Diamond

Diamond Information

Diamond is a pet food brand that was founded in 1970 by brothers-in-law Gary Schell and Richard Kampeter and is now one of the largest pet food manufacturers in the world.

These brothers-in-law purchased a former milling company in the town of Meta, Missouri, with a tiny population of just 220.

While Diamond produces its own branded products, it is also the manufacturer of food for a number of 3rd party brands such as Taste of the Wild, Nutra-Nuggets, 4Health, and Nutra Gold.

Outsourcing of pet food production is increasingly common as brands look to maximize profits and efficiency.

All of Diamond’s own brand recipes sold in the United States are also manufactured in the United States.

This production takes place at a number of facilities in locations like South Carolina, California, Arkansas, and Missouri.

You can even see a photo gallery of these manufacturing facilities on Diamond’s website.

For those looking to get ahold of Diamond recipes, they are available for purchase at thousands of retail stores across the United States and worldwide.

In addition, you can purchase Diamond recipes online at popular pet food websites like Chewy, Amazon, and Petflow.

Diamond Product Range

Dog Food

Diamond has a large range of dog food recipes. This range is a mix of dry dog food recipes and wet/canned dog food recipes.

Within this range, there is a mix of grain-free and grain-inclusive recipes to appeal to both sides of the spectrum.

There is also a number of niche types of dog food available from Diamond, such as puppy food, senior dog food, and large-breed dog food.

Cat Food

Diamond’s cat food range is much smaller than its dog food range. It contains a mix of dry and wet/canned cat food.

Within this range, there are some niche recipes, such as those for kittens or indoor cats, as well as recipes for cats with specific health problems.

Diamond Nutrition

Dog Food

The nutrition offered by Diamond dog food recipes varies but is generally average to above average.

This nutritional profile consists of reasonable proportions of protein and fat and proportions of carbohydrates that are somewhat above ideal.

Thankfully Diamond does not utilize vegetable by-products that are high in protein, like Pea Protein and Potato Protein. Instead, the majority of their protein is from animal or fish sources.

Below is an example of the nutrition provided by a Diamond dry dog food recipe.

If you’d like to learn more about canine nutrition, we’d highly recommend you check out our Dog Food Guide for a detailed discussion and overview.

Cat Food

The nutrition offered by Diamond cat food recipes is similar to their dog food range and varies between average and above-average.

A nutritional profile high in animal and fish-based protein and fat is critical for cats as they are obligate carnivores. This means they are not suited to a diet high in plant-based ingredients.

If you’d like to read more about feline nutrition and what it means to be an obligate carnivore, be sure to head on over to our Cat Food Guide.

Diamond Ingredients

High-Quality Meat & Fish Ingredients

• Beef
• Lamb
• Pork
• Chicken
• Salmon

Diamond uses a moderate range of high-quality meat and fish ingredients in its recipes. Many of these are industry favorites like Chicken, Beef, and Salmon.

These ingredients are chosen so regularly as they are affordable, highly nutritious, and easy to source.

Other Notable Ingredients

Sadly, some of Diamond’s lower-cost recipes use ingredients such as Meat Meal and Poultry By-Product Meal. While these ingredients may provide some beneficial nutrition, they are vague and difficult to hold accountable.

As a rule of thumb, all meat ingredients in a dog food recipe should be specifically named, like Chicken or Chicken Meal.

Diamond uses some controversial grain ingredients in its recipes. Examples of these include Corn and Wheat.

These ingredients are dense sources of carbohydrates and can also provide some additional nutrition in the form of fiber and micronutrients.

Many pet owners refuse to feed their pet food with grain ingredients such as these, while there are other pet owners who are strongly behind their use.

Diamond also uses some less controversial grain ingredients in select recipes. These include Sorghum, Rice, and Barley.

These ingredients provide very similar nutrition to the previously mentioned grains but are considered by many to be superior, given they are less “processed”.

Sweet Potatoes are a starch ingredient, and they feature in some Diamond recipes. Starch ingredients like

Sweet Potatoes are incredibly dense sources of carbohydrates which means that their portion size must be tightly controlled.

Diamond’s grain-free recipes use legume ingredients like Peas and Lentils. Legumes such as these are extremely popular among dog food manufacturers thanks to their low cost and favorable nutrition.

Sadly, some Diamond recipes use the pea by-product, Pea Flour. Pea Flour is a processed version of Peas that is an extremely dense source of carbohydrates.

Pea Flour is often used in conjunction with Peas in a technique known as Ingredient Splitting. This technique is designed to mislead consumers about the portion size of ingredients in a recipe.

Learn more about this in our article Ingredient Splitting in Pet Food – Exposed.

Chicken Fat is regularly found in pet food recipes. Its purpose is to enhance the flavor of the recipe as well as boost the overall proportion of animal-based fat.

Chicken Fat is chosen over alternatives as it is cost-effective and easy to source. Learn more about Chicken Fat in Chicken Fat In Dog Food.

Tomato Pomace and Dried Beet Pulp are very similar ingredients, and their purpose in pet food is to provide soluble fiber.

Soluble fiber can be crucial to some dogs to ensure they keep regular digestion and stools. Outside of this fiber content, these ingredients do not provide significant nutrition.

Learn more about these sources of fiber in our articles Tomato Pomace as a Pet Food Ingredient? & Dried Beet Pulp In Dog Food.

Flaxseed is best known for being an excellent plant-based source of the Omega 3 Fatty Acids.

These fatty acids are believed to provide several health benefits, such as an improvement in the condition of a dog’s skin and coat. Learn more in Flaxseed In Dog Food.

Diamond Animal Testing

At this time, we have no information on whether Diamond participates in invasive or laboratory testing of animals.

We strongly believe that laboratory or invasive testing of animals is a cruel and outdated practice. We hope that in the future, it will be eliminated.

Diamond Recalls

Based on our research (FDA, AVMA, DogFoodAdvisor), we found substantial evidence of recalls in Diamond’s past, which means that Diamond is not a recall-free pet food brand.

They have quite an extensive list of recalls, most of which span the 2012-2013 period.

In March 2013, a small recall of Diamond Naturals cat food took place due to potentially low levels of Thiamine.

The most notable recalls for Diamond all took place in a short period of time in the Spring of 2012. There were three recalls in total, two in May 2012 and one in April 2012. All three of these recalls involved potential Salmonella contamination.

Salmonella is a serious risk to both pets and humans, which is why it is a common recall among pet food.

This recall affected a huge range of products and not a specific recipe or batch. See below for details of the affected recipes.

Diamond Naturals Small Breed Adult Dog Lamb & Rice Formula, with Production Code #DSL0801 and the below best by dates:

• Aug. 26, 2012
• Sept. 27, 2012
• Oct. 18, 2012
• Oct. 20, 2012

All varieties and sizes of Diamond and Diamond Naturals produced at the company’s Gaston, South Carolina facility. This can be identified with a production code number with a 2 or 3 in the 9th position and an X in the 10th or 11th position. The range of best by dates affected is between Dec 9, 2012, and April 7, 2013.

• Diamond Naturals Lamb & Rice, 6 lb., Production Code #DLR0101D3XALW, best by Jan. 4, 2013
• Diamond Naturals Lamb & Rice, 20 lb., Production Code #DLR0101C31XAG, best by Jan. 3, 2013
• Diamond Naturals Lamb & Rice, 40 lb., Production Code #DLR0101C31XMF, best by Jan. 3, 2013
• Diamond Naturals Lamb & Rice, 40 lb., Production Code #DLR0101C31XAG, best by Jan. 3, 2013
• Diamond Naturals Lamb & Rice, 40 lb., Production Code #DLR0101D32XMS, best by Jan. 4, 2013
• Diamond Puppy Formula, 40 lb., Production Code #DPP0401B22XJW, best by April 6, 2013
• Diamond Puppy Formula, 40 lb., Production Code #DPP0401A21XAW, best by April 6, 2013
• Diamond Puppy Formula, 40 lb., Production Code #DPP0101C31XME, best by Jan. 11, 2013
• Diamond Puppy Formula, 40 lb., Production Code #DPP0401B21XDJ, best by April 7, 2013
• Diamond Puppy Formula, 20 lb., Production Code #DPP0401B22XJW, best by April 6, 2013
• Diamond Puppy Formula, 20 lb., Production Code #DPP0101C31XME, best by Jan. 11, 2013
• Diamond Puppy Formula, 20 lb., Production Code #DPP0101C31XRB, best by Jan. 11, 2013
• Diamond Puppy Formula, 8 lb., Production Code #DPP0401B2XALW, best by April 7, 2013
• Diamond Puppy Formula, 6 oz. samples, Production Code #DPP0401 (no date given)

The earlier recall of Diamond we have on record is one that took place in December 2005. This recall was quite unique and was because of the possibility of Aflatoxin being present in the food.

This recall affected recipes that were produced at the company’s Gaston, South Carolina facility and can be identified with a Capital G in the 11th or 12th character in the date code. The date range of recipes affected was best by dates between March 1, 2007, and June 11, 2007. The specific recipe names are below.

• Diamond Low Fat Dog Food
• Diamond Hi-Energy Dog Food
• Diamond Maintenance Dog Food
• Diamond Performance Dog Food
• Diamond Premium Adult Dog Food
• Diamond Puppy Food
• Diamond Maintenance Cat Food
• Diamond Professional Cat Food

Despite this extensive history of recalls, it is promising that Diamond has not had a recall since 2013 and shows that its safety and quality processes have likely improved since the above.

Despite this, we always suggest that pet owners remain vigilant of any future recalls of Diamond or any other pet food brand to ensure their pets remain healthy and safe.

Best of Diamond

Pro89 Beef, Pork & Ancient Grains Formula Review

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Diamond recently released the Pro89 recipe, which you see above. This recipe offers nutrition that is far and above that of any other diamond recipe.

The recipe is designed for dogs that require performance or endurance, like sporting dogs or working dogs. However, it could also be fed to non-working dogs who are more active than normal.

The nutrition provided by the recipe is thanks to a generous portion of Beef and Pork. These two red meat ingredients are high-quality sources of protein and fat.

Past its red meat content, the recipe utilizes a mix of grain ingredients such as Sorghum, Brown Rice, and Millet. These ingredients provide a modest proportion of carbohydrates and some dietary fiber.

Diamond Featured Articles

Best Cheap Dog Food – Many pet owners struggle to keep up with the costs of their dog which means affordable dog food is in high demand.

This article discusses the consequences of lower-cost dog food and highlights some of the best low-cost dog food available.

Diamond Full Product Range

Dog Food

Diamond Range

Hi-Energy

Maintenance

Original

Performance

Premium Adult

Puppy

Diamond Naturals Range

Beef Meal & Rice Formula

Lamb Meal & Rice Formula

Chicken & Rice Formula

Extreme Athlete Chicken & Rice Formula

Large Breed Chicken & Rice Formula

Large Breed Lamb Meal & Rice Formula

Large Breed Puppy Lamb & Rice Formula

Light Lamb Meal & Rice Formula

Senior Chicken, Egg & Oatmeal Formula

Small Breed Chicken & Rice Formula

Small Breed Lamb & Rice Formula

Small Breed Puppy Chicken & Rice Formula

Skin & Coat Salmon & Potato Formula

Beef Dinner

Chicken Dinner

Lamb Dinner

Diamond Care Range

Renal Formula

Sensitive Skin Formula

Sensitive Stomach Formula

Weight Management Formula

Diamond Pro89 Range

Beef, Pork & Ancient Grains Formula

Diamond Grain Free Range

Cage-Free Chicken & Sweet Potato Formula

Pasture-Raised Beef & Sweet Potato Formula

Wild Caught Whitefish & Sweet Potato Formula

Cat Food

Diamond Range

Maintenance Cat

Diamond Care Range

Urinary Support Formula

Weight Management Formula

Diamond Naturals Range

Active Cat Chicken Meal & Rice Formula

Indoor Cat Chicken & Rice Formula

Kitten Chicken & Rice Formula

Chicken Dinner

Indoor Cat Hairball Control Dinner

Whitefish Dinner