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Ingredient file // Flavor

Natural Vegetable Flavor

A flavoring with an undisclosed plant source

Natural vegetable flavor is made from plant material, but the name does not say which plants or how the flavor was made. Its job is to make kibble taste better to dogs. No published test shows what this particular flavor does.

What it is
A flavoring made from plant material, with the exact plants and recipe left off the label.
Made from
Unspecified plant material
Main job
Improve taste and aroma
Typical amount
Not published; palatants generally run 0.5 to 3% of kibble
Watch for
Unknown plant sources during an allergy trial
Not the same as
Whole vegetables

Straight answer

Is Natural Vegetable Flavor safe for dogs?

Treat it as flavor and judge the food

Read natural vegetable flavor as a flavoring line near the end of the list, not a vegetable serving or a safety rating. Judge the food by the ingredients above it and its nutritional adequacy statement. If your dog has a diagnosed food allergy, ask the maker which plants supply the flavor.

Why it is in the food
Improve taste and aroma

Our read // In our catalog

In 1 of every 111 foods we track

Share of foods that list it

<1%

29 of the 3,205 foods with an ingredient list on file, from 3 brands. All dry dog food.

Each square is 1% of the catalog

Where it sits on the label

Median position 9. In the top five of 0 foods, so it is usually a supporting ingredient.

Top five List position, heaviest first

Above the salt

100%

Almost always listed before the salt, so there is more of it than a pinch.

Price per lb

Foods with it $4.55
All foods $3.25

Median of the cheapest bag price across 19 priced foods, 40% above the catalog. The price is the food's, not the ingredient's.

Who leans on it

93%

of the foods that list it are from Stella & Chewy's. 3 brands use it in total.

What it is

How it is made

Pet food flavor suppliers turn plant materials into concentrated flavors for dry food, which is the least palatable format. The ingredient name does not reveal the plants or the production method.1,2,3

  1. 01 // Source Plant material The plants are not named. Vegetable-based palatants draw on sources such as corn, soy, potato or grains.
  2. 02 // Process Flavor prepared Federal rules let a natural flavor be an extract, protein hydrolysate, or product of heating or enzymolysis.
  3. 03 // Output Coated on kibble Palatants arrive as powders or liquids and are most commonly sprayed onto the dry kibble.

What is in it

Composition, as fed

0.5-2

% of kibble

The usual dose for dry palatants. No nutrient analysis is published for this flavor, so the rows show how much goes in, not what it contains.

Dry palatant, share of food 0.5-2%1
Liquid palatant, share of food 1-3%1
Free amino acid enhancers, share of food 0-0.8%1

No supplier analysis gives this flavor's protein, fat, fiber or moisture. Vegetable palatants mix proteins, yeasts, phosphates, antioxidants and processing agents in varying amounts, so another blend's analysis would mislead.1,7

Why it is in the bag

What the manufacturer gets

  1. 01

    Makes dry food palatable

    Kibble is the least palatable pet food format. Suppliers spray powder or liquid palatants onto the surface to change its taste and aroma for the dog.1

  2. 02

    Plant-based flavor option

    Vegetable-based palatants built on corn, soy, potato or grains give makers a flavor coating that does not rely on animal digests.1

  3. 03

    Cheap per pound of food

    Flavor suppliers sell palatants as boosters that work at very small doses, and pitch switching palatant blends as a way to cut cost in use.5

How much A 2021 review puts dry palatants at 0.5 to 2% and liquids at 1 to 3% of dry food; this flavor's own amount is unpublished.1

Our read // The claims

What the evidence supports

Strong: controlled studies in dogs agree. Some: small or mixed dog data. Thin: mechanism or lab work only. None: nothing, or the evidence points the other way.

  1. Brands say

    Vegetable flavor makes this kibble tastier

    Outruns the evidence

    Evidence

    1. Strong
    2. Some
    3. Thin
    4. None

    Two-pan tests show dogs respond to palatants: 25 dogs preferred food with liver hydrolysate. The unnamed vegetable blend on this label was not tested in that trial, so its effect on your dog is unmeasured.1

  2. Brands say

    Natural vegetable flavor adds vegetable nutrition

    Outruns the evidence

    Evidence

    1. Strong
    2. Some
    3. Thin
    4. None

    Federal rules define a natural flavor as one whose significant function is flavoring rather than nutrition. With no published analysis and a dose measured in a few percent, it supplies no vegetable serving.1,2

  3. Owners say

    Natural flavor is safer than artificial flavor

    Outruns the evidence

    Evidence

    1. Strong
    2. Some
    3. Thin
    4. None

    AAFCO says nothing requires or states that natural ingredients are safer than synthetic ones. Natural describes the source and allowed processing, not a safety test.3

  4. Critics say

    Vegetable flavor is just filler

    Outruns the evidence

    Evidence

    1. Strong
    2. Some
    3. Thin
    4. None

    AAFCO lists flavoring agents among the minor ingredients, and palatants typically run 0.5 to 3% of the food, too small to pad anything. It has a flavoring job, not a nutritional one.1,4

Straight answers

What owners ask

  1. Q01

    Is it just filler?

    No

    It is added for taste and aroma, a defined job for a minor ingredient. Palatants typically run 0.5 to 3% of the food, too small to bulk up a recipe.1,4

  2. Q02

    Are there whole vegetables in it?

    Not necessarily

    Federal rules allow a natural flavor to be an extract, hydrolysate or heated product of plant material. The name does not promise vegetable pieces or tell you which plants were used.2,3

  3. Q03

    Does natural mean unprocessed?

    No

    AAFCO allows heating, extraction, hydrolysis, enzymolysis, fermentation and other processing for an ingredient called natural. The word marks a source category, not a raw vegetable.3

  4. Q04

    What if my dog has food allergies?

    Ask the maker

    Vegetable palatants commonly draw on corn or soy, and the label will not say which. Ask the maker which plants supply the flavor before feeding it to a dog with a known trigger.1,6

Who uses it

Brands, best sellers and the company it keeps

Top brands, by foods that list it

  1. Stella & Chewy's 27 / 85
  2. Natural Balance 1 / 48
  3. Halo 1 / 41

Foods that list it / all the brand's recipes we track.

Usually listed with, share of the foods that list it

  1. Mixed Tocopherols 90%
  2. Sunflower Oil 55%
  3. Tomato Pomace 55%
  4. Peas 55%
  5. Oatmeal 48%
  6. Lentils 48%
  7. Lamb Meal 45%
  8. Flaxseed 41%
  9. Pearled Barley 41%
  10. Lamb 34%
  11. Pork Meal 34%
  12. Beef 31%

On the shelf

Foods that list Natural Vegetable Flavor

29 foods in our catalog list it, highest on the label first.

Stella & Chewy’s Wild Caught Raw Blend Kibble Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodStella & Chewy'sStella & Chewy’s Wild Caught Raw Blend Kibble Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 7 on the labelStella & Chewy’s Limited Ingredient Cage-Free Turkey Raw Coated Kibble Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodStella & Chewy'sStella & Chewy’s Limited Ingredient Cage-Free Turkey Raw Coated Kibble Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 7 on the labelStella & Chewy’s Cage-Free Duck & Ancient Grains Recipe Dry Dog FoodStella & Chewy'sStella & Chewy’s Cage-Free Duck & Ancient Grains Recipe Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 7 on the labelStella & Chewy’s Salmon Recipe with Pumpkin & Quinoa Raw Coated Kibble Wholesome Grains Dry Dog FoodStella & Chewy'sStella & Chewy’s Salmon Recipe with Pumpkin & Quinoa Raw Coated Kibble Wholesome Grains Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 8 on the labelStella & Chewy’s SuperBlends Whitefish & Salmon : Raw Blend Oven Baked Kibble with Superfoods, Antioxidants & Probiotics Dry Dog FoodStella & Chewy'sStella & Chewy’s SuperBlends Whitefish & Salmon : Raw Blend Oven Baked Kibble with Superfoods, Antioxidants & Probiotics Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 11 on the labelStella & Chewy’s Free Range Raw Blend Kibble Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodStella & Chewy'sStella & Chewy’s Free Range Raw Blend Kibble Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 11 on the labelNatural Balance Vegetarian Dry Dog FoodNatural BalanceNatural Balance Vegetarian Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 12 on the labelHalo Adult Vegan Holistic Garden of Vegan Recipe Dry Dog FoodHaloHalo Adult Vegan Holistic Garden of Vegan Recipe Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 13 on the label
Show 21 more
Stella & Chewy’s Wild-Caught Whitefish, Ancient Grains & Salmon Recipe Dry Dog FoodStella & Chewy'sStella & Chewy’s Wild-Caught Whitefish, Ancient Grains & Salmon Recipe Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 8 on the labelStella & Chewy’s Wild-Caught Whitefish Raw Coated Kibble Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodStella & Chewy'sStella & Chewy’s Wild-Caught Whitefish Raw Coated Kibble Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 8 on the labelStella & Chewy’s Limited Ingredient Grass-Fed Lamb Raw Coated Kibble Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodStella & Chewy'sStella & Chewy’s Limited Ingredient Grass-Fed Lamb Raw Coated Kibble Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 8 on the labelStella & Chewy’s Limited Ingredient Cage-Free Duck Raw Coated Kibble Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodStella & Chewy'sStella & Chewy’s Limited Ingredient Cage-Free Duck Raw Coated Kibble Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 8 on the labelStella & Chewy’s High Coastal Wetland Recipe with Cage-Free Duck Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodStella & Chewy'sStella & Chewy’s High Coastal Wetland Recipe with Cage-Free Duck Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 8 on the labelStella & Chewy’s Grass-Fed Beef & Ancient Grains Recipe Dry Dog FoodStella & Chewy'sStella & Chewy’s Grass-Fed Beef & Ancient Grains Recipe Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 8 on the labelStella & Chewy’s Wild Mountain Meadow Recipe with Grass-Fed Lamb Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodStella & Chewy'sStella & Chewy’s Wild Mountain Meadow Recipe with Grass-Fed Lamb Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 9 on the labelStella & Chewy’s Lamb Recipe with Pumpkin & Quinoa Raw Coated Kibble Wholesome Grains Dry Dog FoodStella & Chewy'sStella & Chewy’s Lamb Recipe with Pumpkin & Quinoa Raw Coated Kibble Wholesome Grains Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 9 on the labelStella & Chewy’s High Plains Red Recipe with Grass-Fed Beef Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodStella & Chewy'sStella & Chewy’s High Plains Red Recipe with Grass-Fed Beef Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 9 on the labelStella & Chewy’s Grass-Fed Lamb & Ancient Grains Recipe Dry Dog FoodStella & Chewy'sStella & Chewy’s Grass-Fed Lamb & Ancient Grains Recipe Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 9 on the labelStella & Chewy’s Duck Recipe with Pumpkin & Quinoa Raw Coated Kibble Wholesome Grains Dry Dog FoodStella & Chewy'sStella & Chewy’s Duck Recipe with Pumpkin & Quinoa Raw Coated Kibble Wholesome Grains Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 9 on the labelStella & Chewy’s SuperBlends Whitefish & Salmon : Raw Coated Oven Baked Kibble with Superfoods, Antioxidants & Probiotics Dry Dog FoodStella & Chewy'sStella & Chewy’s SuperBlends Whitefish & Salmon : Raw Coated Oven Baked Kibble with Superfoods, Antioxidants & Probiotics Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 10 on the labelStella & Chewy’s Cage-Free Duck Raw Coated Kibble Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodStella & Chewy'sStella & Chewy’s Cage-Free Duck Raw Coated Kibble Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 10 on the labelStella & Chewy’s Grass-Fed Lamb Raw Coated Kibble Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodStella & Chewy'sStella & Chewy’s Grass-Fed Lamb Raw Coated Kibble Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 11 on the labelStella & Chewy’s Small Breed Beef Recipe with Pumpkin & Quinoa Raw Coated Kibble Wholesome Grains Dry Dog FoodStella & Chewy'sStella & Chewy’s Small Breed Beef Recipe with Pumpkin & Quinoa Raw Coated Kibble Wholesome Grains Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 12 on the labelStella & Chewy’s Beef Recipe with Pumpkin & Quinoa Raw Coated Kibble Wholesome Grains Dry Dog FoodStella & Chewy'sStella & Chewy’s Beef Recipe with Pumpkin & Quinoa Raw Coated Kibble Wholesome Grains Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 12 on the labelStella & Chewy’s Grass-Fed Beef Raw Coated Kibble Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodStella & Chewy'sStella & Chewy’s Grass-Fed Beef Raw Coated Kibble Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 13 on the labelStella & Chewy’s SuperBlends Beef & Lamb : Raw Blend Oven Baked Kibble with Superfoods, Antioxidants & Probiotics Dry Dog FoodStella & Chewy'sStella & Chewy’s SuperBlends Beef & Lamb : Raw Blend Oven Baked Kibble with Superfoods, Antioxidants & Probiotics Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 14 on the labelStella & Chewy’s Small Breed Red Meat Raw Blend Kibble Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodStella & Chewy'sStella & Chewy’s Small Breed Red Meat Raw Blend Kibble Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 15 on the labelStella & Chewy’s Red Meat Raw Blend Kibble Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodStella & Chewy'sStella & Chewy’s Red Meat Raw Blend Kibble Grain-Free Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 15 on the labelStella & Chewy’s Red Meat Recipe with Pumpkin & Quinoa Raw Blend Baked Kibble with Grains Dry Dog FoodStella & Chewy'sStella & Chewy’s Red Meat Recipe with Pumpkin & Quinoa Raw Blend Baked Kibble with Grains Dry Dog FoodDry // No. 16 on the label

Sources

What we read

Checked October 1, 2026.

  1. 1 Dry Pet Food Flavor Enhancers and Their Impact on Palatability: A Review Foods, 2021 // Journal
  2. 2 21 CFR 501.22 Animal foods; labeling of spices, flavorings, colorings, and chemical preservatives U.S. Government Publishing Office, 2023 // Government
  3. 3 Natural AAFCO, n.d. // Regulator
  4. 4 What's in the Ingredients List? AAFCO, n.d. // Regulator
  5. 5 Palatability approaches for performance and profit AFB International, 2022 // Industry
  6. 6 Cutaneous Food Allergy in Animals MSD Veterinary Manual, 2025 // Book
  7. 7 Contact Us BIXBI, n.d. // Industry
An ingredient on its own tells you very little. What matters is how much of it there is and where it sits in the list. That is why we weigh the top five rather than reacting to any single name further down. Back to the wiki

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