There are a lot of reasons to choose a prepared raw dog food. They’re convenient and they’re usually balanced. But don’t let that fool you into thinking that all raw dog food brands are high quality.
There are some tricks raw foods use to fool you into thinking the food is better than it is. So we made it easy for you and hand picked the cream of the crop … the best raw dog foods for 2023.
REVIEW CRITERIA
Each food in this list has been evaluated based on the ingredient quality and ingredient safety by DogFoodReviews.com. The amount of protein, fat and other nutrients is important. But at the end of the day, your dog’s food needs to be safe to eat (and many foods contain ingredients that are quite unsafe), with high quality ingredients. Each food score below is an average of the ingredient quality and the ingredient safety.
Here are some of the criteria we look for in raw foods:
DOG FOOD INGREDIENT QUALITY
- Does the food contain too much fat?
- Are there excessive vitamins and minerals added?
- Does the food contain processed or seed oils?
DOG FOOD INGREDIENT SAFETY
- Does the food contain known genetically modified foods?
- Does the food contain ingredients known to be high in pesticides?
- Does the food contain natural flavor?
Each food is objectively evaluated using these criteria. You can view the full Evaluation Criteria used to review the dog foods.
This is NOT a paid list and there are no affiliate links. We’ve partnered with DogFoodReviews.com to make sure dog owners have unbiased, objective criteria to help them choose the best raw dog food on the market.
Now that you know how we evaluate the foods, let’s find the best raw dog food for 2023. The foods evaluated are raw foods only, not freeze-dried.
#1 Smallbatch Raw Dog Food
Score: 10/10
Ingredients List For RabbitBatch Dog Recipe: 78% humanely raised and harvested rabbit, 20% organic produce, 2% natural supplements whole rabbits including bones, organic squash, organic celery, rabbit hearts, rabbit livers, rabbit kidneys, organic cauliflower, organic green beans, salmon oil, organic bok choy, organic apple cider vinegar, organic kelp*, organic dandelion greens, organic cilantro, organic bee pollen, organic wheat grass, organic bilberry, organic garlic, organic oregano, organic thyme, vitamin E supplement.
Smallbatch tops our list for the best raw dog food recipes. Smallbatch offers 7 foods in its line of frozen raw dog food and each has a score of 10/10. It’s high in protein, low in fat and all produce is certified organic.
This line averages 14.8% protein (52% protein on a dry matter basis) and 9.3% fat as fed, which is a decent ratio of protein to fat. Ideally, raw diets will have nearly twice as much protein as fat. While fat is a valuable macronutrient, it’s relatively devoid of vitamins and minerals and high fat diets can lead to unwanted changes in the gut flora.
This food contains some organic produce, including broccoli and kale, which is essential for a steady supply of phytonutrients that can only be found in plants. Phytonutrients and fiber help keep a balanced gut environment by feeding beneficial bacteria species, which ferment the fiber into beneficial short chain fatty acids, amino acids, enzymes and vitamins. So we feel plant matter is an important addition to raw diets.
Ingredient quality seems to be high, with organic, non-GMO produce, and no added vitamin or mineral premix. When questioned about non-GMO proteins, Smallbatch confirms that most of their animal protein suppliers feed GMO-free food (and rabbit is sourced from France where there’s a strict ban on GMO crops). But the company notes that Department of Agriculture regulations make it difficult to make non-GMO claims about animal proteins on their labeling. They strive to use organically-raised meat whenever possible. Their beef and lamb is pasture raised and their poultry and rabbit are free-range.
Smallbatch is a family-owned company founded in 2005 in San Francisco. The food is manufactured in 3rd party facilities. A few years ago this resulted in the company’s raw foods being high pressure pasteurized (HPP) without their knowledge. The situation has now been rectified and Smallbatch foods are not HPP today. The company states they’re closely involved in all food production, especially the raw and lightly cooked foods, where they are on-site at the production facility.
Smallbatch Dog Food Recalls
Smallbatch has had two food recalls. The first was in March 2016 involving its Raw Duckbatch Sliders due to potential contamination with Salmonella and Listeria. The second was required by the FDA in May 2017 and involved two batches of raw chicken dog and cat food for potential Salmonella contamination.
Smallbatch Frozen Raw Benefits
- Minimal processing
- Less fat than protein
- Contains plant matter that’s low in starch
- No added vitamins or minerals
- Organic produce
Smallbatch Frozen Raw Concerns
- Doesn’t provide the omega-6:omega-3 ratio
- Unclear whether the salmon oil is from farmed or wild-caught fish
View The Entire Review on DogFoodReviews.com
#2 Steve’s Real Food Prey Model Raw Pet Food
Score: 10/10
Ingredients List For Chicken: Chicken, chicken liver, chicken heart, chicken necks, raw goat milk, flaxseed, kelp, salmon oil, taurine, inulin, organic coconut oil, chia seeds, sesame seeds, mixed tocopherols, dicalcium phosphate, eggshell membrane.
Steve’s Real Food Prey Model Raw Dog Food scores 10/10 across all 3 recipes in the line with no points deducted for ingredient quality or safety. This is a fairly affordable raw dog food that averages 13.2% protein (57% on a dry matter basis) and 9% fat as fed, making its protein to fat ratio a bit less desirable than Smallbatch.
As a prey model food, there is little vegetable matter, but there are seeds and kelp as a source of phytonutrients.
The Steve’s Real Food Prey Model line is intended for working or very active dogs, or dogs who need to gain weight. As a result, there are larger amounts of both protein and fat than Steve’s Real Foods BARF model raw food. The Prey Model Raw line has 3 raw meat-based formulas (including bone and organ meats) supplemented with foods like goat milk for extra nutrition. There are no added vitamins or minerals, which indicates high quality ingredients. However, this food does contain coconut oil, which has been shown to cause gut inflammation in multiple studies.
Steve’s Real Food provides the names and descriptions of all of its suppliers on the website, and there’s a strong focus on sustainable sourcing. Their beef is grass-fed and grass-finished, and their poultry is free-range, although most poultry is.
Steve’s Real Food is a family-owned and operated business, headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. Manufacturing is done at a dedicated facility in Aumsville, Oregon. It’s worth mentioning that Steve’s Real Food uses High Pressure Pasteurization (HPP) as a kill step. This doesn’t affect their product score, but is important to some raw feeders. However, the company website provides results of lab testing done on their products after HPP, showing minimal losses in nutritional values.
Steve’s Real Food Dog Food Recalls
Steve’s Real Food voluntarily recalled one lot of Turducken Recipes and two lots of Quest cat food recipes due to possible Salmonella or Listeria contamination in September 2018. In March 2018, the company voluntarily recalled one lot of Turkey Recipe Raw Dog food due to possible Salmonella contamination.
In March 2013 the FDA issued a warning about potential Salmonella in the company’s Turducken raw dog food. Earlier the same month, the company voluntarily recalled 5 lb bags of the same food for the same reason.
Steve’s Real Food Prey Model Raw Benefits
- Lightly processed
- Less fat than protein
- No added vitamins or minerals
- Grass-fed, grass finished beef
- Focus on sustainable sourcing
- Made in dedicated facilities
Steve’s Real Food Prey Model Raw Concerns
- Not specified whether salmon oil is from farmed or wild-caught fish
- Doesn’t provide omega-6:omega-3 ratio
- Contains coconut oil
View The Entire Review on DogFoodReviews.com
#3 Steve’s Real Food Raw Frozen Dog Food
Score: 10/10
Ingredients List For Frozen Beef Diet Recipe: Ground beef, beef liver, beef kidney, broccoli, beef bone, carrots, apples, romaine lettuce, goat’s milk, coconut oil, sesame seeds, salmon oil, flaxseed, dried kelp, taurine, green lipped mussel, inulin, ground eggshell.
Steve’s Real Food Raw Dog Food has 6 raw meat-based formulas (including bone and organ meats) combined with produce and natural supplements. The average score of this line is 10/10 with no points lost for ingredient quality or safety. The foods in this line all have a lower percentage of fat than protein, which is desirable in a raw food. Protein averages 13.5% (50% protein on a dry matter basis) while fat averages 8.9% fat as fed. There are minimal carbohydrates in this food with an average of 7%, but it is produce, not starchy grains. There are no added vitamins or minerals, which indicates higher quality ingredients because the nutrients come from whole foods.
Steve’s Real Food provides the names and descriptions of all of its suppliers on the website, and there’s a strong focus on sustainable sourcing. It appears that they do buy non-organic produce, although they state their foods are GMO-free but this is not certified, with the exception of their turkey meat.
Steve’s Real Food is a family-owned and operated business, headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. Manufacturing is done at a dedicated facility in Aumsville, Oregon. Steve’s Real Food uses High Pressure Pasteurization (HPP) as a kill step. This doesn’t affect their product score, but is definitely worth noting. The company website provides results of lab testing done on their products after HPP, showing minimal changes in nutritional values.
Steve’s Real Food Dog Food Recalls
Steve’s Real Food voluntarily recalled one lot of Turducken Recipes and two lots of Quest cat food recipes due to possible Salmonella or Listeria contamination, in September 2018. In March 2018, the company voluntarily recalled one lot of Turkey Recipe Raw Dog food due to possible Salmonella contamination.
In March 2013 the FDA issued a warning about potential Salmonella in the company’s Turducken raw dog food. Earlier the same month, the company voluntarily recalled 5 lb bags of the same food for the same reason.
Steve’s Real Food Raw Frozen Benefits
- Lightly processed
- Less fat than protein
- No starchy carbohydrates
- GMO free but not certified
- Organic sourcing but not certified
- No added vitamins or minerals
- Grass fed, grass finished beef
- Free range poultry
- Focus on sustainable sourcing
- Made in dedicated facilities
Steve’s Real Food Raw Frozen Concerns
- Not clear whether all fish ingredients are wild caught
- Does not provide omega-6:omega-3 ratio
- Contains coconut oil
View The Entire Review on DogFoodReviews.com
#4 Vital Essentials Frozen Raw Dog Food
Score: 10/10
Ingredients List For Beef Patties Frozen Grain Free Dog Food Recipe: Beef, beef liver, beef lung, beef kidney, beef stomach, herring oil, vitamin E supplement, iron amino acid chelate, zinc amino acid chelate, manganese amino acid chelate, copper amino acid chelate.
Vital Essentials Frozen Raw Dog Food has seven frozen raw foods that all score 10/10, with no deductions for ingredient quality or safety. The foods all have a lower percentage of fat than protein, with an average 13.7% protein content (54% protein on a dry matter basis) and 7.7% fat as fed.
Vital Essentials offers frozen raw foods in two formulas: Grain free and Fusion. The Grain Free products are meat-only formulas containing whole meats (including bone) and organs. The Fusion products contain 10% produce for extra nutrients. With respect to ingredient quality, the produce is all organic except for the blueberries and broccoli, which are not known high-pesticide crops (although organic is always preferable).
All the recipes in the frozen raw foods contain some chelated minerals (two for the Fusion and four for the Grain Free), which drops Vital Essentials down in the rankings. While chelated minerals are more bioavailable than other minerals, whole food nutrition is best for raw dog foods since it’s safer than vitamin premixes.
Vital Essentials was launched in 2009 and the food is manufactured in their own facilities in Green Bay, Wisconsin. In January 2022, their parent company Carnivore Meat Company announced the acquisition of a fourth facility in Green Bay, Wisconsin that will increase its production capacity.
Vital Essentials Dog Food Recalls
Vital Essentials had two voluntary recalls in 2018. The first was in February, and involved 73 cases of its Freeze Dried Beef Nibblets Entrée due to possible salmonella contamination. The second was in April, involving two freeze dried dog foods due to possible salmonella contamination. The foods were the Freeze Dried Beef Toppers and the Frozen Beef Chub Entrée.
Vital Essentials Raw Frozen Benefits
- Lightly processed
- Less fat than protein
- No added vitamins
- Most produce is organic
- Made in-house
Vital Essentials Raw Frozen Concerns
- Doesn’t provide the omega-6:omega-3 ratio
- Not specified whether herring oil is from farmed or wild-caught fish
- Some chelated minerals added
View The Entire Review on DogFoodReviews.com
#5 Raw Bistro Frozen Raw Dog Food
Score: 9.7/10
Ingredients List For Frozen Turkey Entree Recipe: Ground turkey (includes bone), turkey gizzards, turkey liver, turkey heart, organic spinach, organic yams, organic celery, organic cranberries, organic flaxseed, organic apple cider vinegar, organic coconut oil, organic kelp, sea salt, inulin (extract of chicory), zinc amino acid chelate, vitamin E supplement, copper amino acid chelate, manganese amino acid chelate, vitamin D3 supplement.
Raw Bistro Frozen Raw Dog Food has five foods averaging 9.7/10 for ingredient quality and safety. All of these recipes are grain-free and low in carbohydrate content, with an average of 8% carbohydrate as fed. The average protein content is 13.8% (50% protein on a dry matter basis) and 8.5% fat as fed.
Overall, the foods are low in fat, but the beef and lamb recipes are higher in fat compared to the other proteins in this line. Raw Bistro claims their beef is 100% grass-fed, which is desirable since it will have a better omega-6 to omega-3 balance.
These recipes feature organic produce, which is definitely desirable as organic foods have a less toxic pesticide residue. This line also contains some organ meats, which are a good source of whole food vitamins and minerals. However, this food does contain added minerals while other raw foods are formulated without them. Three foods in this line also use seed oils, which are ultra-processed and inflammatory. Animal fats are much more desirable than plant or especially seed oils. Several of the recipes in the raw line also contain coconut oil, which is a glam ingredient that’s been implicated in increased gut permeability and inflammation.
Raw food fans should note that, at the time of writing, Raw Bistro does not use High Pressure Pasteurization (HPP) as a kill step. This doesn’t affect their product score, but is worth noting.
Founded in 2010, Raw Bistro is a small brand manufactured in Cannon Falls, Minnesota. They appear to manufacture their foods in their own facility. To date, Raw Bistro has not had any recalls or voluntary withdrawals.
Raw Bistro Dog Food Benefits
- Lightly processed
- Less fat than protein
- 100% grass-fed beef
- Organic produce
- Low in starch
Raw Bistro Dog Food Concerns
- Contains seed oils
- Some added vitamins/minerals
- Some foods are higher in fat
- Contains coconut oil
- Omega-6:omega-3 ratio not provided
View The Entire Review on DogFoodReviews.com
#6 OC Raw
Score: 9.5/10
Ingredients List For Fish & Produce Recipe: Pollock fish filets, tilapia, carrots, apples, green beans, broccoli, spinach, acorn squash, papaya, honey, beets, parsley, blueberries, cranberries, cod liver oil, calcium carbonate.
OC Raw’s Frozen Raw Dog Food has 8 recipes with an average score of 9.5/10. This food is lower in carbohydrate than the other foods on this list, with an average of 3% as fed. OC Raw averages 17.9% protein (52% protein on a dry matter basis) and 7.25% fat as fed, which is quite low in fat and might require a bit of added fat for some dogs.
OC Raw does not contain any added vitamins or minerals, indicating better quality ingredients with whole food micronutrients. With that said, the produce is not organic and some recipes lose ingredient safety points for ingredients that are known to be high in pesticide or herbicide residues. OC Raw claims their meat and poultry are free-range, which is just a marketing claim since all ruminants meat birds are all raised free-range. It would be more desirable to see grass-finished beef than free-range. Their labels also don’t say whether their fish is wild-caught or farmed.
OC Raw is a family-owned and operated business, founded in 2008 and headquartered in Corona, California. The food is made in the company’s own commercial kitchen.
OC Raw Dog Food Recalls
In April 2018, OC Raw voluntarily recalled several raw and freeze-dried batches due to potential Listeria or Clostridium contamination. The Department of Agriculture reported a positive test for listeria in a food sample but failed to find botulism. The Freeze Dried Sardines were recalled because the fish were larger than the FDA guideline of 5 inches, which the FDA says leads to a higher risk of botulism.
There were two further recalls in September and May 2015, when some raw batches were recalled due to the potential for salmonella.
OC Raw Frozen Dog Food Benefits
- Lightly processed
- Less fat than protein
- No added vitamins or minerals
- Made in-house
- Produce is non-GMO but not certified
- Low in starch
OC Raw Frozen Dog Food Concerns
- Contains high pesticide ingredients
- Not specified whether fish is farmed or wild-caught
- Does not provide omega-6:omega-3 ratio
View The Entire Review on DogFoodReviews.com
#7 Answers Complete And Balanced Diet
Score: 9.5/10
Ingredients List For Detailed Raw Pork Recipe: Pork, pork heart, pork liver, pork kidney, ground pork bone, organic yellow squash, organic duck eggs, organic green beans, cod liver, whey, butter, kefir (raw cow milk, dried Lactobacillus bulgaricus fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Leuconostoc mesenteroides fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus lactis fermentation product), montmorillonite, organic spinach, organic parsley, salt, vitamin E supplement.
Answers Complete And Balanced Diet offers five raw recipes with an average score of 9.5/10. These foods are higher in fat than most raw foods with 13% fat equal to 13% protein on an as fed basis (41% protein on a dry matter basis). While fat is a valuable macronutrient, it’s relatively devoid of vitamins and minerals and high fat diets can lead to unwanted changes in the gut flora. Carbohydrates are minimal at an average of 8%.
Answers prides itself on its quality ingredient sourcing and each recipe includes a single source protein from pastured and grass-fed livestock from local Pennsylvania family farms. The produce is also organic, which is nice to see in any raw food.
Answers claims their livestock is pasture-raised, grass-fed and grass-finished without antibiotics or added hormones and they follow Global Animal Partnership (GAP) rated sourcing, which certifies animals are humanely raised and handled.
Answers foods don’t use a vitamin premix and they claim their foods are free of genetically modified (GMO) ingredients. This indicates high quality ingredients and whole food nutrition.
As a small manufacturer, Answers does not use High Pressure Processing as a kill step. They choose instead to use a large amount of fermented food in their recipes, to compete with potential harmful bacteria growth. While fermented foods provide prebiotics and postbiotics, it’s important to note that large amounts are not always advisable for dogs with mast cell tumors, histamine intolerance, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth or yeast overgrowth. So there are some definite pros and cons to this food.
Answers is a family-owned pet food company based in Eastern Pennsylvania. In addition to its five raw foods for dogs, Answers also produces other fermented products for dogs and cats, which are made in their food production/manufacturing facility.
Answers Dog Food Recalls
Answers had one dog food recall in 2019 when the FDA issued a warning after the Nebraska Department of Agriculture discovered Salmonella. The company stopped further distribution of the lot in question in Nebraska and removed the product from retail stores.
In July 2019, Answers filed a Declaratory Judgment Complaint against the FDA. This complaint challenges the lawfulness of the FDA’s actions, along with AAFCO and participating state government members, in adopting a nationwide, zero tolerance standard for Salmonella in pet food. Answers’ suit claims this standard is non-compliant with federal laws, unsupported by science, and beyond the powers properly delegated to the FDA by Congress. Answers has challenged the FDA’s decision to enforce this zero tolerance standard noting that enforcement appears to be beyond the FDA’s designated powers. There is no update at this point in time.
Answers Raw Dog Food Benefits
- Lightly processed
- Organic ingredients
- Certification for humanely raised animals
- Low in starch
Answers Raw Dog Food Concerns
- High in fermented food
- High in fat
- Does not provide omega-6:omega-3 ratio
- Unclear whether cod liver is from farmed or wild-caught fish
View The Entire Review on DogFoodReviews.com
#8 Primal Raw Frozen Pronto
Score: 9.4/10
Ingredients List For Canine Raw Frozen Pronto Turkey & Sardine Recipe: Turkey (with ground bone), turkey livers, whole sardines, organic squash, organic kale, organic celery, organic pumpkin seeds, organic sunflower seeds, organic blueberries, organic cranberries, organic quinoa, organic cilantro, organic ginger, organic apple cider vinegar, montmorillonite clay, organic coconut oil, vitamin E supplement, organic ground alfalfa, dried organic kelp, zinc sulfate.
Primal Canine Raw Frozen Pronto offers 6 recipes with a score of 9.4/10. Most of the recipes have a lower percentage of fat than protein, with the exception of the lamb formula. High fat diets are linked to unwanted changes in the gut flora so it’s important to keep the fat to a reasonable level. Primal Pronto foods average 11.7% protein (50% protein on a dry matter basis) and 7% fat , while carbohydrates average 3.5% as fed.
It’s worth noting that some of the Primal foods lose ingredient quality points for using unnamed fish oil. Unspecified animal sources are a less expensive, lower quality source of protein or fat. A high quality fat would be salmon oil or herring oil, not generic fish oil. It’s worth noting that Primal foods also contain coconut oil, which has been linked to increased gut permeability and inflammation.
Primal does score relatively high because it contains certified organic produce, which keeps harmful pesticide residues to a minimum: organic ingredients are also non-GMO. The food does not contain a vitamin premix, which indicates higher quality ingredients. Vitamin E is added as a preservative.
Primal was founded in 2001. It produces lines of raw frozen and freeze-dried foods and treats for dogs and cats. All of their frozen and freeze-dried foods and some treats are manufactured in their facility in Fairfield, CA. Primal uses third-party manufacturers to produce their goat milk, bone broth and treats.
Primal Pet Food Recalls
In July 2022, Primal had a voluntary recall after the FDA conducted a routine sampling, which revealed a positive test for Listeria monocytogenes in its Raw Frozen Beef Patties with a best by date of 05/22/23.
Primal Raw Dog Food Benefits
- Lightly processed
- Less fat than protein
- Certified organic produce
- Low in starch
- No added vitamins and minerals
Primal Raw Dog Food Concerns
- Unnamed fish oil
- Contains coconut oil
- Omega-6:omega-3 ratio not provided
View The Entire Review on DogFoodReviews.com
#9 allProvide Raw Dog Food
Score: 9.3/10
Ingredients List For Dog Raw Chicken Recipe: Chicken with bone, chicken heart, chicken liver, carrot, broccoli, butternut squash, kale, milled flaxseed, flaxseed oil, wheatgrass, sea salt, cod liver oil, wild Alaskan salmon oil, turmeric powder, oregano leaf, dried sea kelp.
Allprovide’s raw dog food line is made up of 6 recipes with an average score of 9.3/10. The foods average 15% protein (47% protein on a dry matter basis) and 11.8% fat as fed, which is quite high in fat compared to other raw diets on this list. The pork recipe contains more fat than protein, which reduces its ingredient quality score. High fat diets can cause unwanted changes to gut balance and permeability, which can cause chronic inflammation in dogs. They can also be indicative of cheaper protein sources.
While the foods average 6% carbohydrate, the beef recipe contains 15% carbohydrate as fed, which is quite high for a raw diet and is presumably to keep costs down.
It’s good to see that allProvide claims it uses non-GMO ingredients but the foods do contain ingredients known to have high pesticide/herbicide residue, which pushes this food down the list.
On the good side, allProvide does share the omega-6:omega-3 ratio for their foods and it’s reasonable. The food is also free of a vitamin premix, which means the nutrition comes from whole foods. However, the foods do all contain coconut oil, which is a glam ingredient that’s linked to increased gut permeability and inflammation in multiple studies.
Allprovide is a small brand manufactured in Georgia. They appear to manufacture their own foods in their own facility. They claim their meats are all USDA inspected and their fruits and vegetables come from US suppliers, with the exception of their turmeric, oregano and hemp seed oil.
To date, Allprovide has not had any recalls or voluntary withdrawals.
allProvide Raw Dog Food Benefits
- Lightly processed
- Less fat than protein
- No added vitamins or minerals
- Non GMO
- Made in-house
allProvide Raw Dog Food Concerns
- High pesticide/herbicide foods in top five ingredients
- Some foods higher in fat
- Does not provide omega-6:omega-3 ratio
View The Entire Review on DogFoodReviews.com
#10 Aunt Jeni’s
Score: 9.1/10
Ingredients List For Goat Recipe: Goat (contains goat meat & goat heart), goat bones, goat liver, mustard greens, turnip greens, green beans, organic alfalfa sprouts, papayas, cranberries, organic sunflower seeds, organic almond meal, organic walnut meal.
Aunt Jeni’s offers seven raw dog foods with a score of 9.1/10. While several of the foods score a perfect 10 for ingredient quality, the lamb recipe contains nearly twice as much fat as protein, which is certainly undesirable since high fat diets are linked to gut imbalance. Overall, these foods average 12.3% protein (53% protein on a dry matter basis), 7.7% fat as fed and 5% carbohydrate.
Aunt Jeni’s scores well for ingredient quality, although there are known high pesticide/herbicide foods in the top five ingredients. There are a couple of organic ingredients added, including kelp and alfalfa, but we don’t like to see known high pesticide foods in the top 5 ingredients.
Aunt Jeni’s does not use a vitamin and mineral premix, which indicates higher quality ingredients and a safer food. Aunt Jeni’s claims they source most of their main ingredients from the US.
Aunt Jenny’s Home Made is a small direct to consumer company in Maryland. The company was founded in 1999 by Jennifer Boniface. As a small company, Aunt Jeni’s claims their food is made in-house and not co-packed. Aunt Jeni’s currently offers raw frozen foods, along with supplements and treats.
Aunt Jeni’s Dog Food Recalls
To date, Aunt Jeni’s has not been recalled. However, the FDA has cautioned consumers on two separate occasions that lots of the food were contaminated with Salmonella in 2019 and 2020. Aunt Jeni’s did not recall the food, claiming the FDA did not provide proof of the positive sample. Bacteria of all species can be common in raw (and cooked) foods and normally doesn’t present a problem for the dog eating it. Additionally, the rapid testing used by the USDA can pick up non-pathogenic bacteria species, and it’s debatable that zero bacteria in any pet food is desirable or beneficial.
Aunt Jeni’s Raw Dog Food Benefits
- Lightly processed
- Most foods have less fat than protein
- Low in starch
- Doesn’t contain added vitamins or minerals
- Made in-house
- Some organic produce
Aunt Jeni’s Raw Dog Food Concerns
- Small amount of high pesticide/GMO ingredients
- Does not provide omega-6:omega-3 ratio
- Lamb recipe is high in fat
