Frequently Asked Questions

Freshpet is pleased to announce an exclusive industry-first partnership with Petco offering a customized Fresh Pet Food Subscription delivered directly to YOUR door. We invite you to try our subscription program by clicking on this link: Custom Meals.  In addition to this program, we do partner with several other online retailers who offer delivery and/or curbside pick-up such as Chewy and Amazon.

To locate these additional retailers, please visit https://freshpet.com/where-to-buy/ enter your zip code, and click on “Buy Online” to see which recipes and delivery services are available in your area. Please note availability may vary on the recipe you are searching for, the retailer, and your location.

Freshpet is pleased to announce an exclusive industry-first partnership with Petco offering a customized Fresh Pet Food Subscription delivered directly to YOUR door. We invite you to try our subscription program by clicking on this link: Custom Meals. In addition to this program, we do partner with several other online retailers who offer delivery and/or curbside pick-ups such as Chewy and Amazon.

To locate these additional retailers, please visit https://freshpet.com/where-to-buy/ enter your zip code, and click on “Buy Online” to see which recipes and delivery services are available in your area. Please note availability may vary on the recipe you are searching for, the retailer, and your location.

Freshpet inventory will vary from store to store.  The store listing results generated by our Where to Buy product locator tool will indicate that Freshpet products have been sold at a particular store within the last few weeks.  Note, current inventory levels may vary by store and are not guaranteed.  You may wish to first contact the store directly to verify they have a specific Freshpet product available.

Freshpet is not raw. Our fresh cat and dog food undergo a steam-cooking process; microbial testing is a critical step for our Quality Assurance team. The products are sent out weekly for nutritional analysis testing as well making them safe for handling and serving.

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.

The turkey we use in our Nature’s Fresh recipe is organic. We use the highest quality, freshest all-natural ingredients in our other recipes, but they are not organic.

All Freshpet refrigerated food is made in our very own Freshpet Kitchens in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and Ennis, Texas. Freshpet treats are made in the USA by carefully selected partners that are required to strictly adhere to our high-quality food and safety standards.

Yes, we make Freshpet with only all-natural ingredients. 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.

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.

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.

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. 

Freshpet recipes are 100% complete and balanced and exceed AAFCO’s minimum standards for canine and feline nutrition. All formulas are fortified with vitamins, minerals, and amino acids to meet the recipe-guaranteed life stages.  Our treats are not complete and balanced.

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. Designed to be nutrtitionally balanced, our recipes either meet or surpass both AAFCO and WSAVA guidelines.

We’re also proud to have established the Freshpet Nutrition Council, a group of board-certified DVMs, DVNs, DACVNs and PhDs who guide, supervise and validate our research. To read more on what vets are saying about Freshpet, click here.

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)

A “Guaranteed Analysis” is used to put a value on four nutrients in your pet’s food: protein, fat, fiber, and moisture. But it doesn’t consider the water content of the your pet’s food, which can 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.

Click here to compare our foods with other brands.

For pets that have pancreatic problems or compromised renal function (i.e. kidney), high protein diets made from meat and fish should be avoided. If your pet suffers from these conditions, consult your veterinarian to determine if Freshpet is appropriate.

Freshpet believes in the difference fresh dog and cat food can make to the health of your pet. The choice between Freshpet recipes really depends on the individual needs and preferences of you and your pet.

All Freshpet food is:

• Made with all natural, fresh ingredients
• Made with farm raised chicken and beef
• 100% all-natural protein
• Free of artificial or chemical preservatives
• Minimally processed to retain essential vitamins and nutrients naturally found in our fresh ingredients
• Free of corn, wheat and rendered meals
• Learn more about our wide selection of fresh food here.

Freshpet treats are all-natural, contain no artificial preservatives, and are less processed than traditional treats. To ensure the freshness of our simple and healthy ingredients, our Freshpet chicken treats must be refrigerated and used within 10 days of opening and our Freshpet turkey treats must be refrigerated and used within 14 days.

We recommend serving our food fresh from the fridge for the best results, but you can choose to freeze any unused portions for later use. Be aware that you may see a slight change in color and texture when thawed, but this won’t change the nutritional value or taste of our meals.

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. Once it’s opened, we recommend using it within:

• Rolls: 7 days
• Patties: 5 days
• Spring & Sprout and Homestyle Creations Bagged Meals: 5 days
• Freshpet Select, Deli Fresh, and Vital Bagged Meals: 7 days
• Single Serve: 2 days
• Turkey Dog Treats: 14 days
• Chicken Dog Treats: 10 days

Treat Freshpet refrigerated food as if 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.

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. If you do decide to microwave our product, you may see some sparking from the vitamin and mineral supplement that is added to the recipe. This is not harmful to nutritional quality of the food, but 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 ideal microwaving time, please refer to this helpful guide.

When switching from another brand of pet food to Freshpet, we recommend doing so gradually over a period of 7-10 days. Please refer to our guide on Switching to Freshpet for more information.

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.

Our Nature’s Fresh brand is fresh, sustainable pet food made with humanely raised meats, fruits, and vegetables and no preservatives. Go to our website at: freshpet.com/naturesfresh for complete information on this Kind to the Planet recipe.