FreshPet

FreshPet Information

FreshPet is a fresh pet food brand founded in 2006 by Scott Morris and Cathal Walsh. Since then, the company has grown massively and is now listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange with a value of approximately five to six billion dollars.

FreshPet produces its refrigerated products in the United States in its own facility in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Freshpet’s treats are also made in the United States but by partners of FreshPet and not in the previously mentioned facility.

FreshPet recipes are available to purchase from a wide variety of physical pet food stores and grocery stores, which total over 20,000 stores.

Many consumers will be familiar with seeing a FreshPet fridge during their weekly shop at stores like Walmart, Target, and Whole Foods.

However, despite its widespread sale in retail stores, FreshPet is not available from all of the large online retailers.

For example, you can not purchase FreshPet on sites like Chewy or Amazon. However, you can purchase them from PetSmart’s or Walmart’s website.

FreshPet Product Range

Dog Food

FreshPet has a massive range of dog food recipes, and the vast majority of these are refrigerated recipes. These refrigerated recipes must be stored within a fridge or frozen to ensure they stay safe to eat and do not spoil.

FreshPet does not produce recipes specifically designed for certain breeds of dogs but does produce a recipe for puppies.

However, despite its lack of specialized products, many of FreshPet’s recipes are suitable for all ages and so can be eaten by puppies and senior dogs.

Cat Food

Freshpet’s cat food range is significantly smaller than its dog food range. However, despite its smaller size, there is still variety within this range, including a variety of styles of refrigerated food.

FreshPet does not produce any age-specific cat food recipes, such as Kitten or Senior Cat Food. Despite this, most of their recipes would be suitable for cats of all ages.

FreshPet Nutrition

Dog Food

While the nutrition offered by FreshPet recipes varies significantly, it is generally above average when compared to other dog food products.

This above-average nutrition includes high proportions of protein and fat and below-average proportions of carbohydrates. This nutritional profile would be well suited to most dogs, including those that are more active.

Below is an example of the nutrition provided by a refrigerated recipe from FreshPet.

Cat Food

The nutrition offered by FreshPet cat food is similar to its dog food range in that it varies significantly. Once again, it is generally above-average when compared to similar products.

This above-average nutritional profile includes high proportions of protein and fat and modest proportions of carbohydrates.

A nutritional profile such as this is critical to cats as they are obligate carnivores and do not excel on a diet high in plant-based material. You can read more about cats’ nutritional needs in our Cat Food Guide.

FreshPet Ingredients

High-Quality Meat & Fish Ingredients

• Chicken
• Turkey
• Beef
• Lamb
• Bison
• Salmon
• Whitefish

FreshPet uses a moderate range of meat and fish ingredients in its recipes. All of the ingredients they utilize are high-quality additions and can act as high-quality sources of protein and fat.

Most of these ingredients are industry favorites, like Chicken, Turkey, and Beef. The popularity of these ingredients comes from their ease of availability and lower cost.

FreshPet does use some less common ingredients in its recipes, such as Bison. These ingredients can offer some much-needed variety to a dog’s diet and can be advantageous to dogs with allergies or sensitivities who can not eat the most common ingredients.

If you are interested in learning more about Bison or Hypoallergenic dog food, be sure to explore the below articles.

Best Hypoallergenic Dog Foods Guide

Best Dog Food With Bison

Organ Meat, such as Liver, are welcome additions in select FreshPet recipes.

Organ meat is another excellent addition to pet food as it can enhance the flavor and taste of recipes as well as provide additional protein, fat, and micronutrients.

Other Notable Ingredients

FreshPet uses Eggs as a core ingredient in some of its recipes. Eggs are an excellent addition to a pet food recipe and can provide beneficial nutrition that is extremely bioavailable.

Bioavailable means that it is very easy for a pet’s body to absorb the nutrition, and little is wasted. This nutrition includes protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals.

Freshpet makes some use of the most popular legume ingredient found in dog food – Peas.

Peas are so widely used thanks to many traits such as the fact they are easy to source, they are affordable, and they can provide favorable nutrition. This nutrition includes a mix of carbohydrates, plant-based protein, and fiber.

However, there are growing links between the heavy use of legumes in dog food, like Peas, and an increased rate of Canine Heart Disease.

You can read more about this concerning link in our article Best Dog Foods Without Peas.

However, the proportion of Peas found in FreshPet recipes is relatively small and should not be a major concern.

Sadly, FreshPet makes use of vegetable by-products such as Pea Protein and Lentil Flour.

These ingredients are not positive additions to pet food and are often used to manipulate the nutrition a recipe has or mislead consumers when reading the ingredient list.

You can read more about this in our article Peas, Pea Protein, Pea Flour, and Pea Fiber in Dog Food.

FreshPet uses some grain ingredients in its recipes, such as Brown Rice and Oats. Grains can be a controversial addition, with many pet owners disagreeing with their use.

However, there are also many pet owners who are strong supporters of the use of grains, especially those that feed brands like Purina and Hill’s.

Grain ingredients such as Brown Rice and Oats can act as a source of carbohydrates and dietary fiber.

Unfortunately, FreshPet makes use of some grain by-products such as Rice Bran and Soy Flour. These ingredients are, without a doubt, low-quality additions to a dog food recipe. Whole grain ingredients would be a much more suitable replacement.

You can learn more about Rice Bran in our article Rice Bran In Dog Food.

Pumpkin is best known for its digestive properties, which are a result of its high fiber content. However, Pumpkin can also provide carbohydrates and beneficial vitamins and minerals like Beta-Carotene.

For this reason, many brands, including FreshPet, include a small portion of Pumpkin in some of their recipes.

Read more about Pumpkin and discover some excellent Pumpkin recipes in our article Best Dog Food With Pumpkin.

Carrageenan is a poorly understood ingredient that is used in wet and canned pet food recipes. It is present as a binding agent, which means it is there to hold the food together in a consistent texture. It is not present to provide nutrition and does not do so.

You can learn more about where Carrageenan comes from and concerns in Carrageenan In Dog Food.

FreshPet Animal Testing

At this time, we have no information on what type of animal testing, if any, that FreshPet participates in.

We strongly believe that laboratory and invasive testing of animals is a cruel and outdated practice and one which should be eliminated.

FreshPet Recalls

Based on our research (FDA, AVMA, DogFoodAdvisor), FreshPet is no longer a recall-free brand and has recently issued a recall.

In June 2022, FreshPet issued a recall of a single lot of their Select dog food due to potential Salmonella contamination.

The information for the affected lot can be found below.

Freshpet Select Fresh From the Kitchen Home Cooked Chicken Recipe
Package size: 4.5-pound bag
Sell by date: 10/29/22 L3
Retail UPC code: 627975011673
Lot code: 10/29/22

Salmonella is one of the leading causes of recalls in dog food and can cause harm to both humans and dogs, including illness, an upset stomach, or worse.

Freshpet will be disappointed that they have now lost their extremely impressive trait of being recall-free for a fresh pet food brand.

It is widely agreed that there are more risks associated with the production of fresh pet food compared to kibble which is what makes it so impressive.

Regardless, we always suggest that pet owners remain vigilant of any future recalls of FreshPet or any other pet food brand.

FreshPet Featured Articles

At this time, FreshPet has not been featured in any of our articles.

Best of FreshPet

Multi-Protein Chicken, Beef, Egg, & Salmon Recipe For Dogs Review

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While FreshPet’s rolls tend to be quite similar, the above recipe caught our eye thanks to its variety of meat and fish ingredients.

It makes use of Chicken, Beef, Salmon, and Eggs, all of which are high-quality and nutritious ingredients.

In particular, Eggs are worth discussing as they are one of the most nutritionally dense and bioavailable foods in existence. Many dog food brands do not utilize eggs, but FreshPet does within many of their recipes.

Thankfully, the portion of Chicken, Beef, and Salmon form the bulk of the recipe and are reliable and consistent sources of animal-based protein and fat.

Outside of these meat and fish ingredients, the recipe uses a small portion of Oats, Rice, Sweet Potatoes, and other plant-material to provide carbohydrates and fiber. The portion size of these ingredients is modest and not worthy of concern.

Grain-Free Chicken & Ocean Whitefish Recipe For Cats Review

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Many cat owners will be familiar with their feline friends going crazy over wet cat food, and the above offering from FreshPet will be no different.

The recipe focuses on Chicken and Whitefish and also contains a portion of Chicken Liver.

This combination is guaranteed to provide an appealing taste along with an ample portion of protein and fat.

Chicken Liver is a welcome addition to any pet food recipe thanks to its flavor-enhancing properties and the levels of beneficial vitamins and minerals it contains.

The recipe contains very little plant-material, which aligns it well with a cat’s natural diet. The plant-material present consists of a small portion of Carrots, Spinach, and Peas.

FreshPet Full Product Range

FreshPet Select Dog Food

Chunky Beef Recipe For Dogs

Chunky Chicken & Turkey Recipe For Dogs

Fresh From The Kitchen Home Cooked Chicken Recipe For Dogs

Grain Free Chicken Recipe For Dogs

Multi-Protein Chicken, Beef, Egg, & Salmon Recipe For Dogs

Multi-Protein Complete Meal Chicken, Beef, Egg & Salmon Recipe For Dogs

Puppy Recipe

Roasted Meals Grain Free Chicken Recipe For Dogs

Roasted Meals Tender Chicken Recipe For Dogs

Sensitive Stomach & Skin: Steam Cooked Chicken Recipe For Dogs

Small Dog Bite Size Chicken Recipe

Small Dog Chicken & Turkey With Cranberries & Spinach

Small Dog Multi-Protein With Sweet Potatoes

Stews Grain Free Beef & Pumpkin Recipe For Dogs

Stews Grain Free Chicken Recipe For Dogs

Tender Chicken Recipe For Dogs

FreshPet Vital Dog Food

Balanced Nutrition Chicken Meal For Dogs

Balanced Nutrition Chicken Recipe For Dogs

Balanced Nutrition Turkey Recipe For Dogs

Fresh Cuts Chicken Recipe For Dogs

Grain Free Beef & Bison Recipe For Dogs

Grain Free Beef Recipe With Lamb For Dogs

Grain Free Chicken Recipe For Dogs

Grain Free Chicken, Beef & Salmon Puppy Recipe

Grain Free Chicken, Beef, Salmon, & Egg Recipe For Dogs

Grain Free Multi-Protein Recipe For Dogs

Grain Free Salmon & Ocean Whitefish Recipe For Dogs

Grain Free Small Breed Chicken Recipe For Dogs

Grain Free Small Breed Multi-Protein Recipe For Dogs

Grain Free Small Breed Poultry Recipe For Dogs

Grain Free Turkey Recipe For Dogs

FreshPet Nature Fresh Dog Food

Beef Recipe For Dogs

Grain Free Multi-Protein Recipe For Dogs

Balanced Nutrition Chicken Recipe For Dogs

Grain Free Chicken Recipe For Dogs

Grain Free Salmon & Ocean Whitefish Recipe For Dogs

Grain Free Small Breed Chicken Recipe For Dogs

Grain Free Turkey Recipe For Dogs

FreshPet Deli Fresh Dog Food

Grain Free Chicken Recipe For Dogs

Grain Free Chicken Rolls For Dogs

FreshPet Homestyle Creations Dog Food

Natural Chicken Recipe For Dogs

Natural Beef Recipe For Dogs

Healthy Mixers: Brown Rice, Pumpkin, Carrots & Green Beans For Dogs

Healthy Mixers: Bananas, Cranberries & Blueberries For Dogs

Healthy Mixers: Cranberries, Carrots & Green Beans For Dogs

Beef, Chicken & Turkey Recipe

Chicken & Turkey Recipe

FreshPet Select Cat Food

Chicken & Beef Grain Free Gourmet Pate For Cats

Grain Free Chicken & Ocean Whitefish Recipe For Cats

Grain Free Chicken & Pumpkin Recipe For Cats

Grain Free Gourmet Pate With Salmon For Cats

Grain Free Tender Chicken & Beef Recipe For Cats

Tender Chicken & Beef Recipe For Cats

Tender Chicken Recipe For Cats

FreshPet Vital Cat Food

Grain Free Chicken & Beef Recipe For Cats

Grain Free Chicken Recipe For Cats

FreshPet Nature’s Fresh Cat Food

Grain Free Chicken Recipe For Cats