Step Up To Naturals

Step Up To Naturals Information

Step Up To Naturals is a private-label dog food brand sold by the pet store – Pets At Home.

Pets At Home is a major player in the pet food market in the United Kingdom and has been in operation for over thirty years and has 440 stores, most of which are in the UK.

However, Step Up To Naturals isn’t their only private label brand, and Pets At Home also owns and sells other exclusive brands, including Ava, which is a hypoallergenic pet food brand.

Pets At Home created a video six years ago to help market Step Up To Naturals which you can find below.

While performing our research, it was not clear where Step Up To Naturals or Pets At Home manufactures its products.

While we presume that the food is produced in the United Kingdom or Europe, we could find no clear evidence to support this.

In addition, given that the brand is a Pets At Home exclusive, you will not find their recipes at alternative pet food stores or at large online pet food sellers like Amazon or Zooplus.

Step Up To Naturals Product Range

Step Up To Naturals has a moderate range of dog food products. This is split between a small selection of dry dog food recipes and a large number of wet/canned dog food recipes.

Despite this moderate size, most recipes within Step Up To Naturals product range are very similar and use recurring ingredients to offer comparable nutrition.

Step Up To Naturals produces some niche recipes, including age-specific formulas for puppies and mature dogs.

Step Up To Naturals Nutrition

Step Up To Naturals provides varied nutrition in its dog food recipes. However, the recipes are generally average to above average when compared to other UK brands.

However, there are many dogs that would be better suited to a diet that is higher in protein and fat than is provided by Step Up To Naturals recipes.

Below is an example of the nutrition provided by a Step Up To Naturals dry dog food recipe.

Step Up To Naturals Ingredients

High-Quality Meat & Fish Ingredients

• Beef
• Lamb
• Chicken
• Duck
• Turkey
• Salmon

Step Up To Naturals uses a typical range of meat and fish ingredients in its recipes. This includes industry favorites like Chicken, Turkey, and Salmon.

Ingredients such as these are so regularly found in pet food recipes as they are low-cost and easy to source.

Despite this, they still provide excellent nutrition that is high in protein and fat.

Other Notable Ingredients

Step Up To Naturals uses a small range of grain ingredients in its grain-inclusive recipes. This includes grains like Oats, Brown Rice, and Barley.

Grain ingredients are an often controversial topic, and many pet owners disagree with their use.

Despite this, they can still provide vital nutrition in the form of carbohydrates, plant-based protein, and fiber.

For this reason, there are many strong supporters of the use of grains, especially those that feed their pets food from brands like Purina or Royal Canin.

Peas are the most common vegetable ingredient to be found in dog food recipes.

They are so popular among pet food manufacturers as they are easy to source and can provide favorable nutrition that is high in carbohydrates, plant-based protein, and fiber.

However, in recent years there have been links between the high use of legumes in dog food and an increased rate of Canine Heart Disease. You can read more about this concerning link here.

Outside of grain ingredients and legumes, starch ingredients like Sweet Potatoes and Potatoes are the last common source of carbohydrates in pet food recipes.

They are an extremely dense source, which can be problematic and means that their portion size must be tightly controlled.

Beet Pulp is a regular addition to pet food recipes from many brands. It is added as a source of soluble fiber, which can be critical to some dogs to ensure they keep regular digestion and stools.

Past its fiber content, Beet Pulp provides little nutrition.

You can learn more about Beet Pulp in our article Dried Beet Pulp In Dog Food.

Chicken Fat is another common addition to pet food recipes. Chicken Fat is used to improve the flavor of pet food recipes as well as boost the overall proportion of animal-based fat.

Chicken Fat is chosen over alternatives as it is low-cost and easy to source.

Read more about Chicken Fat in our article, Chicken Fat In Dog Food.

Step Up To Naturals Animal Testing

We can not find any information on whether Step Up To Naturals participates in animal testing for its products.

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.

Step Up To Naturals Recalls

Based on our research (FDA, AVMA, DogFoodAdvisor), we have no information that Step Up To Naturals has ever been involved in a recall, which means that they are a recall-free dog food brand.

Given that Step Up To Naturals is a large brand selling to customers nationwide, this lack of recalls is impressive and shows that they take the safety and quality processes seriously.

Nevertheless, consumers should always be vigilant of any future recalls of Step Up To Naturals or any other dog food brand to ensure their dogs remain healthy and safe.

Best of Step Up To Naturals

Grain Free Adult Chicken And Sweet Potato Review

The above is one of Step Up To Natural’s best Grain Free recipes and the one which we would recommend. The recipe’s main focus is on Chicken, with Chicken Meal being the first listed ingredient and making up 31% of the formula.

Chicken Meal is a semi-processed ingredient that has had its moisture removed before manufacturing. This means that it is a far denser source of protein and fat than whole Chicken.

This Chicken Meal provides a solid base of protein and fat, which should be at the core of every dog food recipe.

Past its Chicken content, the recipe utilizes a mix of Sweet Potatoes and Potatoes, which are starch ingredients and provide a mix of carbohydrates and fiber.

There are also smaller portions of other plant-based ingredients such as Beet Pulp, Peas, and Apples. These provide additional fiber and carbohydrates.

Grain Free Beef With Lamb Review

Wet dog food recipes are extremely appealing to the majority of dogs, and you can use them as an occasional treat or a regular addition to their diet.

Step Up To Naturals has a moderate range of wet dog food recipes, including the above.

As you might guess, Beef is the recipe’s primary ingredient, but there is also a notable portion of both Chicken and Lamb. This combination provides a very satisfactory proportion of protein and fat.

Also, there is a small portion of Beef Liver present, which is an excellent addition. Organ meat such as the Liver can enhance flavor and provide much-needed vitamins and minerals.

Lastly, there is a small portion of several plant-based ingredients, including Sweet Potatoes, Apples, and Peas. This combination provides a modest proportion of carbohydrates and fiber.

Step Up To Naturals Features Articles

At this time, Step Up To Naturals has not been featured in any of our articles.

Full Step Up To Naturals Product Range

Dog Food

Dry Dog Food

Grain Free Adult Beef And Potato

Grain Free Adult Chicken And Sweet Potato

Large Breed Adult Chicken With Turkey

Small Breed Adult Chicken With Turkey

Puppy Chicken With Turkey

Mature Chicken With Turkey

Wet Dog Food

Hearty Recipes Shepherds Pie

Hearty Recipes Salmon Pie

Hearty Recipes Chicken Pot Pie

Hearty Recipes Duck Casserole

Hearty Recipes Beefy Stew

Grain Free Chicken With Fish

Grain Free Beef With Lamb

Grain Free Chicken With Turkey

Puppy Chicken With Turkey

Puppy Beef With Lamb

Mature Chicken With Turkey

Mature Beef With Lamb