The Honest Kitchen Essential Clusters – Don’t Call It Kibble!

As a veterinarian and owner of five (yes, five) dogs, finding a pet food that delivers outstanding nutrition and high-quality ingredients has always been important, but finding one that doesn’t cost the earth, require me to commit to a subscription, or needs an industrial-sized freezer for storage has proven somewhat challenging.

Finding ‘The Best’ Dog Food

Something that many dog owners may not be aware of is that veterinary nutrition and food knowledge are often heavily influenced by the fact that vet schools, training programs, and veterinary hospitals are often sponsored by major pet food and pharma companies. We are taught that ‘veterinary products’ are the best, and all others are inferior. And although these products are usually an excellent choice, they are far from being the only premium option.

After stepping back from this narrow point of view and spending many months examining and comparing different pet food varieties and companies, I determined that freshly prepared, gently cooked, human-grade pet foods were the best out there. These premium pet foods combine the nutritional and enrichment benefits of raw feeding with the goodness of home-prepared food, minus the inherent risk of foodborne pathogens or the tedious, time-consuming process of measuring, cooking, freezing, and storing carefully balanced meals. However, with 5 dogs, 3 of which are larger breeds, I would need to take out a second mortgage on my home in order to afford them, and then buy a second home to store them! It just isn’t a practical option if you have multiple pets or dogs weighing more than 30 lbs.

Then I heard about The Honest Kitchen, a pet food company that is making human-grade dog food practical and affordable for pet owners like me.

Human Grade Dog Food For The Real World

The Honest Kitchen is an independently owned, homegrown company that started its humble beginnings in the San Diego kitchen of founder Lucy Postins. In 2002, Lucy’s pet food journey began when she was creating recipes for her own dog, Mosi, whose chronic ear infections and skin problems had them both tearing their hair out. After seeing how well his skin and overall health improved on a diet made from human-grade ingredients, Lucy decided to take things up a notch, starting what is widely regarded as the world’s first human-grade pet food company.

Since that time, The Honest Kitchen has expanded greatly.

The original ‘wet-and-serve’ dehydrated product that put The Honest Kitchen on the map has undergone numerous evolutions and improvements over the years, and now their range of wet and dry foods, treats, broths, and toppers for dogs and cats are found in pet stores, natural grocers, and online retailers both in the US and Canada, meaning availability is easy and prices are competitive. Subscribe-and-save plans are available, but optional, meaning that you don’t have to make any long-term commitments to enjoy these products.

Unlike many of the fresh-frozen pet food brands that have gained popularity in recent years, the food from The Honest Kitchen uses a variety of production methods, including gentle dehydration and cold-pressing, which allows the high-quality ingredients to be stored at room temperature. This means that your pet food can be safely stored in the cupboard, leaving plenty of room in the freezer for essentials like pizza and ice cream!

It’s Dry Food, But Not As You Know It

Not content with just being the first human-grade pet food company, The Honest Kitchen has upped the ante by producing the first human-grade dry pet food, too. Similar in appearance and scoopability to the dry food most dog owners will be all too familiar with, Clusters come in a formula that is easy to measure, feed, and store, but they are more than just kibble.

The reality is that dry dog food is popular for a reason. Its long shelf life means that you can buy in bulk, and it’s significantly cheaper than wet or fresh food. However, the lower cost and convenience usually come with the trade-off of ultraheat treatment and a high proportion of meat meal, fillers, and carbohydrates. Even brands that are considered premium and veterinary grade are often based on rendered by-products. Although these foods have been carefully formulated and tested to ensure they provide your pet with everything they need, knowing that these dry kibble diets are generally highly supplemented and over-processed can leave a bad taste in your mouth – not that you would consider eating it!

By contrast, The Honest Kitchen Clusters are cold-pressed, roasted, and gently dehydrated into a dry food that retains much of the nutritional value and flavor of the human-grade, natural ingredients they are made from.

Dry Dog Food That’s Good Enough to Eat – But Please Don’t!

The Honest Kitchen Clusters come in several varieties, flavors, life stages, and sizes to suit your dog’s needs, including a whole grain, grain-free, and the Essentials range. Each recipe is based on limited protein ingredients, making them safer for dogs with food allergies and intolerances.

Foods should typically be judged by the first few items on the ingredients list, as these are what make up the majority of the product. When compared to one of the leading veterinary dog food brands, The Honest Kitchen Essential Clusters in Chicken is miles ahead.

Although we know that the veterinary brand of dog food has a good reputation and provides our pets with everything they need, it is infinitely more appealing to be able to meet those needs with whole food ingredients that haven’t been processed into oblivion. Given that The Honest Kitchen is using human-grade ingredients and gentle processing methods, you’re probably thinking that they’re also going to be sporting a premium price tag. But you might be pleasantly surprised.

Compared with a leading veterinary dog food brand, a budget dry dog food, and a fresh-frozen subscription service, The Honest Kitchen actually sits at an extremely affordable price point, particularly considering the quality of the food.

Average Weekly Cost For A 30lb Dog

Finally, a Realistic Approach to Human-Grade Ingredients for Dogs

As a vet and owner of multiple dogs, I have struggled to balance finding what I categorize as being the best food, with actually being able to afford and store it.

I also resent having to sign up for a subscription, even just to try a food, which is the case with most fresh/frozen human-grade pet food companies, with many requiring you to complete quizzes and submit personal information just to find out how much the food is going to cost! The fact that The Honest Kitchen is available from their website AND other retailers is a huge tick for me, as is the fact that those other retailers have independent customer reviews, which are largely very positive.

Navigating the ever-growing pet food world can feel overwhelming, and with every company insisting that their product is the best, it’s hard to know who to believe. For me, having broadened my horizons beyond the powerful players in the vet and pet care industry, I have started to look less at brand names and more closely at what those brands are doing. Whole foods, human-grade ingredients, and gentle preparation top my list of priorities, and although there are now many companies ticking those boxes, it has been challenging to find one that is also realistic for my household and budget.

The Honest Kitchen has been around long enough to prove that they are no fleeting presence in the pet food industry, having pioneered the idea of feeding our pets with the same quality of ingredients and safety standards as the food we eat ourselves. Not only have they raised the bar in terms of pet food quality, but they are also doing it in a way that is affordable and practical. Just don’t call it kibble!

Frequently Asked Questions

What does ‘cold pressed’ mean?

Cold pressing refers to a process where raw ingredients are ground together into a pulp and shaped into appropriate dog food pieces that The Honest Kitchen coined as ‘Clusters’. A machine compresses these pieces under high pressure, creating minimal warmth. The Honest Kitchen limits these temperatures to less than 15 °C (59 oF), and no steam is used. The clusters are gently cooked and dehydrated to remove moisture and eliminate any bacteria, resulting in a dry food that is minimally altered from its natural state.

This form of dry food is naturally lower in fat than regular dry kibble, so the pieces tend to be small in size so they don’t crumble.¹

How is it different from dry kibble?

The vast majority of dry kibble dog foods are based on animal derivatives or by-products that are deemed unsuitable or undesirable for use as human food. These ingredients are usually ground and heat-treated in a process known as rendering to produce meat meal or meat by-product meal. These are often combined with cereals, grains, and vegetables, plus the oils and fats, vitamins, and minerals that are lost during the production process, to ensure the food meets all the essential nutrient requirements.

This dry mix is combined with wet ingredients, water, and steam to create a dough, which is cooked under pressure. The mix is then cut into the desired kibble shape and air-dried in an oven to remove moisture. The kibble is often coated with a mix of flavors, preservatives, or other coatings as it exits the oven. The result is a palatable product that meets canine nutrient requirements, with a long shelf life of 12-18 months (unopened).²

What is the average shelf life of The Honest Kitchen dog food?

The shelf life of The Honest Kitchen food depends on the production process, but it will also be affected by the temperature and humidity where they are kept. Under normal conditions, their Wholemade Dehydrated Dog Food has a shelf life of approximately 15 months, the Stew or Pate wet food is good on your shelf for around 24 months, while the shelf life of the Whole Food Clusters or Essential Clusters is around 18 months.

Is it suitable for different ages, health conditions, etc?

The human-grade quality, limited protein recipes mean that The Honest Kitchen foods will be suitable for dogs of most sizes, ages, and health conditions, and there are varieties formulated to suit puppies, adults, seniors, and small breeds. Their online quiz can help you to decide which food is right for your pet, and they even offer a 15-minute consultation call to discuss your dog’s needs and feeding plan.

If your dog has a health condition or illness, it is always wise to speak to a vet to make sure you are meeting their specific requirements.

Where can I buy it?

The Honest Kitchen is widely available in pet food stores, natural grocers, and online, throughout the United States and Canada.

USA

• The Honest Kitchen
• Chewy
• Amazon
• PetSmart
• Petco
• Local Independent Pet Stores

Canada

• PetSmart
• Pet Valu
• Ren’s Pet
• Homes Alive

You can purchase their products individually with no ongoing commitments, or save on time and money by signing up for their subscription service, where you’ll get 25% off your first order and 5% off all recurring orders.