Freeze-Dried Raw 101

Freeze-Dried Raw 101

We call it FDR. You can call it nutritious and delicious.   

Around here, we love us some freeze-dried raw pet food. We talk about it all the time. Group chat proof:

But the other day, it occurred to us: Do people know what freeze-dried raw is? How it’s made? Why it’s called that? Perhaps not. *Clears voice*

Freeze-drying is a technique that preserves raw ingredients. If you’ve ever had instant coffee or cereal with the little dried-up berries, then you’ve had freeze-dried food.

The process of freeze-drying involves removing moisture at very low temperatures. The raw ingredients are frozen, then placed in a super-special vacuum that turns the water in the food into vapor. The result is food with very low levels of moisture, so it lasts much longer than food that hasn’t been freeze-dried. It’s also lighter in weight, making it easier to transport.

Because freeze-dried food isn’t cooked or dehydrated, the nutritional content of the raw ingredients stays intact. Technically, it’s still considered a raw food, and studies have shown that freeze-dried food retains over 90% of the nutrition found in its original form.

Since that doesn’t matter to your pet, we know something that does: the taste. Even the pickiest eaters tend to scarf down freeze-dried raw food. It has all the flavor (and even aroma) of raw food, which — as you know — does the trick.

Just like any food, higher quality fresh ingredients make a healthier food. We start with premium protein, from beef to salmon to turkey, to make our freeze-dried raw meals bites, toppers and treats. And you don’t have to choose just one. You can serve freeze-dried raw as a complete meal, or sprinkle it on top of dry food for a boost in flavor and nutrition.

Check out a few of our favorites below. And just to bring it back around, Donut did not actually attack her owner before getting more meal bites in her bowl.

Got a pet question for our blog experts to answer? Email us at support@halopets.com and we’ll get to work 🐾