Sprout Information
Sprout is a pet food brand that is sold in Fleet Farm stores in the United States. Fleet Farm is an outdoor, automotive, and animal store that was founded in Minnesota.
However, since then, they have grown significantly, and their stores can now also be found in other states, such as Iowa, Wisconsin, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
Sprout recipes are manufactured in the United States; however, we could not find any information on exactly where this facility is.
Many stores like Fleet Farm produce their private-label pet food recipes via a 3rd party, which is not uncommon in the industry.
Based on their recall history (which you can read about later), we believe that Sunshine Mills is the 3rd party manufacturer that Fleet Farm utilizes.
Given that Sprout is the store brand of Fleet Farm, you can only purchase it from their retail stores or from their website.
It is not available for purchase from large pet food websites like Chewy or Amazon.
Sprout Product Range
Dog Food
Sprout has a relatively broad product range of dog food recipes. This range includes both traditional dry dog food and wet/canned dog food.
Also, there are several niche recipes within Sprout’s range, such as grain-free recipes, puppy food recipes, and senior dog food.
Cat Food
Sprout’s cat food range is significantly smaller than its dog food range and only includes five recipes.
This range only contains dry cat food recipes, and there are no canned/wet recipes.
There are also no age-specific cat recipes, such as those for Kittens or Senior Cats.
Sprout Nutrition
Dog Food
The nutrition provided by Sprout dog food recipes varies but is generally average to above average when compared to other brands.
The nutritional profiles tend to include moderate proportions of protein and fat and slightly excessive proportions of carbohydrates.
In ideal circumstances, most dogs would consume a higher proportion of protein and fat.
Below is an example of the nutrition provided by a Sprout dry dog food recipe.
Cat Food
The nutritional profile of Sprout cat food is similar to their dog food products and is average to above average. It includes average proportions of protein and fat and an excessive proportion of carbohydrates.
Cats do not need a significant proportion of carbohydrates in their diet as they are obligate carnivores.
This means that they excel on a diet high in animal and fish ingredients rather than plant-based ingredients.
You can learn more about this in our Cat Food Guide.
Sprout Ingredients
High-Quality Ingredients
- Chicken
- Turkey
- Beef
- Salmon
Sprout makes use of some of the most common meat and fish ingredients used in dog food. These ingredients are so popular among pet food manufacturers because they can provide excellent nutrition at a relatively low price.
Sprout does not make use of any less prevalent or unique ingredients like Kangaroo, Venison, and Rabbit.
These ingredients are often far more expensive and used in hypoallergenic or specialty recipes. Learn more about these in the below articles.
Best Hypoallergenic Dog Foods Guide
Other Notable Ingredients
Sprout makes use of some grain ingredients in its recipes, such as Barley and Brown Rice.
Grain ingredients are a controversial addition to pet food recipes, with many pet owners refusing to feed their pets grain-inclusive recipes.
However, there are others who are strong supporters of grain ingredients, especially those who feed brands like Purina Pro Plan.
Regardless of your opinion, grain ingredients like these provide a mix of carbohydrates, plant-based protein, fiber, and select micronutrients.
The grains used by Sprout are believed by some to be superior to others, such as Corn and Wheat. Learn more about Barley in our article Barley In Dog Food.
Sprout also uses legumes such as Peas and Chickpeas as vegetable ingredients. These legumes are extremely popular in dog food and have widespread use.
However, there is concern about the effects of large portions of legumes and if they can cause canine heart disease.
Learn more about this in our articles Peas, Pea Protein, Pea Flour, and Pea Fiber in Dog Food & Best Dog Foods Without Peas.
Sprout makes consistent use of Chicken Fat in its recipes. Chicken Fat is used in pet food to enhance the flavor as well as boost the level of animal-based fat in a recipe.
Chicken Fat is chosen over alternatives as it is a low-cost ingredient and is easy to source.
Learn more about Chicken Fat in Chicken Fat In Dog Food.
Dried Beet Pulp is found in some Sprout recipes as a minor ingredient. Dried Beet Pulp is a common ingredient in pet food and is used as a source of soluble fiber.
Soluble fiber can be critical to some dogs to ensure they keep regular digestion and stools. Outside of this fiber content, it provides little nutrition.
Read more about Beet Pulp in our article Dried Beet Pulp In Dog Food.
Some Sprout recipes contain a small portion of Flaxseed. Flaxseed is best known as an excellent plant-based source of the Omega 3 Fatty Acids.
Many believe that these fatty acids can provide dogs with several health benefits, including an improvement in the condition of a dog’s skin and coat.
However, there are other benefits of Flaxseed that are less well-known, and you can learn more about Flaxseed and these health benefits in Flaxseed In Dog Food.
Sprout Animal Testing
At this time, we have no information on what type of animal testing, if any, that Sprout participates in.
We strongly believe that invasive or laboratory-style testing of animals is a cruel and outdated practice and one which we hope will see a significant decline.
Sprout Recalls
Based on our research (FDA, AVMA, DogFoodAdvisor), Sprout products have been recalled in the past, and they are, therefore, not a recall-free pet food brand.
In June 2021, several Sprout recipes were recalled due to the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.
This recall affected a number of recipes produced by Sunshine Mills, Inc, including recipes from Sportsman’s Pride and Flint River Mills.
This recall affected the following recipes:
- Sprout Sporting Dog Food, Best if Used By 6 Oct 2021, Lot TE1 06/Oct/2020, UPC Code 7015505101, states MN, WI, IA, SD, ND.
- Sprout Sporting Dog Food, Best if Used By 6 Oct 2021, Lot TE3 06/Oct/2020, UPC Code 7015505100, states MN, WI, IA, SD, ND.
However, this isn’t the only recall for Sprout products we found, and Sunshine Mills issued another recall in September 2020 of certain products after samples by the Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry found unsafe levels of aflatoxin.
Aflatoxin is a serious threat to humans and animals and can cause symptoms such as loss of appetite, vomiting, and diarrhea.
While this recall did not originally include Sprout recipes, it expanded in October 2020, and at that time, the following Sprout recipes were also included.
- Sprout Bites & Bones, 50 lb. bags, UPC 7015505091
- Lot Code TC2 4/APRIL/2020
- Sprout Hi-Protein (cat food), 20 lb. bags, UPC 70155505120
- Lot Code TI2 4/APRIL/2020
- Lot Code TI3 4/APRIL/2020
- Sprout Hi-Protein (cat food), 40 lb. bags, UPC 7015505119
- Lot Code TI3 4/APRIL/2020
- Sprout Maintenance, 40 lb. bags, UPC 7015505096
- Lot Code TB1 5/APRIL/2020
- Sprout Puppy, 20 lb. bags, UPC 7015505095
- Lot Code TA3 4/APRIL/2020
- Lot Code TA1 5/APRIL/2020
This recall was far more expansive than the previous for Salmonella and included recipes from several other brands, including Sportsman’s Pride, River Bend Dog Food, Heartland Farms, Hunter’s Special, and more.
Having two serious recalls in such a short space of time is a significant concern and should be something pet owners consider before purchasing Sprout products.
We hope that Sprout takes its recall record more seriously in the future and makes the safety and quality of its manufacturing process a high priority.
We also recommend that all pet owners are vigilant of any future recalls of Sprout or any other pet food brands to ensure your pets remain healthy and safe.
Best of Sprout
Sprout Naturals Chicken & Rice Review
The above is one of the Sprout Naturals recipes, which is a grain-inclusive range.
Chicken and Rice recipes are a staple of the industry, with most of the major brands producing a recipe in this style.
Like many other recipes, Sprout uses a mix of Chicken and Chicken Meal as the recipe’s primary ingredients.
Many consumers are cautious of meat meal ingredients like Chicken Meal, but they shouldn’t be.
Chicken Meal has simply been processed to remove the bulk of moisture, turning it into an incredibly dense source of nutrition.
Past the Chicken ingredients, the recipe uses a mix of grain ingredients and legumes, including Brown Rice, Peas, and Barley. This mix of ingredients provides a reasonable proportion of carbohydrates and fiber.
Lastly, there are small portions of Chicken Fat, Dried Beet Pulp, Brewers Yeast, and Flaxseed. These boost the levels of animal fat, fiber and provide beneficial micronutrients.
Sprout Featured Articles
To date, Sprout has not been featured in any of our articles.
Sprout Full Product Range
Dog Food
Dry Dog Food
Grain Free Salmon & Sweet Potato
Grain Free Chicken, Chickpea, & Sweet Potato
Grain Free Turkey, Pea, & Sweet Potato
Sporting Dog
Adult Turkey Meal & Brown Rice Recipe
Naturals Chicken & Rice
Adult Ocean Fish Meal & Brown Rice Recipe
Naturals Adult Chicken & Rice
Naturals Lamb & Rice
Naturals Adult Beef/Barley/Brown Rice Recipe
Mature Adult
Bites & Bones
Maintenance
Complete
Hi-Energy
Puppy
Wet/Canned Dog Food
Adult High Performance With Beef, Bacon, & Cheese
Adult High Performance With Chopped Beef
Adult High Performance With Chicken & Rice
Cat Food
Adult Hi-Protein Chicken Recipe
Adult Mixed Bits
Naturals Adult Salmon, Brown Rice, & Barley
Complete
Special Blend
Sprout pet foods are made by Sunshine Mills, whose corporate office is located in Red Bay, AL. Today (10/11/2020), I read an article that Sprout pet foods have been involved in a recall due to the presence of aflatoxin.
I just picked up a 40 lb bag of dry cat food and anytime I offer some cat food to the dogs they eat it right up. I gave my dogs a small amount of this cat food and they have not touched it. Didn’t check to see if the cats eat any.
SPROUT DOG and CAT FOOD – RECALLED! The FDA has issued a warning which includes Sprout dog food and cat food. It contains aflatoxin, which is a poisonous mold that causes liver damage and death. Do not feed this to your pets, and do not throw it out where other animals could eat it.
Was this also in the sprout dog treats?
Yep just bought a bag at fleet farm and full of the mold
I just bought a small bag to test it with my 2 shar oei and 2 beagles. They loved it. And my older pei is allergic to grains and she had no reaction….
I bought the sprout naturals lamb and rice and my dog has been sick for 2 days now with all the same symptoms. Has the sprout naturals line been tested?
The peanut butter biscuits have made our poor dog sick as hell. Stay away from this terrible product. I
I recently purchased a 50lb bag (large bag) of Bones and Bits Sprout dog food. The foods is ‘crushed’ and more in broken pieces and in some cases powder. I brought a sample back to Fleet and Farm in Mason City, IA where I purchased the dog food, but customer service, although polite, did not offer any assistance other than saying, “You must of gotten the end of the production.” Can my dog eat it, yes, but did I get what I paid for, NO.
We bought a 50 lb. bag of sprout dogfood at Fleet Farm in Waupaca, WI. When I was emptying the bag out this hard plastic half disc was in the bag. I think it is part of your production Line. My name is Rose M. Grove, N6696 CTY RD E, Ogdensburg, WI, 54962.
My son bought a 40 pound bag of Sprout mature dog food. We have 2 hounds that eat most everything except this dog food. They cover the dish of Sprout dog food with straw and when I uncover it They cover it up with straw again. This is going on for 2 weeks. We made sure they had other food. Fleet Farm will not reimburse us because the bag is open. $30.00 LOST.