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Nature's Fresh: Sustainable Food for Healthy Pets and Planet
written by Ellie Walker
We’re working to change the world, one bowl of sustainable pet food at a time – but we can’t do this alone. Every Freshpet recipe, including our newly relaunched Nature’s Fresh line, is made with sustainably sourced ingredients from family farmers who prioritize animal welfare and planet-friendly farming practices. We also look to partner with innovative organizations like rePurpose Global to increase our overall impact. Working with these like-minded partners ensures that our fresh recipes are as nutritious for our pets as they are kind to our planet.
Our favorite Nature’s Fresh recipes
Nature’s Fresh recipes are available as both a roll and bagged food, so you can choose the format your dog enjoys most. Two popular options are the quick and easy-to-serve Grain-Free Chicken Recipe with Carrots & Spinach and the anti-oxidant-rich Grain-Free Turkey Recipe with Spinach, Cranberries & Blueberries.
For our feline friends, Nature’s Fresh currently offers a grain-free chicken recipe featuring tender, bite-sized morsels with the high moisture cats need. This recipe is made using humanely raised, vegetarian-fed, and GAP-rated chicken, with sustainably grown and antioxidant-rich leafy spinach and nutritious carrots.
If you want to see the full selection of Nature’s Fresh recipes, you can visit our website. To learn more about the sustainability efforts behind these recipes, read on!
Our exciting new partnership with rePurpose Global
Beginning July 1st, 2022, Nature’s Fresh is proud to partner with rePurpose Global in its mission to rid the world of plastic waste. Brands that are certified “Plastic Neutral” by rePurpose Global recover as much plastic from nature as they produce annually, from 14 global collection sites. These sites:
- Collect and remove plastic waste from countries with poor waste collection infrastructure
- Support local communities with wages that lift plastic collectors out of poverty
- Help ensure ocean-bound plastic is disposed of properly
In 2021, rePurpose Global enabled the removal of 14 million pounds of additional plastic waste that otherwise would have leaked into our natural ecosystems. We’re excited to join them on their journey to surpass this number in 2022!
Why we partner with regenerative family farmers
We’re proud to partner with regenerative family farmers that help us make sustainable pet food that contributes not only to healthy pets but to a healthy planet as well. Farmers that practice regenerative agriculture set up their land in a way that works towards reversing climate change. Some of these practices include:
- Selective crop choice and placement: The farmers we partner with make a conscious effort to rotate crops and plant cover crops, which are crops planted to cover the soil rather than be harvested. This increases soil biome and biodiversity, in addition to helping them avoid harmful runoff by reducing or eliminating the need for pesticides and fertilizers.
- Reduce water use: The cover crops that our farming partners use to enhance the soil also allow them to reduce water use. Cover crops maintain the earth’s moisture so less water is needed during the growing season.
- Encourage natural pollination: Since fewer pesticides are used on our partner’s farms, the bees and butterflies that live on the farm are safe from harm. This, paired with the planting of wildflowers, encourages the natural pollination of crops and plants, which, in turn, leads to a more biodiverse and productive ecosystem.
Our commitment to sustainably raised farm animals
Our sustainability efforts go beyond the land where crops are grown – they also extend to farm animals, with an emphasis on animal welfare.
- Cows: Our cows are raised on a cooperative of family farms where they are free to graze on different fields in rotation. Not only does this keep them happy, but it also captures carbon by fostering healthy cover crops and rich soil, naturally fertilized by the cows.
- Turkeys: Our turkeys are both Organic and Global Animal Partnership certified, raised without antibiotics, and fed a vegetarian diet of 100% organic, non-GMO feed from regenerative farms. They roam indoors and out on land naturally supported by their compost to nurture cover crops and prevent water runoff into nearby water sources.
- Fish: Our Ocean Whitefish comes from the icy waters of the Wild Alaskan Pollock fishery. This US-sourced fish is 100% traceable and is one of the most sustainable animal proteins available. In addition to having a low carbon footprint, all Wild Alaskan Pollock is caught with mid-ocean trawls resulting in one of the lowest by-catch of any seafood.
- Chickens: Our Certified Humane Raised chickens are raised without antibiotics on family-owned farms. We also proactively work with the Global Animal Partnership, which audits our farms to ensure they meet strict animal welfare and safety standards.
