Acana Regionals - slight formula changes

AllieMackie

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#1
Just an FYI. Don't panic or anything. :)

"Champion is excited to announce that enhancements to ACANA REGIONALS — Wild Prairie, Pacifica, Grasslands, Ranchlands — are just wrapping up and will be shipping June 15 (dog foods only).

The enhancements better express our Biologically Appropriate, Fresh Regional Ingredients, Never Outsourced [BA.FRI.NO.] mandate with new formulations featuring MORE Fresh Regional Ingredients; which have improved palatability
and feeding performance. We have also updated and enhanced the packaging and changed the sizes to match the rest of the ACANA line up."

I've compared the ingredients, and the changes are pretty minimal - adding Alberta red lentils, reducing potato, and altering the botanicals.

An example, the Ranchlands now:

INGREDIENTS
Deboned beef, lamb meal, herring meal, russet potato, peas, beef liver, herring oil, deboned bison, deboned lamb, sun-cured alfalfa, salmon meal, lamb liver, pea fiber, pumpkin, spinach, turnip greens, tomatoes, carrots, apples, kelp, cranberries, blueberries, juniper berries, chicory root, licorice root, angelica root, fenugreek, marigold flowers, sweet fennel, peppermint leaf, chamomile flowers, lavender flowers, summer savory, rosemary.

SUPPLEMENTS
Vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, niacin, riboflavin, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement, zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, selenium yeast, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product.

And the new upcoming Ranchlands:

INGREDIENTS
Deboned beef, beef meal, green peas, deboned lamb, lamb meal, whitefish meal*, herring oil, field beans, red lentils, whole potato, salmon meal, deboned bison, beef liver, lamb liver, sun-cured alfalfa, pea fibre, whole apples, whole pears, sweet potato, whole pumpkin, butternut squash, parsnips, carrots, spinach greens, cranberries, blueberries, kelp, chicory root, juniper berries,
angelica root, marigold flowers, sweet fennel, peppermint leaf, lavender, rosemary.
* ACANA’s whitefish meal contains wild-caught flounder, halibut and cod

VITAMINS, MINERALS, SUPPLEMENTS
Vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, niacin, riboflavin, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement, zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, selenium yeast, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product.

The three other formulas have the identical changes. Some of the protein sources seem to bounce around on the ingredient list some, like in the Ranchlands up there, and there is more fish inclusion in all the formulas. The guaranteed analysis is identical except fibre is higher (5% across the board), likely due to the bean inclusion.

I'm not sure the new formulas are better - they're certainly still great. I don't like that peas are pushed up as a protein source. I like that the eggs are nest-laid now. I like that the meat sources are continuing to improve.

Figured my fellow dog foodies would be interested! If you want the other three formula comparisons, I can post - copying from a PDF is aggravating due to line breaks.

Me? I feed Finnegan all four of these in rotation and still like the formula. Don't plan to change. I'm just crying at having to create 12 new SKUs in our data entry. *shakes fist at Champion!*
 

MandyPug

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#2
I was just going to post this today. They gave us a bunch of sheets that i was going to photograph and post on the changes.
 

PWCorgi

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#3
Blah! I got all excited when I didn't see lamb as the second ingredient anymore, thought I might actually be able to feed it. Alas, it's still in there :(

They're not adding eggs to Pacifica I hope. That's the only Acana that Frodo can have right now.

They need to come out with a Singles with either Pork/Beef/Bison/Rabbit and then I would be the happiest person ever.
 

JacksonsMom

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#6
Thanks for posting!

In regards to bag sizes, does this mean the grain-frees are going down to only 5lbs, too, vs. 5.5lbs? I know it's not a huge difference. That's the one reason I haven't been liking feeding the Singles line - the bag is different... the top is not as "open" as the grainfree, if that makes sense. It's like pinched in?
 

Lyzelle

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#7
I would love to know the Pacifica changes. That is what Zander is on now, because there are SO MANY things he can't have.

I just ordered another bag today, because there was a special going on this week. He doesn't actually *need* food, though, and this stuff lasts forever, so I'm prepared for a change if I have to make it.
 

AllieMackie

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#8
Here's the rest:

Wild Prairie, Old:

INGREDIENTS
Chicken meal, russet potato, boneless chicken, boneless walleye, whitefish meal*, peas, chicken fat, sun-cured alfalfa, chicken liver, boneless Lake Whitefish, whole eggs, salmon oil, sweet potato, pumpkin, spinach, turnip greens, tomatoes, carrots, apples, organic kelp, cranberries, blueberries, juniper berries, black currants, chicory root, licorice root, angelica root, fenugreek, marigold flowers, sweet fennel, peppermint leaf, chamomile flowers, lavender flowers, summer savory, rosemary.

* ACANA whitefish meal contains wild-caught Alaskan cod, pollack, sole, and haddock.

Wild Prairie, New:

INGREDIENTS
Deboned chicken, chicken meal, green peas, turkey meal, chicken liver oil, field beans, red lentils, whole potato, deboned turkey, whole egg, deboned walleye, sun-cured alfalfa, pea fiber, chicken liver, herring oil, whole apples, whole pears, sweet potato, pumpkin, butternut squash, parsnips, carrots, spinach greens, cranberries, blueberries, kelp, chicory root, juniper berries, angelica root, marigold flowers, sweet fennel, peppermint leaf, lavender, rosemary.

VITAMINS, MINERALS, SUPPLEMENTS
Vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, niacin, riboflavin, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement, zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, selenium yeast, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product.

Pacifica, Old:

INGREDIENTS
Boneless salmon, salmon meal, herring meal, russet potato, peas, whitefish meal*, sweet potatoes, salmon oil, sun-cured alfalfa, boneless herring, boneless flounder, natural fish flavors, pumpkin, turnip greens, spinach, tomatoes, carrots, apples, organic kelp, cranberries, blueberries, juniper berries, black currants, chicory root, licorice root, angelica root, fenugreek, marigold flowers, sweet fennel, peppermint leaf, chamomile flowers, lavender flowers, summer savory, rosemary.

* ACANA’s whitefish meal contains wild-caught Alaskan cod, pollack, sole, and haddock.

Pacifica, New:

INGREDIENTS
Boneless salmon, salmon meal, herring meal, whitefish meal*, green peas, red lentils, whole potato, boneless herring, boneless flounder, herring oil, field beans, canola oil, sun-cured alfalfa, pea fiber, natural fish flavor, whole apples, whole pears, sweet potato, pumpkin, butternut squash, parsnips,
carrots, spinach greens, cranberries, blueberries, kelp, chicory root, juniper berries, angelica root, marigold flowers, sweet fennel, peppermint leaf, lavender, rosemary
* ACANA’s whitefish meal contains wild-caught flounder, halibut and cod

VITAMINS, MINERALS, SUPPLEMENTS
Vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, niacin, riboflavin, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement, zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, selenium yeast, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product.

Grasslands, Old:

INGREDIENTS
Boneless lamb, lamb meal, salmon meal, russet potato, herring meal, chicken meal, peas, sweet potato, boneless duck, salmon oil, chicken fat, boneless walleye, dried chicken liver, sun-cured alfalfa, whole egg, pumpkin, spinach, turnip greens, tomatoes, carrots, apples, organic kelp, cranberries, blueberries, juniper berries, black currants, chicory root, licorice root, angelica root, fenugreek, marigold flowers, sweet fennel, peppermint leaf, chamomile flowers, lavender flowers, summer savory, rosemary.
* ACANA whitefish meal contains wild-caught Alaskan cod, pollack, sole and haddock.

SUPPLEMENTS
Vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, niacin, riboflavin, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement, zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, selenium yeast, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product.

Grasslands, New:

INGREDIENTS
Deboned lamb, lamb meal, duck meal, whitefish meal*, whole peas, red lentils, field beans, whole potato, deboned duck, whole eggs, deboned walleye, duck fat, herring oil, lamb liver, herring meal, sun-cured alfalfa, pea fibre, whole apples, whole pears, sweet potato, pumpkin, butternut squash, parsnips, carrots, spinach, cranberries, blueberries, kelp, chicory root, juniper berries, angelica root, marigold flowers, sweet fennel, peppermint leaf, lavender, rosemary.
* ACANA’s whitefish meal contains wild-caught flounder, halibut and cod

VITAMINS, MINERALS, SUPPLEMENTS
Vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, niacin, riboflavin, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement, zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, selenium yeast, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product.

Pacifica and Wild Prairie didn't have the supplement inclusions on the current website, though it may be in the PDFs.
 

AllieMackie

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#11
Thanks for posting!

In regards to bag sizes, does this mean the grain-frees are going down to only 5lbs, too, vs. 5.5lbs? I know it's not a huge difference. That's the one reason I haven't been liking feeding the Singles line - the bag is different... the top is not as "open" as the grainfree, if that makes sense. It's like pinched in?
Sadly, yes. The bags will all be the same sizes again.
 

RRs

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#14
First off, I am new registered user but have visited the site many, many times and find it to be a great resource.

As a customer of Champion foods (Acana and Orijen), I am not convinced that these ingredient changes are as benign as some make them out to be. Take Ranchlands, for instance. Peas are now one of the top 3 ingredients. Meanwhile the first named fish meal dropped from 3rd on the ingredient list to 8th, beef liver from 6th to 13th and deboned bison from 8th to 12th. Overall, plant based ingredients make up 4 of the first 10 ingredients in the new formula as compared to 3 in the old formula.
In general, this change appears to be replacing animal based protein sources with plant based protein sources (legumes), and I think that is a fairly significant change.
 

JacksonsMom

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#15
First off, I am new registered user but have visited the site many, many times and find it to be a great resource.

As a customer of Champion foods (Acana and Orijen), I am not convinced that these ingredient changes are as benign as some make them out to be. Take Ranchlands, for instance. Peas are now one of the top 3 ingredients. Meanwhile the first named fish meal dropped from 3rd on the ingredient list to 8th, beef liver from 6th to 13th and deboned bison from 8th to 12th. Overall, plant based ingredients make up 4 of the first 10 ingredients in the new formula as compared to 3 in the old formula.
In general, this change appears to be replacing animal based protein sources with plant based protein sources (legumes), and I think that is a fairly significant change.
I kind of tend to agree.

Are the protein/fat levels going to change with these newer formulas?
 

Maxy24

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#17
Don't they always report the percentage of animal ingredients in their food? you know how all of those formulas are supposed to be 60% animal ingredients. Is that reliable/truthful?


I don't like how the Wild Prarie (which I now feed) will now have green peas, field beans, red lentils, and whole potato in the first ten ingredients where before it just had russet potato and peas (and alfalfa but I don't really know what that is) in the first ten. They moved the first carb down the list but look like they added more to make up for it.
 

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