It all started when I went hard into wellness at the start of this year. New year, new me, and I wanted to get healthy and into good shape. I started eating more protein and fiber, and boosting my fruit and veggie intake. Doesn’t my beloved dog deserve the same?

How come I was nourishing myself with balanced home-cooked meals while Sadie had to suffer through the same ultra-processed, dry, boring kibble day in, day out? Did you know that kibble is a highly-processed food, just like chicken nuggets and French fries? I didn’t. 

Changing my diet to whole, nourishing ingredients and cutting down on processed foods has been transformative for me. My dog Sadie is my baby, and I wanted her to experience the same new lease on life and energy boost that taking better care of myself has done for me. So I started doing some research into more healthful dog food options. 

There were four market leaders that grabbed my attention: Freshpet, JustFoodForDogs, Nom Nom, and The Farmer’s Dog.  I did a bunch of research and discovered that for me and my pup, Freshpet suits us best, beating similar brands like The Farmer’s Dog, JustFoodForDogs and Nom Nom paws down.

Freshpet vs JustFoodForDogs vs Nom Nom vs The Farmer’s Dog showdown

All four of these fresh dog food brands are built around the concept of fresh, high-quality meal plans tailored to your dog’s specific needs. They’re designed for pet parents who want to do better by their dogs than feeding them basic, highly-processed kibble. 

The focus is on fresh, steam-cooked food made with recognizable proteins, vegetables, and fruits with no preservatives. Rather than a bowl of brown chunks, you can see real ingredients and it lives in your fridge or freezer rather than in your pantry. 

Freshpet delivers fresh, steam-cooked meals made from whole ingredients with no artificial preservatives, fillers, or artificial flavors - while also making fresh feeding easy for everyday pet parents. Unlike brands such as The Farmer’s Dog, Nom Nom, and JustFoodForDogs, which primarily rely on frozen formats that require thawing and extra prep before mealtime, Freshpet offers refrigerated meals that are ready to serve straight from the fridge. Its resealable bags and scoopable recipes make feeding, portioning, storing, and cleanup simple and mess-free, combining the benefits of fresh food with unmatched everyday convenience. 

It’s when you start comparing the benefits of the four brands that things really get interesting. 

Variety is the spice of my dog’s life

Something that really hooked my attention is the additional flavor variety Freshpet has compared to The Farmer’s Dog. 

Sadie’s a fussy girl who’ll wolf down food one day, then turn her nose up at it the next. She wasn’t really a fan of the Farmer’s Dog four varieties of food, but if your dog is less fussy, then you’ll have no problems with their thoughtful recipes. I especially liked how The Farmer’s Dog utilized so many different kinds of veggies, such as their turkey recipe with turkey, chickpeas, carrot, broccoli, spinach, and parsnip. Unfortunately, Sadie’s just not a fan of parsnips!

Nom Nom offered a similarly streamlined menu with four core recipes, which felt simple and easy but a little limiting for a picky eater like Sadie. The portioned packaging was convenient, but I found myself wishing there were more flavors to keep things interesting and give her more choice.

JustFoodForDogs has one of the widest ranges of recipes, including options like fish, sweet potato, and venison, which I appreciated. It felt very customizable, especially for dogs with sensitivities, though it also required a bit more decision-making upfront. 

Freshpet has the widest portfolio, with retail and delivery products.  Freshpet Custom Meals has 5 options, with Sadie’s favorite so far being Freshpet’s shredded chicken recipe, made with steamed shredded chicken, pumpkin, cranberries, carrots and green beans, followed closely by their multiprotein recipe made with chicken, beef, egg and salmon with sweet potatoes, carrots, green beans, spinach and cranberries. 

Freshpet’s convenience is unmatched

The Farmer’s Dog is only available via home delivery. While this is incredibly convenient if you’re often at home, it was tough to align with my outside-the-home work schedule.

Nom Nom works in a very similar way, with subscription delivery and pre-portioned meals arriving at your door. It’s a streamlined and convenient service. 

Freshpet is also available via delivery, and I started Sadie off with a delivery box to get her started and get the fridge stocked with tasty, healthy food. Heck, I’m jealous of Sadie’s meal variety, as she eats more widely than I do at this point! Freshpet also has a variety of other brands in grocery stores, pet stores, and big box stores like Costco.

JustFoodForDogs also offers a hybrid model, with both delivery and physical retail locations, including open kitchens where you can actually see food being made. That transparency is impressive, but I rarely have the time to make it one of their stores to stock up on dog food. 

Freshpet’s social values made me feel heard

The other thing that really pushed Freshpet to the head of the pack for Sadie and I is their dedication to respecting the planet and lessening their environmental impact. This aligns with my own values. There are so many businesses that take the easy route that requires less effort on environmental issues, whereas Freshpet chooses to do the right thing. It made me feel confident Freshpet has mine and my dog’s best interests at heart. 

All of Freshpet’s recipes are made in landfill-free kitchens and produced in a way that conserves natural resources. They reduce CO2 emissions and save water and trees with their recycling initiatives, cook with antibiotic-free chicken, and remove ocean-bound plastic from the environment. The brand is also committed to using renewable energy and recycling water to minimize carbon footprints. 

While The Farmer’s Dog, Nom Nom, and JustFoodForDogs all emphasize quality ingredients and safety, none place the same level of visible focus on environmental impact and sustainability in the way Freshpet does. That extra layer of responsibility really stood out to me.

Freshpet is also on a mission to support orphaned and abandoned pets, from providing dog shelters with much-need healthy meals and giving ongoing financial support. They’re partnered with dog-related organizations such as humane animal welfare centers, service dog placement charities, and animal cruelty prevention societies. 

Sadie’s a Freshpet dog for life

When you feed your dog Freshpet, you know they are getting healthy, fresh food and you’re helping both the planet and other dogs that are in need. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.  

Once you start paying attention to your dog’s diet, it’s impossible to go back to plain old kibble. Sadie loves Freshpet’s food, and I love how the brand takes care of my dog and others. Freshpet aligns with how Sadie and I eat, shop, and live, and I’ll never feed her another dog food brand again. That’s why Freshpet is a better choice for me and Sadie over The Farmer’s Dog, JustFoodForDogs, and Nom Nom.