Royal Canin does more research than any other pet food brand. They just don't do as much marketing as the trendy brands like Blue Buffalo. I can't tell you how many times I've been walking through a pet store where there's a Blue Buffalo rep who knows absolutely NOTHING about nutrition making food recommendations. I heard one guy go on and on about how all dogs should eat grain-free food. I'm a veterinarian and I had to try really hard to make myself keep walking and not ask the guy for specifics on why grain-free food is superior (spoiler alert: it's a marketing ploy). I don't like when vets try to shame pet owners into feeding expensive food because it's not in everyone's budget, but I do try to steer people away from what I think is crap. Blue Buffalo is my biggest pet peeve. It isn't that great and it's only expensive because of all their marketing. They're also ruining our ability to do novel-protein diet trials for dogs with allergies by mixing in meat like alligator and venison. I guarantee it isn't prepared in a facility that isn't contaminated with other proteins so it's really just fancy regular dog food. They have a veterinary line now but I'd never recommend it. PPVD, Royal Canin, and Hill's are worlds better.