Step Up

Step Up Dry Food Mature review

Name: Step Up Dry Food Mature
Brand: Step Up

56/100Good

DryAdultSenior

A grain-inclusive kibble for dogs who have slowed down but not stopped, and it sits in our Good band. The small print does more than the headline. Taurine, L-carnitine, glucosamine and chondroitin all carry figures, and fat is held to 8.0% for the older dog carrying a bit extra.

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Our view

Likely to suit

Mature dogs needing less energy: fat at 8.0% and 357 kcal per 100g
An older dog's waistline, with L-carnitine at 100 mg per kilo beside the lower fat
Stiffening joints. Glucosamine at 0.025% and chondroitin at 0.015% are printed, not just claimed
One adult and one senior in the house, as a single bag covers both
Heart support named on the list: taurine at 500 mg per kilo

Worth watching

Chicken, turkey and an unnamed share of poultry, so no use as an elimination diet
Salmon oil at 0.5%, so not fish free
Grain throughout, barley's gluten included, and carbohydrate at 53.9% of dry matter

Written by our editorial team. Independent guidance, not veterinary advice.

How this scores

How we score

56/100Good

Protein and processingAverage

Nutritional balanceAverage

TransparencyOutstanding

ValueGood

The details

Dog fit

Listed for adult and senior dogs of every size. An older dog usually sits at the low end of the label's table, so feed to the ribs.

Food type

Dry

Life stage

Adult, Senior

Breed size

Toy, Small, Medium, Large, Giant

Main protein

Poultry

The score, in context

Step Up Dry Food Mature 56.0

All one Good. Typical dry food: Good.

A modest meat share and a high carbohydrate figure hold it in the middle of the shelf; a forthcoming label works the other way.

What's in it

Poultry meal18.5% (chicken 14.5%)Chicken named inside it; the rest of the poultry share stays unnamed.
Rice
Whole barley18%Keeps more fibre than refined forms, and brings gluten.
Maize, dried peas6% peas
Turkey meal, whole grain oats4% eachOats are gentle on an older gut once cooked.
Beet pulpFibre.
Poultry fat, poultry gravy3% fat
Dried apple, dried sweet potato1% eachFresh equivalents printed, 6.5% and 3%. Flourishes.
Salmon oil0.5%Marine omega 3 for an older coat and joints, and fish in the bag.
Minerals, dried chicory, glucosamine, chondroitin0.025%, 0.015%Chicory's inulin feeds the gut bacteria; the joint pair is dosed.

Taurine at 500mg and L-carnitine at 100mg a kilo, vitamins A, D3 and E, and a full trace mineral panel in sulphate and oxide forms.

Named ingredients

Poultry Meal (18.5% incl. Chicken 14.5%), Rice, Whole Barley (18%), Maize, Dried Peas (6%), Turkey Meal (4%), Whole Grain Oats (4%), Beet Pulp, Poultry Fat (3%), Poultry Gravy, Minerals Dried Apple (1% equivalent to 6.5% Apple), Dried Sweet Potato (1% equivalent to 3% Sweet Potato), Salmon Oil (0.5%), Minerals, Dried Chicory, Glucosamine (0.025%), Chondroitin (0.015%)

Against the range

One grain-inclusive kibble for older dogs. Poultry meal leads at 18.5%, with chicken named at 14.5% inside it and turkey meal at 4% further down. Rice, whole barley, maize and oats carry the starch. The supplements for an older dog all carry figures, fat is held at 8.0%, and the mineral panel is printed in full.

Nutritional analysis

Declared analysis

Energy

357 kcal/100g

Protein

23%

Fat

Fibre

3.5%

Ash

7.5%

Moisture

Dry weight

Protein

25.3%

Fat

8.8%

Fibre

3.8%

Ash

8.2%

Carbs

53.9%

As-fed composition

Estimated breakdown of the finished product by ingredient category, from the declared ingredient list and ingoing weights. These are estimates, not measurements.

Meat

27.7%

Added water

4.2%

Carbs

61.8%

Veg

2.1%

Oils

3.5%

Other

0.6%