Frequently Asked Questions

We know that many pet parents are having some issues finding their pet’s favorite Freshpet recipe as the coronavirus has led to more people stocking up and depleting shelves. Thankfully, Freshpet falls into the category of an “essential business” according to the state of Pennsylvania, which means that our Freshpet Kitchen in Bethlehem, PA will continue to make our recipes 24/7 in order to keep restocking your fridges as quickly and safely as possible.

However, we are aware that pet parents are still experiencing greater out-of-stocks than normal. This is because the rate of our growth has accelerated to a level beyond our installed manufacturing capacity. The good news is that we have recently finished construction of our second Kitchen, right next to our original location. The construction of that Kitchen was delayed by about a month due to shelter-in-place orders back in March, which impacted our ability to produce the amount of food to meet the increased demand. Now that we have begun crafting food at our new Kitchen, you can expect to see more Freshpet products at your favorite local retailer within the next few weeks. We understand how frustrating this has been for our pet parents and hope you know that we are committed to resolving our inventory challenges as quickly as possible. We truly appreciate your patience and your loyalty to Freshpet!

We work with a variety of services that offer home delivery of Freshpet. You can find the list here, right below our big green “Store Locator” search bar: https://www.freshpet.com/where-to-buy. Many of our retailer partners are also offering a Curbside Pickup option when purchasing our recipes in-store. Be sure to visit your favorite retailer’s website to place your order directly, and choose the Curbside Pickup option if available.

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.

No Freshpet food is frozen before being purchased at your local store.

All Freshpet refrigerated food is made in our very own Freshpet Kitchens in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. 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.

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.

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.

All Vital and Nature’s Fresh 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.

All Freshpet refrigerated food is made in our very own Freshpet Kitchens in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. 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.

Freshpet is not raw, but a steam-cooked food for cats and dogs. Freshpet refrigerated food undergo pasteurization similar to milk and other freshly prepared food, making it safe for handling and serving.

Freshpet is carried in many stores across the US, including grocery, mass stores, pet stores, and natural food stores. To find a Freshpet retailer near you, visit our Store Locator.

97% of Freshpet ingredients come from the USA and Canada. Our vitamins and minerals are sourced outside the USA.

Our focus is on finding the highest quality and freshest ingredients out there. While our foods are not organic, they are all-natural, antibiotic and preservative free.

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 Freshpet poultry and meat ingredients are sourced from USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) and APHIS (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) registered suppliers who follow all USDA regulations for safe handling. Our fish are source from USDC/NOAA registered sources. The poultry used in our Nature’s Fresh and Deli Fresh recipes are antibiotic and hormone free.

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.

Tapioca is a gluten-free starch naturally derived from the root of the cassava plant that is used in some Freshpet recipes to help combine the fresh ingredients together. It is often used in human foods such as soups, sauces, cheese and gluten-free bakery items.

Inulin, also called chicory root, is a prebiotic, which helps with nutrient absorption. It is a high quality, soluble and functional fiber source, which aid in the absorption of nutrients into the bloodstream, especially in foods that contain high amounts of fresh meat and fish.

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 the ranges recommended by veterinary nutritionists.

While all of our foods are made of all-natural, high quality ingredients, Nature’s Fresh recipes only use chicken that follows the standards developed by the Global Animal Partnership – The 5-Step™ Animal Welfare Ratings Standards. These standards are used to rate how pigs, chicken and cattle are raised for meat.

All Whole Foods Markets in the United States use these standards to certify their producers’ animal welfare practices. For more information on the Global Animal Partnership’s 5-Step™ Animal Welfare Ratings Standards, please visit: http://www.globalanimalpartnership.org/the-5-step-program/

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.

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.

No Freshpet food is frozen before being purchased at your local 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. Once it’s opened, we recommend using it within:

• Rolls: 7 days (take out patties)
• Bagged Meals: 7 days
• Single Serve Cups: 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.

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

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.

We’re happy to say that Freshpet packaging is 100% recyclable through our partnership with TerraCycle. Because our packaging is built to protect the freshness of our pet food, it’s very durable and not able to be recycled through traditional means (for now!). But thanks to TerraCycle’s properiety technology, our roll wrappers, bags and other packaging can be turned into raw materials that are used to create park benches, garden beds, and more. Simply scroll down to the Contact Us form below and request your free recycling envelope from Freshpet; we’ll send it to you with the return shipping label already paid for, so all you have to do is fill it up with used, rinsed-off Freshpet packaging and send it back to us. We’ll take care of the rest!

Freshpet foods are 100% complete and balanced and exceed AAFCO’s minimum standards for canine and feline nutrition. While Freshpet treats are made of high quality meats and vegetables, they may not contain all the essential vitamins and minerals dogs need. To ensure your pet is getting all the nutrition he requires, feed a complete and balanced food.

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 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.