If you pay attention to dog food marketing, perhaps you’ve noticed a gradual increase in the number of companies selling what they call ‘fresh kibble’ dog food. Furthermore, perhaps you’re surprised by the idea of kibble being fresh. So what is actually going on? And how does fresh kibble compare to cold-pressed dog food?
The first thing you need to know is that there is no industry standard for classifying a kibble as ‘fresh kibble’. The good folk over at Nextrition tell us there isn’t even a true standard about what constitutes ‘fresh’ in the dog food world. But no worries. I am here to explain what is generally meant by these terms so that you can make your own decisions.
What They Mean by Fresh Kibble Dog Food
As a general rule, a fresh kibble is like traditional kibble in terms of form and shelf stability. What makes it different is that manufacturers are more likely to prefer whole ingredients, cook at lower temperatures, and let their kibble air dry. Some manufacturers go so far as to refer to their food as ‘unkibble’.
The fresh kibble movement is rooted in a growing understanding that our industry can do a much better job of producing natural, healthy dog food that isn’t likely to cause digestive issues in our pets. That’s really the big problem with traditional kibble.
The way traditional kibble is made dictates that manufacturers use certain types of ingredients. But manufacturers also cook their food at high temperatures and then form it into pellets through an extrusion process that creates a food dogs find difficult to digest. That’s why traditional kibble swells in the stomach and promotes gas.
Fresh kibble uses different ingredients and a unique production process. Manufacturers wind up with a more easily digested food that offers high nutritional value with no need for additives.
How It Compares to Cold-Pressed Food
Fresh kibble dog food would seem to be better than traditional kibble because of higher nutritional value and easier digestion. But I think there is a better way still. That better way is cold pressing. Fresh kibble makers do cold-pressed food, but in a way that is even better for your dog.
For example, some are exceptionally choosy about the ingredients they select. The natural proteins include chicken, beef, lamb, and salmon. They combine protein with a variety of fruits and vegetables, in just the right amounts, to create a food that is densely packed with nutrition.
They also cook at comparatively low temperatures. Unlike high-temp cooking, lower temperature process does not rob the ingredients of their nutrition or flavor. That’s why most companies are comfortable saying that their food is densely packed with nutrition. They don’t cook nutrition out of the food.
It Breaks Down Easily
The combination of cold-temperature cooking and cold pressing (to create the little nuggets in a bag) produces a food that breaks down easily in your dog’s stomach. Cold-pressed food is much less likely to swell because it digests so easily. And without swelling, your dog is less likely to feel bloated or become gassy.
Kibble has been an industry staple for decades. But as the industry has studied dog food and its impact on canine nutrition, it has come to discover that traditional kibble may not be the best way to feed our pets. We need better choices.
One choice is fresh kibble. Another choice – and I believe it is the better one – is cold press dog food. Fresh kibble dog food is better than traditional kibble. But cold-pressed food is a better choice than both of them.