I’ve been a vet tech for 15 years. In that time, I’ve watched the pet food industry go from kibble-dominated to an absolute explosion of fresh, human-grade options. My dog Birch eats fresh food. So does almost every dog I’d recommend it to. But with The Farmer’s Dog, Ollie, and Nom Nom all charging premium prices and promising life-changing results, how do you actually pick one?
I’ve tested all three. Here’s the honest breakdown.
Why Fresh Dog Food Matters (The Short Version)
Kibble is convenient and has been the standard for decades, but it’s cooked at extremely high temperatures, which degrades nutrients. Most kibble is also high in carbohydrates and low in moisture — not ideal for carnivores.
Fresh, lightly cooked food preserves more nutrients, contains far fewer fillers, and closely mirrors what dogs evolved eating. Studies from the University of Helsinki and others have linked fresh food diets to better coat quality, healthier weight, improved energy, and even longer lifespans in some breeds.
That said, fresh food is expensive. Let’s see if any of these three brands justify the cost.
The Farmer’s Dog
The Farmer’s Dog is the brand I recommend most often. It’s the one Birch eats, and it’s the one I’ve seen the most consistent results with in dogs I work with professionally.
What It Is
Human-grade, USDA-kitchen-prepared fresh dog food, portioned to your dog’s exact caloric needs and delivered frozen. Recipes include beef, pork, turkey, and chicken, all with whole vegetables and no fillers, by-products, or artificial preservatives.
Quality
The ingredient lists are impressively clean. The beef recipe, for example, is: beef, sweet potato, lentils, broccoli, sunflower oil, fish oil, and a vitamin/mineral blend. That’s it. Every ingredient has a purpose.
The Farmer’s Dog also publishes nutritional analyses for every recipe and undergoes AAFCO feeding trials — not just nutrient profiles, which is a meaningful distinction most brands skip.
Pricing
This is where it gets real. For a 50-pound dog, expect to pay around $8–12/day. A 20-pound dog runs $4–6/day. It’s not cheap, but per-calorie it’s competitive with other premium fresh brands.
Delivery & Packaging
Insulated boxes, frozen packs, pre-portioned pouches. You thaw in the fridge — each pouch is one meal or one day depending on your dog’s size. Very convenient.
Ollie
Ollie is The Farmer’s Dog’s closest competitor. Similar concept — fresh, human-grade, subscription-based — but with a few key differences.
What It Is
Lightly cooked, human-grade fresh food with recipes including beef, chicken, turkey, and lamb. Also offers a baked dry kibble option using the same whole-food ingredients for those who want a budget-friendly middle ground.
Quality
High quality, on par with The Farmer’s Dog. The beef recipe uses beef, beef heart, carrots, peas, sweet potato, and a vitamin blend. Clean ingredients, no fillers. The baked option is genuinely impressive for kibble — significantly better than most grocery store or even premium pet store brands.
Pricing
Fresh option: comparable to The Farmer’s Dog, roughly $7–11/day for a 50-pound dog. The baked option runs $3–5/day, making it a more accessible entry point.
Differentiator
Ollie’s baked option is a real selling point if someone wants to start with fresh food but isn’t ready for the full price jump. You can mix it with the fresh food as a transition or ongoing supplement.
Nom Nom
Nom Nom (now part of Purina, technically rebranded as “Nom Nom by NomNomNow”) takes a slightly different angle — they emphasize their research partnership and gut microbiome testing.
What It Is
Freshly cooked, human-grade meals with recipes including beef, chicken, pork, and turkey. Also offers a probiotic supplement and gut health microbiome testing kit as add-ons.
Quality
Also very good. The chicken recipe: chicken thighs, russet potatoes, carrots, eggs, spinach, fish oil, and a vitamin blend. Clean and nutritionally sound.
Pricing
Similar range: $6–10/day for a 50-pound dog.
Differentiator
The microbiome testing is genuinely interesting from a veterinary science standpoint. Nom Nom has published actual research on dog gut health. If you have a dog with chronic GI issues and want data-driven optimization, Nom Nom’s research angle is worth considering.
Head-to-Head Comparison
| Factor | The Farmer’s Dog | Ollie | Nom Nom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ingredient quality | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Price/day (50lb dog) | $8–12 | $7–11 | $6–10 |
| Recipe variety | 4 proteins | 4 proteins + baked | 4 proteins |
| AAFCO tested | Yes (feeding trial) | Yes (nutrient profile) | Yes (nutrient profile) |
| Ownership | Independent | Independent | Purina (Nestlé) |
| Unique feature | AAFCO feeding trials | Baked option | Microbiome research |
Which One Should You Choose?
Choose The Farmer’s Dog if: You want the most rigorously tested fresh food option, your dog has a sensitive stomach or health issues, and budget is a secondary concern. This is the one I personally use and recommend most.
Choose Ollie if: You want equivalent quality with the option to start with baked food at a lower price point, or if The Farmer’s Dog doesn’t have your preferred protein in stock.
Choose Nom Nom if: Your dog has serious chronic digestive issues and you want a brand with actual gut microbiome research behind it. Also good if the Purina connection doesn’t bother you and the slightly lower price point matters.
Is Fresh Food Worth It at All?
For most dogs? Yes, if you can afford it. I’ve seen enough before-and-after results in my practice — weight normalization, improved coat condition, reduced allergy symptoms, better energy in senior dogs — that I’m a believer.
If the price is too steep, Ollie’s baked option is genuinely a good middle ground. Better than most premium kibble, far more affordable than full fresh.
What I’d avoid: splitting the cost by buying lesser kibble. The quality jump matters most when you’re already spending premium prices.
Bottom Line
My top pick is The Farmer’s Dog. The feeding trial data, ingredient quality, and results I’ve seen with Birch and my clients’ dogs make it the standard I recommend. Try it with a starter kit — most new customers get a significant discount on the first order.
→ Get started with The Farmer’s Dog
If you’re on a tighter budget or want more flexibility, Ollie’s baked option gives you most of the benefit at a lower price. Either way, your dog wins.