skin and coat healthy, something my sensitive pupper needs. The digestive enzymes will also help with digestibility and can help avoid an upset tummy after eating the food.
Overall, it’s a nice enough composition although it would have been interesting to see some more additions that have become common nowadays such as chia seeds, blueberries, spinach or kale. We’re giving this brand 3 out of 5 in this category.
Variety 4/5
This is where Prime100 shines. Very few dog food brands have this much protein variety for single protein diets, especially in the chilled roll format.
Our entire team of pros were happy to see other options besides chicken and beef. Plus, Prime100 has honed into food for dogs with food sensitivities. Their SPD line has a variety of protein options that would fit dogs that cannot eat the more common dog food flavours. We’re giving this brand 4 out of 5 in this category.
Price 3/5
This is a mid-range food with a price to match. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to find discounts for bulk buying. This is especially important if you have a large dog or a pack that eats a lot of food.
While the price is reasonable for the variety, the supermarket line is still a bit more expensive than expected for the short ingredient list. We’re giving this brand 3 out of 5 in this category.
Australia's Prime100 Dry Dog Food Review
This brand also makes traditional dry kibble. Since many owners prefer kibble to chilled, our team of independent experts also reviewed Prime100's kibble line. Here’s everything you need to know about their dry food offering:
Taste | |
Ingredients | |
Protein content | |
Additives | |
Variety | |
Price | |
Taste 4/5
Like their rolls, our research team noted that Prime100 kibble seems to taste fine enough. Some of our pups love it, however picky eaters might have a hard time if they don’t love kibble. Overall, it has a run-of-the-mill flavour that will fit most palates.
Smell-wise, it’s just like other kibbles: it shouldn’t have a strong smell and open bags should be stored in a dry place.
Because there’s nothing particularly amazing about the taste, we’re giving Prime100 kibble 4 out of 5.
Ingredients 3/5
As with their chilled food options, Prime100 boasts its kibble will cause “zero GI issues” on pups. To accomplish this, the brand only offers grain-free, gluten-free recipes that also use non-GMO ingredients.
The ingredient list for their kibble recipes are relatively similar among them. It starts with chicken meal, then they all have lentils, sweet potato, chickpeas, tapioca starch and field peas [1]. This is one of the instances where the first 2 to 5 ingredients in a dog food make up the bulk of the food.
Related: Real Meat vs Meat Meal in Dog Food.
Considering the first 5 ingredients are “bulky” ones, this means chicken meal per se only makes up around 20% of the food. This is common in dog food, but it’s important to remember that chicken as a first ingredient is a marketing tactic rather than plain numbers.
Nevertheless, for a kibble, it’s a nice enough ingredient list. We appreciate that there is no wheat, corn or soy to bulk up kibble without the added cost. Lentils, sweet potato, chickpeas and field peas are all healthy additions to a dog’s diet when eaten in moderation.
Beyond the main ingredients, we find poultry oil (a fancy way of saying poultry fat) and hydrolysed chicken liver. Our team of independent experts say that this last ingredient is a welcome addition to the recipe since it packs a significant amount of minerals and some extra protein to round up the food’s nutritional content.
From a macronutrient point of view, Prime100 is in line with other mid-range dog food brands. Their guaranteed analysis shows a minimum of 33% crude protein, 15% crude fat and a maximum of 4% fibre. The brand also offers an Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio, and they pack 4-to-1 as advised [2]. The rest of the ingredients are in significantly smaller proportions, making them part of the additives category.
Overall, the dry kibble recipes from this brand aren’t too bad, although it would have been better to have more meat. We’re giving it 3 out of 5 in this category.
Protein content 3/5
As we mentioned above, chicken meal is the first ingredient in Prime100 kibble. The Salmon and the Kangaroo recipe have swapped the chicken and instead have salmon meal and kangaroo meal respectively. All kibble recipes belong to the SPD line, meaning they are all single protein.
Sounds great, right? Well, not so fast.
Our research panel nore that in these recipes, meat is only one out of the main four ingredients, meaning there’s a rate of about 20% to 25% meat to 70%-75% legumes. This is expected of a kibble recipe: the making of kibble needs a high starch proportion to extrude the product.
Nevertheless, the chosen meat seems to be of good quality and sourced from human-grade processing facilities. We also appreciate their use of meat by-products like “chicken oil” (AKA chicken fat), but also salmon oil, and hydrolysed liver.
The protein percentage in the guaranteed analysis is in line with AAFCO guidelines. The AAFCO recommends 18% minimum protein [3], and Prime100 features 33% minimum of crude protein. Keep in mind this percentage includes the protein sourced from the lentils, chickpeas and field peas as well as the actual meat.
Considering the good quality of the meat and the inclusion of extras like hydrolysed liver, our experts are giving this brand 3 out of 5.
Additives 3/5
The ingredient list for Prime100 kibble is relatively short, a good sight in a sea of bad quality kibble. This brand has added a few nice extras that we appreciate:
All recipes also have a vague “fruit & vegetable extracts including blueberries”. However, this “ingredient” is so far down the list that its influence on the nutritional profile is probably negligible. We’re giving this brand 3 out of 5 for their kibble additives.
Variety 4/5
As we’ve mentioned, Prime100 specialises in chilled rolls. This means it’s not surprising to see their kibble offering is significantly smaller. As of the time of writing this article, they only offer four recipes: one for puppies, three for adults: chicken, salmon, and kangaroo. One of the adult recipes (kangaroo) is targeted at seniors because of the addition of green-lipped mussels.
All of our experts appreciated that these are all single-protein, grain-free recipes, so we’re giving the brand 4 out of 5 in this category.
Price 3/5
The price of Prime100 kibble is in line with other upper mid-range options, although the meat content is a bit too low for our taste at this price point. Nevertheless, it’s good enough not to break the bank if you have a large dog.
We’re taking off 2 stars because of the low meat content in regards to the price.
Do Not Buy If…
So, are you considering the chilled rolls or the kibble? While Prime100 might work for many pups, our panel of independent experts say it might not be the right choice for your dog if you:
The Final Verdict
Overall, our team of independent experts agree that Prime100 is a nice mid-range brand that offers some options if you want food for a sensitive dog. The ingredients are fairly nice, although the meat content is lower than advertised.
This isn’t cheap dog food, so if you wanted to save on your monthly bill, this probably isn’t the right choice. The price probably comes from being manufactured in Australia (which we appreciate), but at this price point we would expect meat to be a larger proportion of the overall food. It’s good enough to feed in a pinch, but if you can invest a bit more, maybe choose another brand.
Want to read more dog food brand reviews? Check out the below:
- Ivory Coat Dog Food Review
- Canidae Dog Food Review
- Advance Dog Food Review
- Farmers Market Dog Food Review
- Supercoat Dog Food Review
- Applaws Dog Food Review
- Optimum Dog Food Review
- Royal Canin Dog Food Review
- Nature's Gift Dog Food Review
- Baxters Dog Food Review
- Leaps & Bounds Dog Food Review
- Stay Loyal Dog Food Review
- Pedigree Dog Food Review
- Science Diet Dog Food Review
- Savour Life Dog Food Review
- Scratch Dog Food Review
- Black Hawk Dog Food Review
- Aldi Dog Food Review
- Vetalogica Dog Food Review
- Glow Dog Food Review
- Crave Dog Food Review
- ProBalance Dog Food Review
- Nood Dog Food Review
- Woofin Good Dog Food Review
- Instinctive Bite Dog Food Review
- Eukanuba Dog Food Review
- 4 Legs Dog Food Review
References
- "Chicken lentil turmeric kibble". Prime100 dog food. Retrieved May 28, 2023. https://prime100.com.au/product/chicken-lentil-turmeric-adult/
- Simopoulos, A. October, 2002. "The importance of the ratio of omega-6/omega-3 essential fatty acids". Journal of Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy. Retrieved May 28, 2023. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12442909/
- "Calorie Content". Association of American Feed Control Officials. Retrieved May 28, 2023. https://www.aafco.org/resources/startups/calorie-content/
- "Questions & Answers: FDA’s Work on Potential Causes of Non-Hereditary DCM in Dogs." December 23, 2022. FDA, US Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved May 28, 2023. https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/animal-health-literacy/questions-answers-fdas-work-potential-causes-non-hereditary-dcm-dogs
