Freshpet first pet food to earn Clean Label Project purity award

The basics:

• Freshpet first pet food brand to receive Clean Label Project certification
• Entire US, Canadian product line earn Purity Award
• Independent tests screen for heavy metals, industrial contaminants

Bedminster-based Freshpet has become the first pet food brand to earn certification from the Clean Label Project.

The Colorado-headquartered nonprofit conducts independent laboratory testing for contaminants that consumers will not see on a label, such as heavy metals, pesticides and plasticizers.

Following the test, Freshpet’s entire U.S. and Canadian product line earned a Purity Award, according to a press release.

Founded 20 years ago in Secaucus by pet industry executives, Freshpet works to bring fresh, refrigerated meals to dogs and cats. Made with whole ingredients such as meats, vegetables and fruits, the company sells its lineup of fresh pet food and treats chilled, rather than shelf-stable.

Veterinarian nutritionists develop Freshpet’s recipes, which is prepared in Freshpet-owned kitchens using gentle steam-cooking methods to preserve nutrients and ingredient integrity. Additionally, products undergo more than 20 tests for quality control and safety, the company said.

Freshpet is available at growing number of grocery, natural food, club and pet specialty retailers across the U.S., Canada and Europe in the company’s proprietary refrigerated “Freshpet Fridges.” It also ships directly to consumers in the U.S.

‘Doing things differently’

Commenting on the recognition, Freshpet co-founder and President Scott Morris said, “We believed that by doing things differently, we could deliver cleaner, higher-quality nutrition for pets. Clean Label Project’s Purity Award validates that belief and reinforces our commitment to raising the standard for pet food.”

Lisa Weeth, Freshpet’s head of veterinary research and communications, added, “Contaminants like heavy metals and industrial chemicals do not show up on a traditional ingredient list, yet they are what many health-conscious pet parents worry about for themselves and their pets.”

The board-certified veterinary nutritionist continued, “Independent verification from the Clean Label Project gives veterinarians and families data to help them make informed decisions when choosing a fresh diet over conventional options.”

A commercial concern

The announcement follows the release of a report from the Clean Label Project that found many popular dry dog foods contain significantly higher levels of heavy metals and industrial contaminants than both fresh and frozen dog foods. Those were higher than more than 3,280 human consumable products tested over the past decade, the organization added.

By contrast, the analysis found that fresh and frozen dog food products – including all Freshpet recipes – had the lowest heavy metal levels of any segment tested. They were also lower on average than the Clean Label Project’s benchmark for human consumables across arsenic, cadmium, mercury, lead, acrylamide and industrial plasticizer DEHP.

In the study of 79 top-selling dog foods with more than 11,000 individual tests, traditional dry dog food averaged 13.3 times more arsenic, 20 times more lead and mercury, as well dramatically higher levels of DEHP and acrylamide than fresh dog food, the Clean Label Project said.

Clean Label Project Executive Director Molly Hamilton commented, “Most pet owners assume the food they buy for their dogs is held to the same safety standards as human food, but that’s simply not true … Given that dogs often eat the same food every day, this raises important questions about long-term exposure and the need for greater transparency and stronger safety standards.”