Product Review: Purina Beneful Beef Stew

When I was at the trade show the other day, the nice folks from Purina passed on a few samples of some items. Among them were some samples of their newly- launched line of gourmet dog food products. The Beneful Beef Stew is one of five different prepared meals for your dog that Purina is hoping will gain popularity with the canine loving consumer.

Now let me say that I've never been big on canned food for my pets, whether they are canine or feline. I raised my eyebrows when I saw the ads for this product and when I saw it on the grocer's shelf. Like any dog owner who has done a bit of research on dog nutrition and health, I know that most vets do not recommend a strictly canned food diet. This is partly because dogs need something crunchy to help maintain proper dental hygiene. So first off, I would not use this product as the only food product for your dog.

Purina's new product, the Beneful Beef Stew comes in an attractive see-through re-sealable plastic container. This package contains enough food to feed one adult 10-12 lb. dog for a whole day. If you should have a large dog, you will either need to supplement this with dry food, or purchase several packages of the Beneful Beef Stew. It comes with a foil seal which preserves the product until the consumer opens it. Once open, the product can be re-sealed and refrigerated until its next use.

My Westi-Poo and my Jack Russell were taste testers for this product. As with all food that goes into their bowl, they first gave it the sniff test. Both dogs sniffed and licked their chops. They wagged their tails with excitement. When the bowls hit the floor, my dogs dug in. If speed of consumption is any indication of how much a dog likes their food, I would say that my dogs gave this four paws.

I can't say that I blame them. The Beef Stew looks good enough to eat. It has chunks of beef, as well as carrot, peas, barley, and rice. This is gourmet dog food with no "dog food stink". How it comes out on your dog's other end, on the other hand, is something less than desirable.

I like the convenience factor; I don't have to go rooting through my cutlery drawer for the can opener. I don't have to go hunting through the kitchen in a frantic effort to find a plastic lid for a can. This packaging is very well thought out. I'm rather surprised, though, that Purina didn't consider marketing this product to the elderly, as its easy-open packaging would be a god-send to people who don't have the muscle strength to open cans any more.

What would be a real deterrent to purchasing this product, though, is the cost. At $1.99 each USD (or approx $2.15 CDN) this product is almost double the cost of many basic "canned" dog food, which just goes to show you who Purina is marketing to. People with money, people who are big on convenience, and people who think of their dog as another family member who deserves the "good stuff" too. The packaging is recyclable, thankfully, or re-usable for other items (provided you clean it very well).

Overall rating: For flavour: 4 paws. For convenience: 4 paws. For price: 1 paw.