Johnathan of JSW farms in liberty, Kentucky. Trusted Supplier of ranch-raised beef.
MICHAEL OF KENTUCKY FRESHWATER FISHERIES IN GRAND RIVER, KENTUCKY. TRUSTED SUPPLIER OF FRESH WILD-CAUGHT CATFISH.
Bill of Jackson's Orchard in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Trusted supplier of fresh whole apples.
John of roundstone native seed in Upton, Kentucky. Trusted supplier of fresh botanicals.
Fresh and regional ingredients are part of our quarter-century heritage, and are essential to our Biologically Appropriate mission.
Kentucky’s food culture is a perfect fit for ACANA foods. Our DogStar Kitchen is located in the center of a dynamic agricultural community, providing access to specialty farmers with whom we partner to advance our Fresh Regional Ingredient mission.
Equipped with state-of-the-art, fresh-food processing technologies, our DogStar Kitchen features 25,000 square feet of cooler space, capable of holding over 600,000 lbs of fresh meat, fish, and poultry, plus fresh, whole vegetables and fruit.
Unmatched by any pet food maker, our ingredients arrive at our kitchen fresh or raw, bursting with goodness, and typically within 48 hours from when they were harvested.
What many pet food makers call fresh are actually pet-grade meats frozen into 55lb blocks to make them easier to transport and store, which are often thawed and re-frozen a number of times. Often these meats are many months old before becoming food for pets.
Worse yet, many North American pet food makers take dried animal ingredients, add four parts water to one part meat, and create a ‘meat slurry’ – an ingredient they then label ‘fresh or raw’.
No wonder there’s so much confusion!
In an industry known for liberal ingredient descriptions, we believe it’s important to be clear with Pet Lovers about what an ingredient is or isn’t. When we say fresh, we mean it. We define fresh or raw as:
FRESH: Our fresh ingredients meet the AAFCO standard of REFRIGERATION AS THE SOLE METHOD OF PRESERVATION.
RAW: AAFCO offers a variety of raw definitions, we use only one: OUR RAW INGREDIENTS ARE THE SAME AS OUR FRESH, THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS THEY ARE FROZEN.
