Highly Recommended
DogFoodAdvisor is reader supported See how
All reviews are 100% impartial but if you buy using links on this page, we may earn a referral fee.
Our Verdict
freshpet Nature’s Fresh rolled product range is made up of 4 recipes with ratings varying from 3 to 5 stars. The average rating of the whole range is 4.5 stars.
Nature’s Fresh is freshpet’s eco-friendly and humane pet food range dedicated to sustainable and humanely sourced ingredients. These recipes feature vegetables and grains from regenerative farms, certainly one of freshpet’s better lines.
Pros
- No rendered by-products or meat meals
- Responsibly sourced & sustainably made
- Transparency about where the ingredients are sourced
Cons
- Short shelf life due to refrigeration
The table below shows each recipe in this range including our rating and the AAFCO nutrient profile: Growth (puppy), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.
| Product line | Rating | AAFCO |
|---|---|---|
| freshpet Nature’s Fresh Beef Recipe | 5 | M |
| freshpet Nature’s Fresh Turkey Recipe Grain Free | 3 | M |
| freshpet Nature’s Fresh Chicken Recipe | 5 | M |
| freshpet Nature's Fresh White Alaskan Pollock and Atlantic Salmon Grain Free | 5 | A |
Recipe and Label Analysis
freshpet Nature’s Fresh Beef Recipe was selected to represent the other products in the line for this review.
freshpet Nature’s Fresh Beef Recipe
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Protein
Fat
CarbsCarbohydrates
Beef, chicken, beef liver, beef broth, carrots, peas, eggs, brown rice, rice bran, carrageenan, natural flavors, minerals (calcium carbonate, zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, copper proteinate, manganese proteinate, sodium selenite, calcium lodate), celery powder, potassium chloride, salt, vitamins (choline chloride, vitamin E supplement, riboflavin, biotin, calcium pantothenate, niacin, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin B12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid), spinach
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 2%
Red denotes any controversial items
| Estimated Nutrient Content | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
| Guaranteed Analysis | 10% | 6% | NA |
| Dry Matter Basis | 46% | 27% | 19% |
| Calorie Weighted Basis | 35% | 51% | 15% |
Ingredients Analysis
The first ingredient in this dog food is beef. Beef is defined as “the clean flesh derived from slaughtered cattle” and includes skeletal muscle or the muscle tissues of the tongue, diaphragm, heart or esophagus.1
The second ingredient is chicken. Chicken is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of chicken”.2
Both beef and chicken are naturally rich in the ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.
The third ingredient is beef liver. This is an organ meat sourced from a named animal and thus considered a beneficial component.
The fourth ingredient is beef broth. Broths are of only modest nutritional value. Yet because they add both flavor and moisture to a dog food, they are a common addition component in many canned products.
The fifth ingredient includes carrots. Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, minerals and dietary fiber.
The sixth ingredient includes peas. Peas are a quality source of carbohydrates. And like all legumes, they’re rich in natural fiber.
However, peas contain about 25% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the meat content of this dog food.
The seventh ingredient lists eggs. Eggs are easy to digest and have an exceptionally high biological value.
The eighth ingredient is brown rice, a complex carbohydrate that (once cooked) can be fairly easy to digest. However, aside from its natural energy content, rice is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.
From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.
But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this product.
With two notable exceptions…
First, we find rice bran, a healthy by-product of milling whole grain rice. The bran is the fiber-rich outer layer of the grain containing starch, protein, fat as well as vitamins and minerals.
This food also contains chelated minerals, minerals that have been chemically attached to protein. This makes them easier to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually found in better dog foods.
Nutrient Analysis
Judging by its ingredients alone, Freshpet Nature’s Fresh Dog Food rolls looks like an above-average wet product.
But ingredient quality by itself cannot tell the whole story. We still need to estimate the product’s meat content before determining a final rating.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 44.2%, a fat level of 26.9% and estimated carbohydrates of about 16.2%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 40.8% and a mean fat level of 26.9%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 21.9% for the overall product line.
And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 66%.
Near-average protein. Above-average fat. And above-average carbs when compared to a typical refrigerated dog food.
Even when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the peas, this looks like the profile of a moist dog food containing a significant amount of meat.
However, with 51% of the total calories in our example coming from fat versus just 35% from protein, some recipes may not be suitable for every animal.
freshpet Dog Food Recall History
The following automated list (if present) includes all dog food recalls related to freshpet through December 2025.
You can view a complete list of all dog food recalls since 2009 here.
Our Rating of freshpet Nature's Fresh Dog Food
freshpet Nature’s Fresh lists both grain-inclusive and grain-free rolled dog foods using a generous amount of named meats as its main source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 4.5 stars.
It is worth noting that the lower rating of the turkey recipe is due to a high fat-to-protein ratio. With lower fat content, all of these recipes would have been 5 stars.
About
freshpet was founded in 2006 by a group of three former pet food execs with their headquarters in Bedminster, New Jersey.
The company began in Secaucus, New Jersey, and expanded into Pennsylvania, then acquired a second facility in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, just seven years later. 2014. In 2020, another factory was opened in Texas to meet demand for the products.
Compare freshpet Nature's Fresh Dog Food
How does freshpet Nature's Fresh compare with The Dog Food Advisor's most recommended brands?
A Final Word
The Dog Food Advisor does not accept money, gifts, samples or other incentives in exchange for special consideration in preparing our reviews.
However, we do receive a referral fee from online retailers (like Chewy or Amazon) and from sellers of perishable pet food when readers click over to their websites from ours. This helps cover the cost of operation of our free blog. Thanks for your support.
For more information, please visit our Disclaimer and Disclosure page.
