Cesar Information
Cesar is a longstanding dog food brand, with its predecessor brands having existed since 1936. Originally Cesar was known as Kal Kan (which still exists, you can read about it here). Eventually, Kal Kan was purchased by Mars and rebranded as Pedigree.
Eventually, Mars split off an arm of Pedigree and named this Cesar, and the brand has been a staple of grocery store shelves ever since.
Cesar dog food recipes are made in the United States at one of Mars Petcare’s manufacturing facilities. However, we aren’t sure exactly which facility this is and where it is located in the United States.
Cesar dog food is widely available to purchase in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and across the world.
It is most commonly found in retail grocery stores like Walmart but can also be found at pet food stores like Petsmart.
You can also purchase Cesar online at one of the large pet food websites like Chewy and Amazon.
Cesar Product Range
Cesar has a huge product range of dog food products, including dry dog food, wet/canned dog food, and dog treats. The vast majority of this range is wet/canned dog food recipes which is what Cesar is best known for.
Cesar’s dry dog food range only includes three recipes which a product range that is notably smaller than most brands.
Cesar doesn’t have many specialized recipes, which makes sense given the bulk of their range is wet food. They do have some puppy recipes and others that could be classed as a limited ingredient diet.
Cesar Nutrition
The nutrition offered by Cesar dog food recipes is generally average when compared to other dog food brands.
Cesar retains the advantage that the bulk of their food is wet/canned dog food, which tends to provide more consistent nutritional profiles.
Most Cesar wet dog food recipes have significant proportions of animal-based protein and fat with a moderate proportion of carbohydrates and fiber.
Below is an example of the nutrition provided by a typical Cesar wet dog food recipe.
If you would like to learn more about canine nutrition, we highly recommend you check out our Dog Food Guide.
Cesar Ingredients
High-Quality Meat & Fish Ingredients
- Beef
- Lamb
- Pork
- Chicken
- Turkey
- Duck
Given Cesar’s large product range, they only use a moderate number of meat ingredients, most of which are listed above.
All of these meat ingredients are high-quality sources of nutrition and can provide much-needed animal-based protein and fat.
Some of these ingredients are industry favorites, such as Chicken, Turkey, and Beef. These ingredients are popular among manufacturers as they are affordable, easy to source, and highly nutritious.
Some Cesar recipes utilize organ meat ingredients like Chicken Liver and Chicken Heart. Organ meat ingredients like these are excellent additions to dog food recipes and can enhance their flavor as well as boost levels of beneficial vitamins and minerals that might not be abundant in traditional meat cuts.
Other Notable Ingredients
Cesar uses a large range of grain ingredients in its recipes, especially their dry dog food recipes. Some examples of these grain ingredients include Corn, Wheat, Brewers Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Soybean Meal, and Barley.
Grain ingredients such as these can be controversial additions to pet food recipes, with many dog owners being strongly against their use.
However, there are also strong supporters of the use of grain ingredients, especially among dog owners who feed brands like Purina Pro Plan and Royal Canin.
Regardless of opinion, grain ingredients can provide a mix of nutrition in the form of carbohydrates, plant-based protein, and fiber.
Sadly, some of the grain ingredients used by Cesar are grain by-products. Examples of these include Brewers Rice and Wheat Gluten.
These ingredients have an even worse reputation than whole grains and are described as waste products by some.
You can read more about Brewers Rice here.
Sadly, some of Cesar’s recipes use unnamed meat ingredients such as Meat & Bone Meal and Animal Fat.
While these ingredients can provide nutrition to dogs, their lack of accountability and transparency is a major concern.
Cesar could alter their source of makeup without informing consumers or altering their packaging.
Thankfully, Cesar’s use of these ingredients isn’t as widespread as some other low-cost brands, and named meats tend to be present in higher quantities.
Select Cesar recipes use a small portion of Potatoes as a minor ingredient. Potatoes are a starch ingredient and can act as a dense source of carbohydrates.
Due to this density, their portion size must be tightly controlled to avoid it becoming excessive. However, as we mentioned, Cesar only uses a small portion of Potatoes, so it is not worthy of concern.
Some other Cesar recipes use small portions of vegetable ingredients like Peas, Carrots, and Spinach. Vegetable ingredients such as these can provide a mix of carbohydrates, plant-based protein, and fiber to dogs, as well as unique flavor.
Dried Beet Pulp is a regular feature in recipes from many dog food brands. It is used as a reliable source of soluble fiber, which can be critical to some dogs.
This is as it can help maintain regular digestion and stools. Outside of this fiber content, Dried Beet Pulp provides little nutrition.
You can read more about Dried Beet Pulp in our article Dried Beet Pulp In Dog Food.
Given that the bulk of Cesar’s recipes are wet food, they use a number of gum ingredients, including Carrageenan, Guar Gum, and Xanthan Gum.
These ingredients are binding agents and are used to bind the food together and give it a consistent texture and appearance.
You can read more about Carrageenan in our article Carrageenan In Dog Food.
Cesar Animal Testing
We have no information on what type of animal testing that Cesar participates in and whether this is laboratory in style or invasive.
However, given that Cesar is owned by Mars Petcare, it likely shares the same practices as other Mars brands.
We strongly believe that invasive or laboratory testing of animal for pet food is a cruel and outdated practice and one which we hope will see a significant decline.
Cesar Recalls
Based on our research (FDA, AVMA, DogFoodAdvisor), Cesar has had a single recall in its past, which means it is not a recall-free brand.
In October 2016, Cesar issued a recall due to the potential for a choking hazard from small plastic pieces found in some of its recipes.
Foreign object contamination such as plastic is a common recall cause and has affected a number of brands over the years.
Thankfully this recall only affected a small selection of recipes and batches of Cesar dog food. In particular, it was select individual or variety packages of the Classics Filet Mignon recipe with Best By dates of August 4th, or August 5th, 2018.
The specific lot numbers are shown below:
- 631FKKC
- 631GKKC
- 632D14JC
- 633B24JC
- 634A14JC
- 634A24JC
- 634B14JC
- 634B24JC
- 634E14JC
- 635A24JC
- 635B14JC
- 636D24JC
- 636E14JC
Given the scale of Cesar’s operation and the length of time they have been a player in the industry, this recall record is not unimpressive, especially when compared to other low-cost brands.
We hope that Cesar can maintain a high standard of quality and safety in its production process in the coming years and avoid any future recalls.
Regardless we always encourage pet owners to be vigilant of any future recalls of Cesar or any other pet food brand.
Best of Cesar
Simply Crafted Chicken, Carrots, Barley & Spinach Review
Cesar Featured Articles
At this time, Cesar has not been featured in any of our articles.
Full Cesar Product Range
Dry Dog Food
Filet Mignon Flavor & Spring Vegetables
Rotisserie Chicken Flavor & Spring Vegetables
Porterhouse Flavor & Spring Vegetables
Wet/Canned Dog Food
Home Delights Beef Stew
Home Delights Slow Cooked Chicken & Vegetables Dinner In Sauce
Home Delights Pot Roast With Spring Vegetables Dinner
Chicken & Liver Recipe
Grilled Chicken Flavor
Rotisserie Chicken Flavor With Bacon & Cheese
Beef Recipe
Grilled Steak & Eggs Flavor
Filet Mignon Flavor
Porterhouse Steak Flavor
Home Delights Turkey, Green Beans & Potatoes Dinner In Sauce
Home Delights Grilled Ribeye Steak Flavor With Vegetables In Sauce
Angus Beef Flavor With Bacon & Cheese
Home Delights Grilled New York Strip Flavor With Vegetables In Sauce
Smoked Bacon & Egg Flavor
Home Delights Grilled Porterhouse Steak Flavor With Potatoes & Bacon In Sauce
Home Delights Hearty Chicken & Noodle Dinner In Sauce
Chicken & Beef Recipe
Filet Mignon Flavor With bacon & Potato
Duck Recipe
Lamb Recipe
Rosemary Chicken Flavor With Spring Vegetables
Top Sirloin Flavor
Puppy – Chicken & Beef Recipe
Prime Rib Flavor
Ham & Egg Flavor With Potato & Cheese
New York Strip Flavor
Scrambled Egg & Sauage Flavor
Oven Roasted Chicken Flavor
Simply Crafted Chicken, Carrots, Potatoes & Peas
Puppy – Lamb & Rice Recipe
Simply Crafted Chicken, Carrots & Green Beans
Simply Crafted Chicken
Home Delights Harvest Potluck With Turkey In Gravy
Chicken & Veal Recipe
Home Delights T-Bone Steak, Egg & Cheese Flavor in Sauce
Home Delights Sausage Flavor With Egg & Cheese In Sauce
Simply Crafted Chicken, Sweet Potato, Apple, Barley & Spinach
Simply Crafted Chicken, Carrots, Barley & Spinach
Home Delights Scramble With Turkey, Spinach & Cheese In Sauce
Turkey Recipe
Turkey Recipe Filets
Simply Crafted Beef, Chicken, Purple Potatoes, Green Beans, & Red Rice
Simply Crafted Beef, Chicken, Purple Potatoes, Peas & Carrots
Home Delights BBQ Chicken Flavor With Green Beans and Orzo In Sauce
Home Delights Braised Rib Flavor With Carrots And Peas In Sauce
Rotisserie Chicken Flavor
Dry-Aged Ribeye Flavor
Wholesome Bowls Chicken, Carrots, Barley & Green Beans Recipe
Wholesome Bowls Beef, Chicken, Carrots, & Purple Potatoes Recipe
Wholesome Bowls Chicken, Sweet Potatoes & Green Beans Recipe
Wholesome Bowls Chicken Recipe
Wood-Grilled Chicken Flavor
Simply Crafted Chicken, Duck, Purple Potatoes, Pumpkin, Green Beans & Brown Rice
Dog Treats
Softies Medley Trio
Softies Grilled Chicken
Softies Filet Mignon
Meaty Bites Chicken Recipe
Jerky Bites Beef & Sweet Potato Recipe
Jerky Bites Chicken & Apple Recipe
Jerky Bites Pork & Peach Recipe
Meaty Bites Beef Recipe