Manufacturing

Is Freshpet food raw?

Freshpet is not raw. Our diets are all gently and safely cooked (never raw) to above 165 degrees and provide a high bio-availability of essential nutrients.

Is there a risk for parasites or harmful bacteria in this process??

This steam-cooking process effectively eliminates harmful bacteria. Microbial testing is an ongoing critical step for our Quality Assurance team.

How are Freshpet products preserved?

Freshpet products do not contain any preservatives in them, we rely exclusively on maintaining the cold chain to preserve our products.

Do you own the plant where the food is manufactured?

Yes! we wholly own two manufacturing sites. One in Bethlehem, PA and another in Ennis, TX. On YouTube if you search for Freshpet, you can find different videos that show little bits and pieces of our manufacturing plants. 

Do you provide "best if used by" dating and traceability codes on your products?

Yes. You can find this information on the back of the package of any of our foods in the market today. This information is printed on each package in our manufacturing facilities in black ink. 

Ingredients

Where do Freshpet ingredients come from?

Freshpet recipes are made with natural and fresh meat, vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. We believe in building long-term supplier partnerships to source healthy and sustainable ingredients with many being locally sourced to our Freshpet Kitchens. 96% of our ingredients are from North America. The other 4% are non-domestic, such as Europe, and are also non-Chinese origin. We carefully monitor incoming ingredients and work with our partners to ensure they adhere to our high-quality standards.

Is Freshpet food all natural?

Freshpet is made with only all-natural ingredients, with the exception of our vitamins and minerals which are processed to maintain nutritional quantity. Our recipes also never contain any artificial or chemical preservatives, BHA, propylene glycol, flavors, or colors commonly found in traditional dry, canned and semi-moist pet food.

How does Freshpet verify the quality of their meats?

All ingredients undergo thorough inspections, testing, and release criteria prior to use. Freshpet adheres closely to the Safe Quality Food (SQF) Program and Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) by performing risk assessments and establishing supplier preventive controls to ensure that the ingredients received do not pose a food safety risk.

Why does Freshpet use fresh meats instead of rendered meals?

Freshpet uses only muscle and organ meats held to higher quality standards and have never been pre-processed as it is more nutrient dense and easier for our pets to digest. We also choose to never use any “chicken meal” or “meat meals.” Meat meals can include varying types and qualities of meat and waste products, are highly processed, and can have a shelf life longer than a year.

The moisture or amount of water in Freshpet food seems high, why is this?

Freshpet refrigerated food is high in animal protein, so you can expect them to have the same moisture content as fresh, human-grade meats. 70-75% moisture is the natural state of fresh meat. Chicken breast meat contains 74.6% moisture, and fresh turkey meat contains 75.8%. (Reference: USDA database)

Why do your products contain salt? Shouldn’t we monitor sodium intake in pets?

Freshpet uses minimal amounts of salt and potassium chloride (lite salt) in our recipes to help combine our fresh meats. Our salt levels are within levels recommended by veterinary nutritionists and our sodium levels are within AAFCO requirements.

Do you test your supplier's ingredients and final products for pathogens such as Listeria, Salmonella, or mycotoxins-mold?

Yes. Not only pathogens, but the food and ingredients are tested for heavy metals, pesticides, antibiotics, mycotoxins, nutrient composition, and other contaminants that do not fall under these broad categories. Each ingredient and final product has specific parameters for each of the above that our suppliers (in the case of ingredients) and our manufacturing facilities (finished product) must follow. 

Do you have recipes that contain over 10% pulses on a caloric basis (e.g. peas, lentils, beans, chickpeas)?

Our products are mainly meat based. We have products that are grain-free and grain-based; however, in both cases, the grains and pulses are not even added at 10% of the formula.

Nutrition

Is Freshpet complete and balanced nutrition?

Freshpet recipes are 100% complete and balanced and comply with AAFCO’s minimum and maximum limits for canine and feline nutrition. All formulas are fortified with vitamins and minerals to meet the recipe-guaranteed life stages. Our treats are not complete and balanced so they should only be fed up to 10% of the caloric requirements of the pet.

Is Freshpet developed and formulated by veterinarians?

All our recipes are rigorously formulated and approved by Dr. Gerardo Perez-Camargo, our resident veterinarian and Head of R&D, who holds a PhD in Applied Biochemistry and Food Science. But it’s a collaborative effort. We also work closely with a talented group of internal and external board-certified DVMs, DVNs, DACVNs and PhDs who guide, supervise, and validate our research and product formulations.

Why does traditional dry food seem to have more protein than Freshpet food when I look at the Guaranteed Analysis on the label?

A “Guaranteed Analysis” is used to put a value on four nutrients on petfood: protein, fat, fiber, and moisture. But it doesn’t consider the water content of the pet’s food, which can be a little be misleading. Even the Food and Drug Administration admits to this on their website stating, “To make meaningful comparisons of nutrient levels between a canned (or fresh) and dry product, they should be expressed on the same moisture basis.” To determine the amount of protein on a dry matter basis:

Subtract the moisture percentage from 100% to determine the dry matter percentage.

Divide the protein percentage by the percent of dry matter percentage.

Multiply by 100.

For a simple example, a food with 10% protein and 75% moisture is within the range of Freshpet foods: 100% – 75% moisture = 25% dry matter

10% Protein /25% dry Matter = .4

.4 x 100 = 40% dry matter protein content

This same formula can be used to determine the dry matter fat and fiber contents.

Is the protein level in Freshpet recipes appropriate for all dogs?

For pets that have pancreatic problems or compromised renal function, high protein diets made from meat and fish should be avoided.

Does Freshpet cause obesity?

With a highly palatable and nutrient dense product like Freshpet, pet owners need to adhere to recommended feeding guidelines. Freshpet bags only have half of the energy density of dry pet foods and rolls only have around 1/3 of the energy density of dry pet foods. Feeding less energy dense products helps manage a healthy weight in the pet. By knowing the caloric content in our products you may want to adjust those feeding guidelines based on the animal presented.

Is Freshpet a suitable alternative for home cooked short-term feeding like hamburger and rice?

Freshpet may be a convenient and suitable alternative when recommending to clients a simple single protein/single carbohydrate like hamburger or chicken and rice for short term feeding. It has many attributes of home cooking such as easily digestible, highly palatable, and energy dense that may provide an adjunct to therapy that is consistent, complete and balanced, and certainly easier to prepare for the pet owner.

Do you have specific recipes formulated to meet the Adult Maintenance AAFCO Nutrient Profile, or are they developed and approved for ''All Life Stages''?

Freshpet has different brands and different formulas. Overall products from our Vital brand are formulated to be all life stages as outlined in the AAFCO. Our Freshpet Select, Nature's Fresh, and Home Style Creations brands have adult maintenance formulas and all life stage formulas. 

Has Freshpet published research in peer-reviewed journals?

Yes, we have published three research studies. The most recent one (from 2022) was done with dogs in their homes where we saw an increase in skin microbiome diversity, which could help to manage skin sensitivities. The other publications were done at the University of Illinois. The goal was to quantify the impacts of the different chicken ingredients and processes used to make pet food on the availability of essential amino acids. Results show that our cooking process not only damage less the amino acids as compared to extrusion (dry diets) and canning (wet foods), but improved the digestibility of some amino acids as compared to raw chicken. This research helps to show that cooking is important for food safety and if done properly, can also improve amino acid availability.

Availability

Where can my clients find Freshpet?

Freshpet is carried in over 36,000 locations across the US. Many of these are where your clients may already be shopping including grocery, larger chain retail stores, pet specialty stores, and natural food stores. To find a Freshpet retailer near you, visit our Store Locator.

Shelf Life

How are Freshpet products preserved?

Freshpet products do not contain any preservatives in them, we rely exclusively on maintaining the cold chain to preserve the products.

Can Freshpet food be frozen and stored in my freezer for future use?

We recommend serving our food fresh from the fridge for the best results, but our bags can be frozen if needed. Freezing our rolls will affect the texture of the product and make them softer when thawed, but this won’t change the nutritional value or taste of our meals.

Once served, how long is it safe to leave Freshpet food in my dog or cat’s bowl?

Treat Freshpet refrigerated food as you would freshly prepared foods at home. We recommend that you do not leave refrigerated food in the bowl for longer than 1 hour. Return any unused food to the fridge when you’re finished serving.

How can I tell if the product is fresh when I buy it at the store?

Just like the fresh human food you’d buy at your grocery store, you’ll find a sell by date on each package of Freshpet. The shelf life remaining on the product will be indicated in the pack. Once it’s opened, we recommend using it within:

Rolls: 7 days

Homestyle Creations Bagged Meals: 5 days

Freshpet Select, Deli Fresh, and Vital Bagged Meals: 7 days

Turkey Dog Treats: 14 days

Chicken Dog Treats: 10 days

Feeding and Serving

What is the best way to advise clients on introducing Freshpet?

When switching from another brand of pet food to Freshpet, we recommend doing so gradually over a period of 7-10 days.

Can I recommend Freshpet to a puppy?

All Vital recipes are AAFCO-approved for all life stages, including puppyhood. In addition, Freshpet offers puppy-specific rolls in both our Select and Vital lines. To learn more about feeding your puppy fresh food, click here.

What makes Nature’s Fresh different?

Our Nature’s Fresh brand is fresh, sustainable pet food made with humanely raised meats, fruits, and vegetables and no preservatives. Go to our Nature's Fresh homepage for complete information on this Kind to the Planet recipe.

Can Freshpet food be microwaved?

Our food comes fully cooked and made to be served fresh out of the refrigerator – no additional cooking necessary! But some pet parents like to “take the chill off” by putting Freshpet in the microwave for a few seconds. Please be careful not to microwave Freshpet in its packaging and especially avoid microwaving the metal rings at the end of our rolls. To determine the ideal microwaving time, please refer to this helpful guide.