Our Favourite Sustainable Dog Food In Aotearoa New Zealand
My husband, Tim, and I have fed our pup Feed My Furbaby dog food since January 2020. We love it. Our dog’s poops are smaller than they used to be, the easy subscription service means we never have to think about buying dog food, and the packaging has 60% less plastic than normal dog food bags. The product is made entirely in Aotearoa New Zealand, including the packaging, the ingredients are nutrient rich and as sustainably sourced as possible, plus the box has a simple pop out scoop that is incredibly practical.
With a philosophy of low waste, high nutrition, and health first (my dad is a vet), when Tim and I first rehomed our dog, we quickly realised there were few options in the market that would suit all of our values.
We tried normal dog food, but hated the incredibly thick packaging and the food miles from all the imported ingredients around the world.
We tried a raw food diet but the packaging was still overwhelming and the maintenance and cost wasn’t something we could keep up with.
When we tried Feed My Furbaby, that was it for us! It fits in perfectly with our sustainable dog owning approach (read more about our Feed My Furbaby reviews).
Our labradoodle, Chai (Tchaikovsky), loves Feed My Furbaby food. We love it. And I think you and your pooch will too.
One of the best parts of my job as a product tester and content creator, is connecting with the brands personally. I love having the opportunity to ask the nitty gritty questions.
I (virtually) sat down with Ben Rennell, co founder of Feed My Furbaby, to ask a few questions that were regularly asked by my readers.
Ben and his dog Jack
Going back to March 2019 when we first rehomed Chai, my first instinct was to go to the bulk bin store (where I shop for most of our food), but I was quickly warned off that option by my dad (Chai’s vet). So, I asked Ben this question too.
Hey Ben, why would anyone choose Feed My Furbaby over dog food at a bulk bin/ package-free store?
“The main reason really would be for the quality of the pet food on offer, and the information that’s available about it. I love the concept of bulk bin and refill shopping, but when it comes to pet food in bulk stores the options are very limited, and from what we have seen they don’t stack up nutritionally. One of our guiding principles at Feed My Furbaby is that the health of our animals comes first, and the planet is a very close second. I would always recommend looking at the ingredient list and looking for a high protein diet (minimum 26% protein) that has named meat sources as the first ingredient.” -Ben.
I always love brand’s origin stories, and Feed My Furbaby’s story is a goodie.
“The ‘light bulb’ moment for the business came as I was walking out of the supermarket with two big plastic bags of pet food under my arms. It was a simultaneous realisation of two massive pain points for me as a dog dad: 1) constantly running out of dog food was a pain in the butt and 2) the amount of plastic packaging I’d used feeding my dog, Jack, over 7 years was quite concerning. When I looked a little deeper I couldn’t really believe that such a huge global industry had completely ignored its environmental impact. That was early 2017 and the single-use plastic debate had barely gained traction in the mainstream, but we fully intended to tackle both convenience and sustainability in the pet food industry, from day 1.” - Ben.
As you can see from the pictures, there is still plastic packaging around the Feed My Furbaby product. I had coffee with Ben early 2020 and remember his reasoning for this, but wanted an update on the future...
What do you think Feed My Furbaby packaging will look like in 5 years time?
“I’m excited by this question and largely because I don’t really know the answer. We firmly believe in doing our research and making design choices because they’re the right thing to do and not just because it’s what people want to hear. That means we have to be open to constantly learning, challenging norms and changing things if we have to.
A great example of this is our plastic liner: we have always had the goal of plastic-free packaging, but our first commitment has to be to the food safety for the animals we feed… and with current packaging technology available you have to use some plastic to keep food fresh. So, we use a 60% lighter plastic material, we use cardboard where we can, we’ve made everything compostable or recyclable and we offset any plastic we use through our plastic neutral program.
Food packaging is the final frontier for sustainable packaging companies because it’s a complex problem to solve - i.e. how do you keep food fresh/ avoid food waste and still meet sustainable packaging needs? Consumer demand is only just getting to a tipping point where packaging companies really need to develop new technologies and I think this is where we will start to see a lot of progress over the next 5 years. I believe ours is a big leap in the right direction for pet food packaging, and I can guarantee we will stay at the forefront of sustainable pet food packaging. As to what that will actually mean for our packaging… I’m excited to see it too.” - Ben.
Moving from the packaging to the ingredients, as a vet’s daughter I was stoked to hear Ben and the team worked with an amazing kiwi veterinary nutritionist to design a natural, sustainable recipe that dogs would thrive on - the recipe is grain-free, so Feed My Furbaby don’t use all the usual cheap fillers you see in most dog food like corn, wheat and soy. It’s also all-natural, so they don’t use any artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. I feel way happier feeding this to Chai!
Feed My Furbaby uses NZ cage free chicken as the main animal protein source, because chicken takes far less resources to produce than red meats, but they add in a little NZ fish and grass-fed NZ beef as they each bring vital nutritional elements like Omega-3 and iron, respectively. The rest of the recipe is made up of plant based ingredients like peas, potatoes and tapioca (cassava root) and supported with a range of superfoods, vitamins and minerals that make it a complete and balanced diet for dogs of all breeds and all life stages.
If I had a dollar for every time a reader or Instagram follower asked this question, I would be rich! …
When will cats be catered for by Feed My Furbaby?
“That’s a great question - cats are furbabies too and I wish I could say we will have cat food tomorrow! The packaging in cat food is a huge concern to me - it pains me every day to see these small portioned plastic pouches and cans of cat food and it’s something we definitely plan to tackle in the coming year.
We definitely want to offer the same opportunity to our feline fur parents as soon as possible, but cats can be a little fussier and that brings a whole host of challenges. I’m genuinely excited about the idea of reinventing sustainable cat food packaging but it’s something that needs to be done right, to meet our values. Watch this space, for sure.” - Ben.
I absolutely realise not all dog foods work for all dogs, and some pups have sensitivities that need to be managed.
If a person's animal has a sensitive tummy, how should they approach trying new foods or trying a Feed My Furbaby sample?
“Lots of dogs have skin and/or gut reactions and unfortunately, the cause can be really hard to pinpoint. Usually, it’s a process of trial and error, and even then things can change. The best advice is to keep trying until you find something that works and then stick to it. Just remember, always do a 2 week transition when you introduce a new food, because it may just be the change that causes problem (as opposed to the food). It is not uncommon to see a slightly upset gut when you change their food, so choose good quality food, and persevere for at least 3 weeks so their gut can adjust properly.
A lot of research will tell you that Beef and Chicken are the most common allergens in dog food, but it’s no coincidence that these are also the most common ingredients. Specific meat allergies in dogs are actually very rare and it’s just as likely the culprit is one of the other 40 ingredients in your chicken or beef variety of food… so don’t be afraid to keep trying.
The important thing I would say here is you’ve got to work out what works best for your dog and that can be different for every dog. Don’t believe everything you read online and don’t let anyone tell you what you should or shouldn’t be doing to feed your dog. Do balanced research, read reviews and do what’s best for your dog and your situation.
Personally, I advocate for high quality natural dry dog food because it should have everything in it that your dog needs to thrive, and nothing they don’t. Some fussier dogs can take a little convincing to move on to a natural diet; it’s a bit like trying to feed kids their veggies… when you know it’s better for their health, it’s worth persevering!” - Ben.
I’m so grateful Ben had that ‘a-huh’ moment back in 2017, and even more stoked to be able to share about Feed My Furbaby with Aotearoa New Zealand! Chai enjoys a scoop every morning and every night, plus we use the food for treats too - the kernels are an epic size.
Shop for Feed My Furbaby.
P.S. Please let me know your Feed My Furbaby reviews when you’ve tried it!
As a rule, I only work with brands I love, use, and can whole heartedly back. This is a sponsored blog (I can't pay my electricity bill with free products), but 100% my own words, photos, and opinion.