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Cesar · Classic Loaf in Sauce Turkey · Wet food · Adult maintenance
On the facts printed on its own label, Cesar Classic Loaf in Sauce Turkey scores 74 out of 100 on our rubric: a solid mid table label. The panel opens with Turkey, and the first ingredient signal earns 20 of its 20 points. At 8.5% crude protein it ranks 6 of the 8 Cesar recipes we scored for protein. Crude fat reads 4%.
Its adequacy claim rests on formulation: balanced on paper against the AAFCO nutrient profiles rather than fed to dogs in a trial. The brand carries one FDA posted recall event in our check, set out below with its date.
The panel runs to 29 ingredient lines. 5 of them are animal source lines and 0 are plant lines. Salt appears at line 16 of 29: ingredients listed after salt are present in small amounts, a standard reading aid for long panels. The vitamin and mineral pack begins around line 13; the 17 lines from there on are mostly supplements, preservatives and functional extras rather than staple foods.
Its closest relative in this brand is Classic Loaf in Sauce Beef, sold as Wet food: the two panels share most of their ingredients. In the first ten, this recipe has Turkey, Carrageenan, where its relative has Beef, Added Color. The full comparison is on the relative's own review page.
| Maker | Mars Petcare |
|---|---|
| Format | Wet food |
| Life stage | Adult maintenance |
| Full ingredient list, in label order |
|
| Guaranteed analysis | Crude protein (min) 8.5% · crude fat (min) 4% · crude fibre (max) 1% · moisture (max) 82% |
| Dry matter reading | With the water taken out, the same analysis reads 47.2% protein and 22.2% fat. Dry matter is how wet and dry foods can be compared fairly. |
| Calories | 900 kcal/kg, 90 kcal per 3.5 oz, as labelled |
| AAFCO adequacy | Our gourmet wet dog food uses ingredients formulated to meet nutritional levels established by the AAFCO dog food nutrient profiles for maintenance. |
| Price | Not listed. We publish a price only when we have verified it from a dated listing, and we had not for this recipe when the label was read. |
| Signal | Points | What the label shows |
|---|---|---|
| First ingredient | 20 / 20 | Turkey, a named whole animal protein, opens the panel. |
| Animal protein depth, first 10 ingredients | 9 / 15 | 4 of the first ten ingredients are named animal ingredients. A by-product meal or unnamed animal ingredient appears in the ten, which takes 3 points off under the rubric. |
| Protein level for the life stage | 15 / 15 | Crude protein reads 47.2% on a dry matter basis (water removed), read against the adult maintenance stage the label claims. |
| Fat level fit | 3 / 10 | Crude fat reads 22.2% on a dry matter basis (water removed). |
| Whole foods versus filler-flagged ingredients | 10 / 10 | None of the rubric's flagged ingredients appears in the first ten. |
| Artificial colours and preservatives | 4 / 10 | Found in the panel: sodium nitrite. Colour and colour-retention chemicals feed the eye of the buyer, not the dog. |
| AAFCO adequacy basis | 7 / 10 | Formulated to meet AAFCO profiles for the stated stage (adult maintenance). |
| FDA recall history | 6 / 10 | One FDA posted dog food recall event found for the brand in our November 2026 check. |
| Price tier | Not scored | Not scored in this round. We publish a price only when we have verified it from a dated listing. |
| Total | 74 / 100 | Scaled from 74 of 100 available points. Stars are the score divided by 20, rounded to the nearest half. The method is published in full on the dog food hub. |
Definitions below are written from AAFCO's ingredient definitions in our own words. They describe what an ingredient is, never what a brand claims about it.
2016: Mars Petcare recalled CESAR Classics Filet Mignon Flavor trays and variety packs in October 2016, in an FDA posted notice, over pieces of hard white plastic that entered during production and posed a choking risk. No injuries were reported.
The single event covered this recipe's own flavour in its tray format, and it is the only Cesar event we found in FDA records in our November 2026 check.
See the full dog food recall tracker for recent events across all brands.
| Recipe | Score / 100 | Protein | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home Delights Pot Roast with Spring Vegetables Dinner | 79 | 7% | Wet food |
| Wholesome Bowls Beef, Chicken, Carrots & Purple Potatoes | 78 | 9.5% | Wet food |
| Simply Crafted Chicken | 76 | 20% | Wet food |
| Classic Loaf in Sauce Dry-Aged Ribeye | 70 | 9% | Wet food |
| Classic Loaf in Sauce Beef | 70 | 9% | Wet food |
| Filets in Gravy Prime Rib | 58 | 8% | Wet food |
| Rotisserie Chicken Flavor & Spring Vegetables Garnish | 56 | 26% | Dry food |
Switch foods gradually over about a week, mixing more of the new food into the old each day. Portion by calories, not by the look of the bowl: our feeding calculator works out a daily amount from your dog's weight, and this recipe's calorie line above is the number it needs.
What that means at the bowl, for a typical neutered adult (resting energy 70 times body weight to the power 0.75, times 1.6; treats come out of the same budget):
| Dog's weight | Daily energy | Of this recipe, at 90 kcal a can |
|---|---|---|
| 3 kg | about 255 kcal | about 2.8 cans |
| 10 kg | about 630 kcal | about 7.0 cans |
| 20 kg | about 1,059 kcal | about 11.8 cans |
| 30 kg | about 1,436 kcal | about 16.0 cans |
Puppies, pregnant dogs and very active dogs need more; older and weight watching dogs need less. The calculator linked above adjusts for those cases.
Scores follow the rubric published on the dog food hub. This review is general information about a product label, not veterinary advice, and it is not a feeding trial: we score what a buyer can verify from the label and the public record.
Last updated: November 2026. Checked against the sources named on this page.