Steve’s Real Food is a family-owned and operated business, headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Steve’s Real Food’s manufacturing is done at a dedicated facility in Aumsville, Oregon. The manufacturing process is done in batches of 1000 lbs, with equipment sterilized between batches. Finished goods are stored in a frozen warehouse in Boring, Oregon.
The company doesn’t own either of these facilities, but states that they work very closely with the co-packer who grew up working in a raw pet food plant that was his family’s business. He branched out on his own to manufacture Steve’s Real Food.
Raw food fans should note that Steve’s Real Food does use 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.
For our Steve’s Real Food dog food reviews we’ll look at each food line individually, based on the food ingredient quality and safety. There are 3 lines of 15 dog foods. Each dog food review was based on these criteria.
Steve’s Real Food Frozen Raw Dog Food Review
Score: 10/10
Package Ingredients For Steve’s Real Food Frozen Raw Pork Recipe: Pork, Pork Heart, Pork Liver, Carrots, Kale, Pork Neck Bone, Broccoli, Goat Milk, Chia Seed, Flaxseed, Kelp, Salmon Oil, Taurine, Green Lipped Mussel, Inulin, Coconut Oil, Sesame Seeds, Ground eggshell Membrane
Using our evaluation criteria, Steve’s Real Food Frozen Raw Dog is considered a low risk dog food. There are 6 recipes in this line
Ingredient Quality
No points are deducted for ingredient quality. The food is low in carbohydrates, averaging 7.3% as calculated on a dry matter basis. There are no added vitamins or minerals, which indicates better quality ingredients that meet nutritional standards without supplementation.
Ingredient Safety
No points are deducted for ingredient safety. As a raw dog food, this line is minimally processed.
Concerns
There’s no point deduction, but these are some concerns to be aware of when evaluating the safety and quality of this dog food:
Does Not Provide Omega-6:Omega-3 Ratio: Steve’s Real Food does not state the omega6:omega-3 ratio in their foods. While this is true of most foods, it’s a concern because AAFCO allows a very inflammatory limit of 30:1. Diets rich in omega-6 fats can cause chronic inflammation and disease.
Does Not State Farmed Vs Wild Caught Fish: The company doesn’t specify whether all fish ingredients are farmed or wild caught. Farmed fish is less nutritious than wild caught fish and does not contain the same healthy fatty acid balance. However they do follow Marine Stewardship Council sustainability practices in their sourcing.
Contains Coconut Oil: The recipes contain added coconut oil, which is a concern because it’s been shown to cause changes in the gut lining, potentially harming gut health.
Benefits
Here are benefits of these foods:
Lightly Processed: Raw foods don’t have heat applied during processing, so the ingredients retain most of their original nutrients. As mentioned earlier, the company does use HPP as a kill step, but provides the results of lab testing showing there’s minimal loss of nutrients from this process.
High Protein: Steve’s Real Food Frozen Raw Dog Food averages 50% protein on a dry matter which is good to see. Fat is lower than protein, as preferred in a raw food.
No GMO Ingredients: This isn’t a non-GMO verified line, however, the company states its foods are GMO-free.
Read more Steve’s Real Food Dog Food Reviews
Steve’s Real Food Freeze Dried Dog Food Review
Score: 10/10
Package Ingredients For Steve’s Real Food Freeze-Dried Lamu Dog Food Recipe: Ground Lamb, Lamb Heart, Emu Liver, Ground Emu, Broccoli, Carrots, Apples, Emu Bone, Green Lipped Mussel, Romaine Lettuce, Goat Milk, Flaxseed, Dried Kelp, Salmon Oil, Coconut Oil, Inulin, Chia Seed, Taurine, Ground Eggshell
Using our evaluation criteria, Steve’s Real Food Freeze Dried Dog Food is considered a low risk dog food. There are 6 recipes in this line.
Ingredient Quality
No points are deducted for ingredient quality. The food is low in carbohydrates, averaging less than 2% as calculated on a dry matter basis. There are no added vitamins or minerals, which indicates better quality ingredients that meet nutritional standards without supplementation.
Ingredient Safety
No points are deducted for ingredient safety. As a freeze-dried raw dog food, this line is minimally processed, with no heat applied during processing.
Concerns
There’s no point deduction, but these are some concerns to be aware of when evaluating the safety and quality of this dog food:
Does Not Provide Omega-6:Omega-3 Ratio: Steve’s Real Food does not state the omega6:omega-3 ratio in their foods. While this is true of most foods, it’s a concern because AAFCO allows a very inflammatory limit of 30:1. Diets rich in omega-6 fats can cause chronic inflammation and disease.
Does Not State Farmed Vs Wild Caught Fish: The company doesn’t specify whether all fish ingredients are farmed or wild caught. Farmed fish is less nutritious than wild caught fish and does not contain the same healthy fatty acid balance. However they do follow Marine Stewardship Council sustainability practices in their sourcing.
Contains Coconut Oil: The recipes contain added coconut oil, which is a concern because it’s been shown to cause changes in the gut lining, potentially harming gut health.
Benefits
Here are some benefits of these foods:
Lightly Processed: Freeze dried raw foods don’t have heat applied during processing, so the nutrients in the raw ingredients are preserved. As mentioned earlier, the company does use HPP as a kill step, but provides the results of lab testing showing there’s minimal loss of nutrients from this process.
High Protein: Steve’s Real Food Freeze Dried Dog Food protein averages 48%, and there’s less fat than protein, which is desirable in raw or freeze dried food. .
Low Carbohydrates: This food averages less than 2% carbohydrate (as calculated on a dry matter basis) which is extremely low.
No GMO Ingredients: This isn’t a non-GMO verified line, however, the company states its foods are GMO-free.
Read more Steve’s Real Food Dog Food Reviews
Steve’s Real Food Prey Model Raw Dog Food Review
Score: 10/10
Package Ingredients For Steve’s Real Food Prey Model Chicken Recipe: 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
Using our evaluation criteria, Steve’s Real Food Prey Model Raw Dog Food is considered a low risk dog food. There are 3 recipes in this line, which is a high protein prey model food with no produce, designed for working dogs or dogs who are very active or who need to gain weight.
Ingredient Quality
No points are deducted for ingredient quality. The food is low in carbohydrates, averaging less than 2% as calculated on a dry matter basis. There are no added vitamins or minerals, which indicates better quality ingredients that meet nutritional standards without supplementation.
Ingredient Safety
No points are deducted for ingredient safety. As a freeze-dried raw dog food, this line is minimally processed, with no heat applied during processing.
Concerns
There’s no point deduction, but these are some concerns to be aware of when evaluating the safety and quality of this dog food:
Does Not Provide Omega-6:Omega-3 Ratio: Steve’s Real Food does not state the omega6:omega-3 ratio in their foods. While this is true of most foods, it’s a concern because AAFCO allows a very inflammatory limit of 30:1. Diets rich in omega-6 fats can cause chronic inflammation and disease.
Does Not State Farmed Vs Wild Caught Fish: The company doesn’t specify whether all fish ingredients are farmed or wild caught. Farmed fish is less nutritious than wild caught fish and does not contain the same healthy fatty acid balance. However they do follow Marine Stewardship Council sustainability practices in their sourcing.
Contains Coconut Oil: The recipes contain added coconut oil, which is a concern because it’s been shown to cause changes in the gut lining, potentially harming gut health.
Benefits
Here are some benefits of these foods:
Lightly Processed: Raw foods are minimally processed, so the nutrients in the raw ingredients are preserved. As mentioned earlier, the company does use HPP as a kill step, but provides the results of lab testing showing there’s minimal loss of nutrients from this process.
High Protein: Steve’s Real Food Prey Model Raw Dog Food is 57% protein on a dry matter basis, with less fat than protein, which is preferred in a raw food.
Low Carbohydrates: This food averages less than 5% carbohydrate (as calculated one a dry matter basis) which is acceptable. Foods that are rich in carbohydrate can increase insulin levels, increase the risk of obesity and cause unwanted changes to the gut microbiome.
No GMO Ingredients: This isn’t a non-GMO verified line, however, there aren’t any ingredients with GMOs which is good to see. There are limited safety studies on genetically modified and Roundup Ready crops although they are lacking in nutrients compared to non-GMO foods. GMO crops also strip nutrients from soils, require increased pesticide risk and may be involved in bee die-off.
Read more Steve’s Real Food Dog Food Reviews
Is Steve’s Real Food A Good Dog Food?
Overall, Steve’s Real Food is a very good dog food. The foods all have a lower percentage of fat than protein, which is desirable in a raw food. The company provides the names and descriptions of all of its suppliers on the website, and there’s a strong focus on sustainable sourcing. Some, but not all, of the produce is organic.
The company does state their foods are GMO-free but not certified. Their supplier of turkey meat is certified non-GMO, however. There are also no added vitamins or minerals. This indicates higher quality ingredients because the nutrients come from whole foods.
There are some minor concerns mentioned under the reviews of each line. They don’t affect the Steve’s Real Food dog food reviews score, but they’re worth mentioning.
Steve’s Real Food Recalls
- 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.
- September 2018: Steve’s Real Food voluntarily recalled one lot of 5lb Turducken Recipe, one lot of 2lb Quest Emu Diet, and one lot of 2lb Quest Beef Diet, due to possible Salmonella and/or L. mono contamination.
- March 2018: the company voluntarily recalled one lot of Turkey Recipe Raw Dog food due to possible Salmonella contamination.
Evaluation Criteria
We evaluate and score dog foods based on two criteria:
Are the Ingredients High Quality?
Here are some common low quality ingredients or markers we look for:
- Is there excessive carbohydrate content, which can cause gut imbalances?
- Does the food contain unnamed proteins, which are low quality?
- Does the food use cellulose (wood pulp) as a source of fiber instead of real food?
- Are there excessive vitamins and minerals added in place of real food nutrition?
- Are there excessive added amino acids or plant proteins instead of expensive meat protein?
- Does the food contain inflammatory processed seed oils?
How Safe Are the Ingredients?
Many ingredients come from unhealthy, inflammatory sources or are full of pesticides so we look for:
- How processed is the food?
- 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, which are often MSG or animal digest?
- Does the food contain rice, which is high in arsenic?
Each food is objectively evaluated by these criteria and a score is assigned using the average of ingredient quality and safety. 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 dog food on the market. You can view the full Evaluation Criteria at DogFoodReviews.com.
