Human-Grade Ingredients And Their Benefits For Your Pets

You've probably heard us talk about how all of Portland Pet Food Company's dog meals and treats are human-grade, and you probably have thought intuitively that's better for your dog. But have you ever wondered what the benefits actually are? Why are we so passionate about serving up fresh, locally sourced meals, and why should you care about it?

We aim to be fully transparent about our ingredients, process and partners. That’s why we have put together this comprehensive list of our ingredients, where they are sourced and why we believe that your pup should be eating our human-grade products. 

What does Human-Grade actually mean? 

There are two primary types of ingredients used in pet food: human-grade and feed-grade. A Human-Grade product means all elements of the production of the product meets the strict standards set forth for human food production; this includes the quality of ingredients sourced, and how and where the food is cooked (yes, we have to cook everything in a human food factory!). By doing this, we ensure a level of cleanliness and freshness that rendering plants cannot offer. Keeping all of our products and processes human-safe ensures a higher level of cleanliness and freshness for your dog's food. Our motto: Feed your dog like you feed yourself!

Feeding your pet human-grade food can provide significant health benefits, such as higher energy levels, shinier coat, healthier bowel movements, better breath and more!

What is our process? How do we ensure freshness?

At Portland Pet Food, there are a couple things we standby: we want our products to enable every dog to live its happiest, healthiest life; we promise to only use ingredients and processes that each one of our pack members would eat; and we believe that there shouldn’t be a hidden ingredient list, mystery “nutrient blend” or any foreign ingredients in our products - what you see is what you get. 

That’s why we work with the Oregon Food Innovation Program to develop our sustainable, local, AAFCO regulated line of dog food toppers and treats. We partner with vetted Pacific Northwest companies to ensure that 100% of your dog’s food is sourced and made in the United States. 

Our dog biscuits are rolled by hand, cut and packaged in-house by our hardworking bakers. We partner with US suppliers - most of them are local to the Pacific Northwest - for all ingredients in our meals and biscuits. We then run each meal pouch through additional ingredient and nutrition tests to ensure our products are fresh, nutrient dense, and well-balanced for your pup. All of our ingredients are sourced from local partners that we know and trust. We get our fresh meat from PNW farmers and vendors, such as Carlton Farms and Cascade Farms. We source our grains from local farmers and breweries such as Willamette Valley Quinoa, Stahlbush Farms, HopWorks Urban Brewery and Westward Whiskey. We source all of our flour from Bob’s Red Mill.

Sustainability Efforts - at the core of everything we do

Portland Pet Food Company is sustainable in the following ways:

1. Sourcing local ingredients
2. Upcycling over 50,000lbs of ingredients annually
3. Packaging that uses less energy and CO2
4. Optimized shipping
5. Giving back to the community

We care about the quality of our ingredients, while still prioritizing sustainability and supporting our local community. We are passionate about upcycling ingredients because we aim to create less waste and do our part to uplift and support our communities. For example, we source spent grains from local breweries to make our line of Brew Biscuits. In 2021, we upcycled over 13,000lbs of spent grain that would otherwise end up in landfills. We also used more than 15,000lbs of locally grown sweet potatoes per year that have been deemed “too small” or “oddly shaped” to be sold at grocery stores. We also use the clippings from local meat and seafood suppliers, that would otherwise be discarded, to make our meals and biscuits - annually, we are upcycling over 30,000lbs of Salmon! As we continue to grow, we are offsetting more landfill through the unique manner we source our human-grade ingredients.

Our sustainability efforts are not only seen in our ingredients, though, they can also be seen at the very core of our company. We specifically chose to put our meals in 9oz retort packages, which are lightweight, sterile, BPA free food packaging. Retort pouches use 75% less energy and 1/10th of the CO2 required to manufacture metal cans of pet food. Due to their size and weight, a standard 45-ft truck can ship 2.3 million retort pouches simultaneously, while the same trailer could only carry 200,000 cans. These efforts bring our shipping costs down, as well as CO2 emissions. 

We also aim to support and give back to our community by donating 5% of our net profits to local non-profit animal shelters and programs. We are always looking for ways to give back to our community and create meaningful partnerships with local businesses. 

Why is it important? 

Our mission is to help every dog live the best life they can, for as long as they possibly can. Our human-grade meals provide significant health benefits, including higher energy levels, silkier coat, healthier bowel movements, better breath, healthier joints, and even life longevity. Giving your dog fresh food quite literally adds more years to your life together. In fact, research has shown that fresh dog food is linked to a 20% longer lifespan. It is also proven that our pups improve our health and happiness too, so it’s a win for everyone. 

Our founder, Katie McCarron, started Portland Pet Food Company out of the need to provide fresh, healthy foods to her senior standard black poodle, Rosie, who was refusing to eat her meals. Once Katie started cooking all of Rosie’s food at home with local ingredients, Rosie regained her appetite and lived strong for an extra 2.5 years, nearly reaching 17 years old! Our goal is to give every dog the best and longest life possible, while also giving us extra time to spend with and dote on our best fur-friends. Our clean processes, local sourcing, and passion for keeping your pups happy and healthy drive us to continue making a difference in the pet food industry.

At Portland Pet Food Company, our #1 goal is to give humans more years with their dogs. Our fresh dog food toppers and natural dog treats were meticulously developed with ingredients that are good for dogs’ health. Unlike other fresh dog food brands, we understand that feeding fresh can be expensive. That’s why our meals are meant to be used as a topper, mixer, or rotational meal — we believe that any amount of fresh helps your dog. By simply adding a few scoops of our meal toppers into your dog’s food, our meal pouches will last several days and your dog will still reap the benefits. Subscribe to our dog food toppers and/or treats delivery service and receive 10% off every future order. Your dog’s health will thank you! 

Delicious Cat Food, Too
We also have fresh, healthy human-grade cat food! Check out our chicken and pumpkin cat food and salmon and pumpkin cat food.