Julius

Julius is Aldi's own label, and that single fact shapes more of its 48 out of 100 than any ingredient on the bag does. It is the only brand in our index sold through Aldi and nowhere else, so the price table for the 18kg Beef & Vegetables bag holds exactly one line: an editorial estimate of $45.00 AUD, mostly in store. Black Hawk's 20kg bag carries a Petbarn shelf price, a member price, a Pet Circle price and a subscription price. Julius has no second retailer to check it against, and Aldi runs no autoship.

That shows in the availability pillar, where Julius takes 66 of 100: among the four supermarket house brands that is below Baxter's 72 at Woolworths and Woofin' Good's 70 at Coles, and above only Black & Gold's 64. Aldi's dog aisle is essentially two house ranges, Julius for everyday feeding and Natural Elements for grain free, so nothing sits on the same shelf to price it against. Our index carries one Julius product, the 18kg dry bag, though the brand also sells wet food and treats.

Ingredients and transparency both come in at 43 of 100, the two weakest pillars in the Julius scorecard and the pair holding the overall down to 48. The 18kg Beef & Vegetables panel opens with cereals and meat meal rather than a named meat, at 18 per cent protein and 9 per cent fat. Black Hawk's 20kg Adult Chicken & Rice opens with chicken at 26 per cent protein, and SavourLife's 18kg Original Adult does the same. These are published label figures, not veterinary advice.

The transparency figure is reading absence more than anything printed. Country of manufacture is given as Australia and the detail largely stops there, with little published on where the meat and cereal originate. Across the four supermarket house brands we score, the band is narrow: Woofin' Good takes 45 on both pillars, Julius 43 on both, Baxter's 42 on both, Black & Gold 40 on both. Julius sits mid-pack, which says more about the category than about the brand.

The argument for Julius is cost per day rather than sticker price. The 18kg bag works out at $2.50 per kg and an estimated $1.10 a day for a 15kg adult dog. Black Hawk's 20kg bag is $8.45 per kg but roughly $2.10 a day, so a bag that looks close to four times dearer, $169.00 AUD against $45.00 AUD, costs about a dollar a day more to feed. All prices here are editorial estimates.

That suits a tight budget, and it suits an Aldi shopper who wants the bag in the same trolley as the groceries. It suits nobody chasing a better price, since there is no member rate, no subscription and no rival stockist. Julius's value pillar reads 57 of 100, while ProBalance takes 68 and Leaps & Bounds 64 on stronger ingredient scores of 51 and 56 against Julius's 43. If sourcing detail is what you are buying on, 43 and 43 is the answer to that question.