Dog food without additives
Dog food described as free from additives usually means no artificial colours, flavours, or synthetic preservatives - the things owners generally mean when they say they want to avoid additives. It's worth knowing that vitamins and minerals added to make a food nutritionally complete are technically additives too, and removing those isn't the goal; the ingredients list tells you which kind you're actually looking at.
What "additives" actually covers
Under UK and EU feed law, an additive is any substance added to pet food for a specific purpose - that includes artificial colours and flavourings, but it also includes the vitamin and mineral premix that most complete dog foods rely on to meet nutritional standards, and natural preservatives like mixed tocopherols, which is a form of vitamin E.
When most owners say they want a food without additives, they mean the first group - artificial colours added purely for appearance, synthetic flavour enhancers, and chemical preservatives like BHA or BHT. A complete food that lists vitamins and minerals on the label hasn't failed that test; it's meeting a nutritional requirement the same way any complete food does.
How to read the label
Check the ingredients list for named artificial colours, and for preservatives - a recipe preserved with mixed tocopherols or vitamin E rather than a named chemical preservative is generally what owners are looking for when they ask for something free from additives.
A shorter, more specific ingredients list - named meat or fish rather than vague meat derivatives, and recognisable whole ingredients rather than a long string of processing aids - tends to go hand in hand with fewer of the additives most owners want to avoid, though it's worth checking rather than assuming from the length of the list alone.
Be wary of a front-of-pack claim without matching evidence in the ingredients list itself. "Natural" and "no nasties" are marketing terms without a strict legal definition, unlike the ingredients list, which has to be accurate.
What this doesn't mean for your dog
Choosing a food with fewer artificial additives isn't a treatment for anything, and it won't resolve a genuine food sensitivity or allergy on its own - those are usually about a specific protein or ingredient your dog reacts to, not about additives generally.
If your dog has a suspected food sensitivity, work through it with your vet rather than switching foods based on additive claims alone. An elimination process guided by a vet is a far more reliable way to identify the actual cause than picking a food by its ingredients list and hoping.
Without it, and in stock
Everything below is in stock with us, priced with delivery worked out, and packed and posted by hand in the UK.
Alpha Sensitive Salmon & Rice
A salmon and rice dry food for adult dogs with sensitive digestions, made without wheat gluten, soya or dairy.
£49.00
Alpha Working Dog Maintenance Chicken
An energy-controlled chicken dry food for working dogs with lower energy needs or a tendency to put on weight.
£29.00
James Wellbeloved Grain Free Senior Dry Dog Food Turkey & Veg
Grain-free turkey kibble for senior dogs, with glucosamine and chondroitin for joints
£82.35
Harringtons Just 6 Dry Dog Food Lamb
Grain-free lamb dry dog food in 2KG and 12KG sizes, with size-specific formulas
From£13.99
Forthglade Complete Meal Lightly Baked Chicken
A grain-free complete dry food for adult dogs, lightly baked and built on 50% chicken
From£12.49
Bakers Superfoods Chicken with Vegetables Dry Dog Food
Bakers Chicken with Vegetables dry dog food, 14kg, complete nutrition for adult dogs
£39.15
Harringtons Adult Dog Salmon & Potato
Complete salmon and potato dry dog food with 21% protein in a 1.7KG bag
£6.25
Forthglade Cold Pressed Grain Free Chicken
Cold-pressed grain-free chicken food with fruit and botanicals, in three bag sizes
From£16.99
Burgess Supadog Adult Complete Dog Active
Complete dry food for active adult dogs, built around poultry meal and calcium for bone health
£29.15
James Wellbeloved Grain Free Adult Dry Dog Food Turkey Veg
Grain-free turkey kibble for adult dogs, evenly balanced with potato in the mix
From£12.75
James Wellbeloved Adult Breed Dry Dog Food Turkey Rice
A hypoallergenic dry food for adult dogs, in small and large breed versions, built around single-source turkey protein
From£45.75
Common questions
- Are vitamins and minerals in dog food additives?
- Technically, yes, under UK and EU feed law - but that's a different thing from the artificial colours and synthetic preservatives most owners mean when they ask for a food without additives. A complete food needs a vitamin and mineral premix to meet nutritional standards, and that isn't something to avoid.
- Does no additives mean no preservatives at all?
- Not necessarily. Most dry foods need some form of preservation to have a reasonable shelf life, and many use a natural option like mixed tocopherols, a form of vitamin E, instead of a synthetic chemical preservative. Check the ingredients list to see which type a specific food uses.
- Will a food without additives help my dog's allergies?
- It's not a reliable fix on its own. Most food allergies and sensitivities in dogs come down to a specific protein or ingredient rather than additives generally, so an additive-free label doesn't guarantee it will suit a dog with a known sensitivity. Speak to your vet about identifying the actual cause.
- How can I tell if a dog food has artificial colours?
- Check the ingredients list for named colourants, often listed with an E-number or a specific chemical name. A food with no meat derivatives or colourants added purely for appearance will usually say so plainly in a short, specific ingredients list rather than requiring guesswork.
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Written by Matt Garnett, who runs Giddy Pets and is a lifelong pet owner — not a vet. This is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your animal. How we write these guides.