Open Farm dog food review: is the ethical Canadian brand worth it?
We are not affiliated with Open Farm and earn nothing from this review. Recipes, prices, and product lines change often — always check the brand’s current details and talk to your vet before switching your dog’s food.
Open Farm has built its name on two things most dog food brands stay quiet about: where the ingredients come from, and how the animals in them were raised. It is a genuinely premium, ethically-minded Canadian brand — and priced like one. If you have seen the neat packaging in an independent pet shop and wondered whether the story holds up, here is a balanced look at what you actually get.
What is Open Farm?
Open Farm is a Toronto-founded pet food company built around ethical sourcing and radical transparency. Its meat comes from farms third-party certified for animal welfare (Certified Humane), its fish is Ocean Wise–certified for sustainability, and its fruit and vegetables are non-GMO and largely locally grown. The signature feature is traceability: every bag and pouch carries a lot code you can type into Open Farm’s website to trace each ingredient back to its source.
The range is broad. There is dry kibble, RawMix (kibble studded with freeze-dried raw pieces), Ancient Grains recipes, gently cooked frozen food, Rustic Stew wet food, freeze-dried raw morsels, plus bone broths, supplements and treats — with options for puppies and seniors. That means you can feed Open Farm as a full diet or use the broths and freeze-dried morsels as toppers.
The pros owners report
- Best-in-class transparency: the per-batch lot code lets you trace every ingredient to its source — almost no other brand offers this.
- Ethical sourcing that is actually certified — Certified Humane meat and Ocean Wise seafood, not just marketing language.
- A strong safety record: no mandatory recall in over a decade, with third-party lab testing on each batch.
- Real variety and quality across formats, so you can match kibble, gently cooked, raw or toppers to your dog and budget.
- Many owners report shinier coats and firmer stools after switching, particularly on the freeze-dried and gently cooked lines.
The cons and common complaints
- It is expensive — noticeably pricier than mainstream kibble, and the fresh and raw lines climb steeply for large dogs.
- The line-up is confusing at first: kibble vs RawMix vs Ancient Grains vs gently cooked vs freeze-dried is a lot to decode.
- Fresh and gently cooked options need fridge or freezer space and have to be used up within a few days of opening.
- You mostly buy it through independent pet shops and the brand’s site rather than big-box stores, so availability varies by area.
Has Open Farm been recalled?
Open Farm has never had a mandatory FDA recall in more than a decade of business — a strong record. It is not spotless, though: in late December 2024 the company issued a voluntary product withdrawal of select lots of its freeze-dried raw morsels and Front Range Ancient Grains RawMix after small pieces of soft, food-grade plastic film (from a raw-ingredient liner) were found in some bags. It expanded that withdrawal in early January 2025. The plastic was described as non-toxic and no injuries were reported, and affected bags could be returned for a full refund — so this was a precautionary quality withdrawal, not a safety recall. Arguably it is a sign of active quality monitoring, but it is worth knowing, and you can always check a bag’s lot code against the brand’s current notices.
Switch to any new or richer food gradually over about a week to avoid stomach upset. Dogs prone to pancreatitis or on a prescribed diet should change foods only with veterinary guidance, and it is worth confirming a chosen recipe is labelled complete and balanced (AAFCO) for your dog’s life stage.
How it compares
Open Farm competes on ethics and transparency more than on price. If you want fully fresh, vet-formulated meals delivered and portioned, The Farmer’s Dog is the obvious rival (higher cost, freezer required); Freshpet is a cheaper fridge-aisle way into fresh food. Where Open Farm stands out is that you can feed dry, raw or cooked from one brand and still trace the sourcing. See our fresh dog food comparison for the wider picture, and if you are switching partly over ingredient worries, our is-this-safe food checker is handy for the human foods you might add on top.
The verdict
Open Farm is one of the most transparent, ethically-sourced dog foods you can buy, and the quality genuinely backs up the story. If certified sourcing and knowing exactly where your dog’s food comes from matter to you — and the premium price fits your budget — it is an easy brand to recommend, with the flexibility to feed kibble, raw or cooked from the same lineup. If your priority is the lowest cost per bowl, the value is harder to justify. The food is excellent; whether it is worth it comes down to how much you value the ethics behind it.
Frequently asked questions
Is Open Farm dog food worth the price?
If ingredient transparency and certified ethical sourcing matter to you, most owners find Open Farm worth the premium — it is genuinely high-quality and traceable to the source. If you simply want the lowest cost per bowl, cheaper foods will do the basic job for less.
Has Open Farm ever been recalled?
Open Farm has had no mandatory FDA recall in over a decade. In late December 2024 it issued a voluntary withdrawal of some freeze-dried raw and RawMix lots after finding small pieces of food-grade plastic film, expanded in early January 2025. It was described as non-toxic and precautionary, with refunds offered — a quality withdrawal rather than a safety recall.
Where does Open Farm source its ingredients?
Open Farm uses meat from farms certified for animal welfare (Certified Humane), Ocean Wise–certified sustainable seafood, and non-GMO, largely locally grown produce. Every bag carries a lot code you can enter on their website to trace each ingredient back to its origin.
What is the difference between Open Farm kibble, RawMix and gently cooked?
Kibble is traditional dry food; RawMix is kibble mixed with freeze-dried raw pieces for a raw boost without full raw feeding; gently cooked is fresh, frozen food closer to a home-cooked meal. Freeze-dried and gently cooked lines cost more and need more storage, while kibble is the most convenient and affordable.
