Harringtons Puppy: Turkey & Rice or Superfoods Chicken & Veg?
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Harringtons makes two puppy foods that look similar on the shelf but are built differently: a conventional Turkey & Rice recipe sold in an 18kg bag, and a grain-free Superfoods Chicken & Veg recipe sold in a 10kg bag. The choice comes down to three things: whether you want grain in the recipe, how much food you want to buy and store at once, and how much detail you want from the listing before you commit.
The two listings side by side
| Turkey & Rice | Superfoods Chicken & Veg | |
|---|---|---|
| Pack size on listing | 18kg | 10kg |
| Main protein named | Turkey and meat meals 33% (dried turkey 7%, freshly prepared chicken 4%) | Chicken 35% (26% dried chicken, 5% chicken fat, minimum 4% freshly prepared) |
| Carbohydrate sources | Maize, oats (15.5%), rice (5.6%) | Sweet potato (26%), potato, peas, beans (8%) |
| Grain | Yes, with a "wheat may contain" allergen note | Listed as grain-free, with no wheat, dairy or soya |
| Analysis on listing | Protein 30%, fat 14%, fibre 3.5%, 383kcal per 100g | Not given in the text available |
| Kibble | Described as smaller kibbles for small mouths | Not described |
| Amazon.co.uk rating at time of writing | 4.6 out of 5 from 5,169 ratings | 4.7 out of 5 from 241 ratings |
Both are described as suitable for all breed sizes. One caution: the Superfoods listing also lists its dog breed size as "Medium" in one field, so it is worth checking the pack before assuming the two are interchangeable for a very small or very large puppy.
What actually differs
The grain question. Turkey & Rice leans on maize and oats, with rice further down. The Superfoods recipe swaps those for sweet potato, potato, peas and beans. Neither approach is better for every puppy. Plenty of dogs do well on grain-inclusive food and plenty do well on grain-free, and our explainer on grain-free or grain-inclusive food goes into why the label matters less than the individual dog. The Superfoods listing also uses wording like "hypoallergenic" and a long list of health uses. Those are marketing claims, and we have not repeated them. If your puppy has a diagnosed food problem, your vet is the person to advise on diet.
How much information you get. The Turkey & Rice listing gives a full analysis and an energy figure, which makes it easier to compare with other puppy foods or to work out feeding by calorie. The Superfoods text provided includes ingredient percentages but no analysis or energy value, so you would need the bag to see them. It does give a useful detail, though: a botanical blend of rosemary, spinach, pomegranate and blueberries at 1500mg/kg, which tells you how small that "superfood" content actually is.
Where the protein comes from. The two recipes name their protein differently. Turkey & Rice puts 33% in "turkey and meat meals", which includes dried turkey at only 7%. The Superfoods recipe counts 35% as chicken in total, including chicken fat. Neither lists all of its meat as fresh, so a headline percentage is best read alongside the breakdown in brackets.
Pack size and freshness. At 18kg, the Turkey & Rice bag suits a household with a larger puppy or more than one dog, or one that is confident about storage. A smaller puppy may take months to finish it. Most makers advise keeping kibble in a cool, dry place and using it before the best-before date, and many owners decant into an airtight container. The Superfoods 10kg bag is more manageable if you are still not sure your puppy will take to the recipe.
The honest cons
Turkey & Rice contains maize and oats, so it is not a fit for an owner who needs to avoid grain. The allergen field says wheat may be present, so check the pack if wheat is a concern. It also uses a general "meat meals" category, and the chicken it contains means it is not a turkey-only food.
Superfoods is grain-free but built on potato, sweet potato and legumes, which not every owner wants. Its listing makes a wide range of health claims in a way that is hard to verify, and it has far fewer ratings than the other food, so there is less of a track record to lean on. It also carries chicken, so it is not a route to avoiding chicken.
How to pick
Choose Turkey & Rice if you want a grain-inclusive recipe with a published analysis and energy figure, a bag big enough to last, and a food with a large body of ratings behind it. Choose Superfoods Chicken & Veg if you specifically want a grain-free recipe, prefer to buy a 10kg bag at a time, and are comfortable with the legume-based carbohydrate. Both need the same careful, gradual switch from whatever your puppy is eating now, as covered in our guide to switching your dog's food, and if you are weighing them against other budget options, see our value puppy food roundup. Check the current price on Amazon for either bag before buying.
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