Quality and food safety – they’re topics we’re passionate about here at Primal. And with that passion, Primal continues to be a leader in food safety, not only for the raw food category but for the entire pet food category. Primal is family-owned since 2001 and our owner and founder, Matt Koss, leads the charge to provide the highest quality, safe raw food nutrition with the sole purpose of elevating the health of all pets.
So, what does safe raw food mean? For Primal, it means providing raw, fresh, meat-based whole foods that are free of harmful pathogens including salmonella, listeria, and E. coli. But how do we make a safe product? We’re glad you asked because it’s something we’re extremely proud of. Though there are many ways to bring safe products to market, here are the top 5 ways Primal commits to providing clean, quality products that are safe for all pets and their pet parents.
1. Highest quality sourcing standards
There are several ways that Primal ensures the safety of our final products. The first, and perhaps most important, is our quality sourcing standards. A commitment to responsibly sourced meat & produce is something that we will not compromise on. Matt establishes direct relationships with all our farms and ranches to ensure they meet his strict requirements for feeding, raising, and handling.
All ingredients are purchased from suppliers recognized for superior quality. We use only human-grade ingredients that uphold the highest standards of safe food handling. Meats, game and poultry are required to be raised without antibiotics, steroids, or added hormones. All additional vitamins and minerals needed to balance your pet’s diet are sourced from certified organic fruits, vegetables, and whole food supplements. You’ll find no synthetics in any of our products.
2. HPP cold-press
Because of our quality sourcing, most Primal products require no further processing to ensure their safety. Our poultry products are the exception. Even the healthiest and most safely handled poultry has the potential for salmonella contamination. All Primal poultry products are cold-pressed to kill salmonella using a process called High Pressure Processing (HPP). We employ a specific pressure, hold time, and cold temperature that allows us to kill salmonella while leaving beneficial bacteria, enzymes, vitamins, and proteins intact.
3. Test & Hold protocol
Primal employs a zero-tolerance policy for all our products when it comes to pathogens, which is in compliance with FDA guidelines. Once your pets’ food has been formulated, multiple samplings of each small batch are sent to a laboratory to be tested. All Primal products, whether they’ve been cold-pressed or not, are sent to a 3rd party laboratory to be tested for salmonella, listeria, and E. coli and do not leave our facility until we have negative test results.
4. Strict adherence to quality & food safety standards
Because Primal Pet Foods is committed to the health and safety of you and your pets, our quality control & quality assurance programs include industry best manufacturing practices. Our manufacturing facility also adheres to specific quality measures such as:
- Ingredients sourced from USDA inspected facilities and/or facilities regulated by the FDA
- Adherence to state and federal regulations regarding product safety
- Manufacturing facilities are USDA and California State Department of Agriculture inspected
5. Our owner
Our owner and founder, Matt Koss, started his career as a chef making quality foods for human consumption. When Matt’s dog Luna fell ill, and his veterinarian recommended a raw food diet, he focused was on food safety and quality sourcing of wholesome, whole food ingredients as he created Luna’s first raw food meals. These pillars of quality and safety continue today as Primal has grown into the trusted raw food brand that our customers and their pets, as well as their veterinarians, know and love. The safety and health of you and your pets is and will continue to be our top priority.