What's actually in Petcurean Now Fresh?
We analyzed Now Fresh Grain-Free Adult Recipe — the flagship adult formula in the Now Fresh line. The first five ingredients are de-boned turkey, potatoes, peas, whole dried egg, and potato flour.
De-boned turkey leading the list is good on paper — it's fresh, whole, and named. The signature choice for Now Fresh is what you don't see: no turkey meal, no chicken meal, no meat meal of any kind anywhere in the ingredient list. That's Petcurean's brand position — "100% fresh meat" — and it's a genuinely different formulation philosophy from almost every other kibble on the market. The downside is that fresh meat is about 70% water. After the kibble is cooked and dried, the real protein contribution of "de-boned turkey" is significantly smaller than the first-position placement suggests. Shop on Amazon →
The good stuff
Whole dried egg at position four is a meaningful protein inclusion — egg is one of the highest-quality protein sources by biological value, and whole dried egg (not egg product) means both whites and yolks are present. Coconut oil delivers medium-chain fatty acids that support skin, coat, and energy metabolism. Canola oil adds plant omega-3s (ALA), and flaxseed further down provides more of the same.
The superfood panel is legit: apples, blueberries, cranberries, blackberries, pomegranate, papayas, bananas, pumpkin, carrots, sweet potato, squash, broccoli, tomato. Cottage cheese is an unusual but defensible inclusion — it contributes calcium and casein protein. Two named probiotic strains (Lactobacillus acidophilus, Enterococcus faecium) plus taurine, L-carnitine, and DL-methionine fill out the functional additions.
Preservation is natural: mixed tocopherols in the canola and coconut oils, and dried rosemary. No artificial preservatives, by-products, or meat meals. Made in Canada by Petcurean, a family-owned premium manufacturer.
The not-so-good stuff
The "no meat meals" philosophy is marketing's double-edged sword. Fresh de-boned turkey at position one weighs a lot because most of it is water — after cooking and extrusion, the concentrated protein contribution drops. That leaves peas (position three) and potato flour (position five) doing more of the functional protein work than the label presentation implies. DL-methionine and L-lysine are added as supplements further down, which is a tell that the formulators knew the amino-acid profile of the plant proteins needed topping up.
Potatoes, potato flour, and pea fiber stack up as three distinct starch-forward ingredients in the top seven. The overall carbohydrate load is high, and much of it is from starch and plant-protein sources rather than fiber-rich whole foods. Canola oil as a primary fat source is serviceable but not as ideal as chicken fat, salmon oil, or coconut oil would be as the leading fat.
This is also a grain-free formula with a meaningful legume inclusion (peas), which puts it adjacent to the FDA's ongoing dilated cardiomyopathy conversation. Now Fresh adds taurine, which mitigates the risk somewhat, but if you're working with a cardiologist who has flagged DCM concerns, a grain-inclusive formula may be a safer bet.
How it compares
Now Fresh's B (78/100) puts it in the upper-middle of the B tier alongside Blue Buffalo (B/78) and Taste of the Wild (B/78). It's neck-and-neck with Jinx (B/78), though the two take very different formulation approaches — Jinx uses a grain-inclusive base with meat meals, Now Fresh is grain-free with fresh meat only.
The natural upgrade is Fromm (B/84), which blends fresh meat with meat meals for a higher overall animal-protein load at a similar price. The natural comparison within Petcurean's own lineup is the Petcurean Go! Carnivore (A/90) — the sibling brand that does use meat meals and scores meaningfully higher as a result.
Acana (B/88) is another clear step up, with fresher meats alongside named meat meals, deeper organ-meat inclusions, and more diverse botanicals.
Read the full head-to-head: Petcurean Now Fresh vs Fromm.
The bottom line
Petcurean Now Fresh Grain-Free Adult earns a B grade (78/100) from KibbleIQ. Three named fresh proteins, whole dried egg, coconut oil, and a proper superfood panel are real positives. The no-meat-meals philosophy means fresh meat is carrying the "protein" claim on the label while plant proteins quietly do more work than they get credit for — which is why this formula doesn't push into A territory the way Petcurean's sibling Go! Carnivore does. If you prefer fresh-meat-only formulas and the price fits your budget, it's a defensible pick. If you want the most animal protein per dollar, look at Fromm or Petcurean Go!. Shop on Amazon →