Raw pet food gains ground as consumers gain safety knowledge

Raw pet food’s biggest challenge has always been safety — industry safety, of course, but also the perception of safety from pet food customers who know what they want for their pets but don’t know much about kill steps or how to achieve them. Fortunately for the raw segment of the pet food market, that consumer confusion appears to be waning.

The automated Hiperbaric 525i HPP production line at Instinct Pet Food includes both the 525i in-pack HPP machine and a fully automated HPP robotic arm. HiperbaricConsumer awareness of high-pressure processing (HPP) rising

“Raw feeding has always made biological sense for dogs, but consumer expectations around safety have grown, and we've seen the industry step up,” said Amy Zalneraitis, co-founder and chief brand officer at raw pet food manufacturer We Feed Raw. “While HPP has been used in raw pet food for years, there was some early confusion surrounding it. Today, that misinformation has significantly died down. Pet owners now understand that HPP is a cold-pressure method that mitigates pathogens without heat or chemicals, preserving the nutritional integrity of raw food. More brands are adopting it as a reliable, science-backed way to make raw feeding accessible to more households.”

One could argue that invested pet owners will take the time to educate themselves, but there’s also a component of improved industry communication and a genuine desire to understand on both sides that has contributed to raw pet food’s evolving success.

“Over the last several years, we’ve seen a significant shift in how pet parents approach raw diets,” said Daniela Soto, BEng., HPP applications specialist at Hiperbaric, a company that manufactures high-pressure food machinery. “Today’s consumers are far more educated and engaged, not only about nutrition, but about how safety is achieved in raw pet food. They're asking smarter questions about sourcing, pathogen control and processing technologies. In many cases, they’re seeking the same transparency they expect from human food brands.”

Since pet food safety is of primary importance no matter what type of diet a pet owner is feeding, it makes sense that raw pet food feeders have a complex interest in the topic.

“[Pet food customers] want assurance that you have addressed the food safety risk, and the more educated consumer is interested in how the HPP process works and even evidence of the effectiveness,” said Jason Meents, vice president of science & technology at raw pet food manufacturer Instinct Pet Food. “The safety of raw pet food has been and will always be a major priority. We have invested in many research studies validating the effectiveness of HPP in killing pathogenic bacteria while maintaining the many nutritional benefits of fresh raw food. The use of HPP in conjunction with strong food safety programs, processes and culture are key to making safe raw pet food.”

Instinct Pet Food’s new Center of Excellent opened in 2024, with 100,000 square feet that translates to an estimated 26 to 28 million pounds of HPP capacity. Instinct Pet FoodThe evolution of raw pet food safety and current challenges

Part of the growth of the raw pet food segment is directly connected to the establishment of safety protocols. Before, pet parents had to go it on their own if they wanted to feed their pets a raw diet. Now, they can buy inspected and approved commercial raw diets they don’t have to produce; they just have to trust the process that got the food made.

“Raw pet food safety has undergone a significant transformation in recent years, largely driven by regulatory, technological and consumer dynamics,” said Rob Peregrina, Hiperbaric’s U.S. executive director. “The 2011 Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was a turning point. It established a proactive, prevention-based approach to food safety that extends to pet food manufacturers, mandating validated processing intervention methods to ensure control of pathogens across the supply chain. In response, many forward-thinking brands have adopted HPP as a non-thermal, post-packaging kill step. What once was considered an emerging technology is now a proven industry standard, aligning with both regulatory expectations and consumer demand for safer, minimally processed nutrition.”

The complexity of raw and fresh pet food safety means there will always be challenges, even with an increasingly accepted kill step involved.

“[Raw pet food] demands strict sourcing, careful handling and validated safety measures,” said Zalneraitis. “While education has certainly grown, one of the biggest challenges continues to be helping consumers understand that raw feeding can be safe and effective ... when it’s done right.”

A timely issue is HPAI (highly pathogenic avian influenza), specifically the H5N1 strain, the ongoing prevalence of which has led everyone to look more closely at their safety protocols.

“Recent recalls linked to HPAI contamination in the raw pet food supply chain have intensified scrutiny across the industry,” said Soto. “While traditional thermal treatments can address viral threats, they are incompatible with the raw food model due to their impact on product quality. HPP is uniquely positioned as a validated non-thermal technology that can serve as a potential control point against viral contaminants like avian flu. 

"Research has already demonstrated HPP’s ability to inactivate the H7N7 avian influenza strain through envelope disruption, protein denaturation and genome destabilization," continued Soto. "These mechanisms suggest a strong scientific hypothesis that HPP could be effective against H5N1 as well, but this has yet to be formally validated.”

With most of the long-accepted methods of pathogen inactivation out of the question for raw pet food, staying on top of the latest and greatest research will continue to be vital.

“Raw pet food must stay at the leading edge of science to combat emerging threats such as HPAI,” said Meents. “We have updated our food safety plan to ensure proper controls are implemented to mitigate risk and have identified several scientific articles that demonstrate HPP, when used at the proper time, pressure and temperature settings, is effective in destroying similar viruses. While there is scientific evidence proving effectiveness, Instinct is continuing to invest in the science by working with industry professionals and third-party research institutions to validate effectiveness against specific HPAI strains.”

The future of raw pet food safety

For now, HPP is raw pet food safety’s go-to, but technology doesn’t stand still. Additionally, consumer education remains a top focus for those in the segment who want to bring more customers into the fold.

“From a technology standpoint, we expect to see wider adoption of hybrid processing solutions, such as high-pressure thermal processing (HPTP), which can expand the safety envelope to shelf-stable formats,” said Peregrina. “There will also be advancements in automation, AI-driven diagnostics and predictive maintenance — ensuring safety is embedded at every point in the production cycle.”

While other technologies continue to evolve, making sure those interested in feeding their pets raw food understand the current safety process is key.

“Technology is always evolving, and we are committed to continual learning and exploration, but we have yet to find a technology that can maintain the beneficial qualities of raw pet food while achieving a 5-log reduction in pathogens,” said Meents. “Therefore, our current focus is continuing to educate consumers on how HPP works, the benefits and the effectiveness along with research into how to enhance our food safety processes even more. Our long-term vision and goal is to have HPP accepted by all regulatory agencies as a validated lethality step for raw pet food.”

Overall, brands staying on top of all of raw pet food’s developments will come out at the front of the pack.

“As more people prioritize clean, minimally processed food for themselves, they'll expect the same for their pets,” said Zalneraitis. “Raw feeding will continue to grow, but it’s the brands that combine evolutionary nutrition with modern food safety that will lead the way.”