The scores
Nom Nom: A (82/100) — Lower A-tier cooked-fresh. Ground beef leads, eggs as secondary protein, board-certified veterinary nutritionist formulation.
Spot & Tango: B (76/100) — Upper-end B cooked-fresh. Beef and beef liver lead, brown rice as carb base, veterinarian-developed recipes.
Both are in the "reasonable cooked-fresh subscription" category. The 6-point gap is meaningful but not catastrophic — a dog would do well on either product.
How the ingredients compare
Nom Nom (Beef Mash): Ground Beef, Russet Potatoes, Eggs, Carrots, Peas, Water Sufficient for Processing, Dicalcium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Citric Acid, Natural Flavor, Vinegar, Calcium Carbonate, Taurine, Fish Oil, Sunflower Oil
Spot & Tango (Beef): Beef, Beef Liver, Butternut Squash, Spinach, Carrots, Brown Rice, Potatoes, Safflower Oil, Apples, Salt, Salmon Oil
Spot & Tango’s top 5 is actually cleaner by several measures: beef plus beef liver opening (where Nom Nom has ground beef plus russet potato as the primary non-supplement second ingredient), butternut squash plus spinach whole vegetables ahead of the carb base, and no "water sufficient for processing" line. But Spot & Tango has a longer synthetic supplement tail, lacks eggs as a secondary whole-food protein source, and uses formulation-only AAFCO substantiation with lighter sourcing transparency than Nom Nom’s documented board-certified-vet-nutritionist oversight.
Where Nom Nom pulls ahead
Deepest formulation oversight in its price tier: Nom Nom’s recipes are developed by a board-certified veterinary nutritionist (DACVN or equivalent credential requiring 4–6 years of post-vet-school specialty residency in nutrition) supported by a PhD-led veterinary science team. This level of in-house nutrition expertise is unusual for any subscription brand and uniquely strong in this price tier. Spot & Tango’s recipes are described as "veterinarian-developed" without the board-certification emphasis.
Eggs as secondary whole-food protein: Nom Nom includes eggs at position 3 — a complete protein source with the full essential amino acid profile and bioavailable choline. Spot & Tango uses only beef and beef liver as whole-food protein sources.
Chelated mineral premix: Nom Nom’s supplementation uses copper gluconate, manganese gluconate, iron amino acid chelate, selenium amino acid chelate, and zinc gluconate consistently across the formula. Spot & Tango uses chelated forms but the mix is shorter. Shop on Amazon →
Where Spot & Tango holds its own
Cleaner top-2 protein opening: Spot & Tango leads with beef + beef liver, an organ-meat-on-muscle-meat pattern. Nom Nom has ground beef at position 1 but russet potato at position 2 — a starch in the position-2 slot rather than an organ. This is a real difference in panel structure.
Lower-glycemic carb base: Spot & Tango uses brown rice (whole grain) as primary carb, with potatoes secondary. Nom Nom uses russet potatoes primary (higher glycemic index than sweet potatoes or whole grains).
No added water or natural flavor: Spot & Tango’s panel avoids the "water sufficient for processing" and "natural flavor" line items that appear on Nom Nom. Over a 16-ingredient panel, those two lines add up to 4 rubric points.
Typically lower pricing: Spot & Tango’s subscription typically prices below Nom Nom at comparable plan sizes. Shop on Amazon →
The bottom line
Nom Nom wins on formulation oversight depth and the egg-as-secondary-protein inclusion — those two factors drive most of the 6-point rubric gap. Spot & Tango wins on top-2 protein position structure and carb-base choice. If you prioritize verifiable in-house veterinary nutrition expertise, Nom Nom is the pick. If you prioritize ingredient-panel structure over credentials, Spot & Tango is the defensible alternative. Read the full reviews: Nom Nom and Spot & Tango. For the higher-score cooked-fresh tier at a similar price point, Ollie (A/90) outscores both.