Reviewed by a Certified Companion Animal Nutritionist
If you’ve spent any time researching premium pet food, chances are you’ve come across Open Farm. The brand has built a strong reputation among ingredient-conscious cat owners, and for good reason. It leads with transparency, ethical sourcing, and a product line that genuinely prioritizes animal protein. But does Open Farm cat food actually hold up to scientific scrutiny? And more importantly, is it worth the price for Canadian cat owners?
In this in-depth Open Farm cat food review, I’ll break down the brand’s background, ingredient quality, nutritional profiles, safety record, and overall value — without the marketing spin. Whether you’re asking “is Open Farm good for cats?” for the first time or looking for a deeper cat food ingredient analysis before switching brands, this review is designed to give you the answers you need.
About Open Farm
Background & Manufacturing
Open Farm was founded in 2014 by Jacqueline and Isaac Prehogan, a Toronto-based couple who rescued a dog named Bella and grew frustrated with the lack of transparency in the pet food industry. Their mission: create pet food that is ethically sourced, fully traceable, and nutritionally sound.
Open Farm’s corporate headquarters are based in Toronto, Ontario, making it a proudly Canadian company. However, it’s worth noting that the actual manufacturing takes place at a facility in Minnesota, USA and and many ingredients are source from across the globe. The company is transparent about this distinction — its packaging reads “Formulated in Canada, Made in the USA.” That manufacturing facility is subject to routine audits by the FDA, USDA, Certified Humane, and AIB International, which is a meaningful credential stack for food safety. Every batch of Open Farm product is independently tested by a third-party laboratory before it reaches shelves.
Team & Philosophy
Open Farm’s formulation team includes PhD certified companion animal nutritionists, food scientists, and veterinarians — a credentialed group that lends real scientific weight to the brand’s nutritional claims. Recipes are not developed by marketers; they’re developed by people who understand the biochemistry of feline nutrition.
The philosophy centres on three pillars: ingredient traceability, ethical sourcing, and nutritional integrity. Their website features a transparency page where pet owners can input a lot code from any product to trace every ingredient back to its source farm or supplier. This level of supply chain visibility is rare in the pet food industry and sets a meaningful standard.
Product Line Overview
Open Farm offers cat owners a meaningful range of formats, which is a genuine strength of the brand. Here’s a snapshot of each line:
Dry Kibble (Goodbowl Kibble): Oven-baked in small batches, Open Farm’s kibble features named animal proteins as the first ingredients and avoids corn, soy, and artificial preservatives. Options include grain-inclusive and grain-free varieties.
Wet Food (Rustic Blends & Pâtés): Available in stew-style and pâté formats, Open Farm’s wet food is high in moisture and heavy on animal protein. Some lines are packaged in resealable cardboard cartons rather than cans — a sustainability-forward choice.
Freeze-Dried Raw: Minimally processed and designed to preserve the nutritional profile of raw ingredients, the freeze-dried raw line is intended for cat owners who want a raw-adjacent diet with the convenience and food safety of a shelf-stable product.
Gently Cooked / Meal Toppers: Lightly processed at low temperatures to retain nutrients, these options work well as meal toppers to enhance a kibble-based diet or as standalone meals for cats with palatability issues.
Each format is designed to serve a different feeding philosophy, from convenience-driven kibble feeders to raw-curious owners who aren’t quite ready to source and handle raw meat themselves.
Product Selection
Open Farm’s cat food line covers kitten, adult, and senior life stages, which is important since nutritional requirements shift significantly across a cat’s lifespan. Kitten formulas carry a higher protein and fat density to support growth, while adult formulas are tuned for maintenance.
Protein variety is a genuine strength here. Open Farm offers chicken, turkey, salmon, whitefish, and surf-and-turf blends, which matters for cats with developing food sensitivities or owners who rotate proteins to reduce the risk of protein-specific intolerances. Novel protein options are also available for cats with established allergies.
The brand is relatively easy to navigate, with a well-organized website, clear life stage labelling, and store availability across independent and specialty pet retailers in Canada. It is not typically found in large chain grocery stores, which speaks to its positioning as a specialty food.
Ingredients & Guaranteed Analysis
The recipes and formats discussed in this review represent a general overview of the Open Farm cat food line. Open Farm offers a significantly broader selection than what is covered here, including additional protein options, limited ingredient recipes, novel protein formulas, kitten-specific varieties, meal toppers, bone broth, and freeze-dried raw treats. For a complete and up-to-date list of available products, visit openfarmpet.ca.
Recipe 1: Harvest Chicken Grain-Free Freeze Dried Cat Food
Representative Ingredient List: Chicken with Ground Bone, Chicken Liver, Chicken Neck, Montmorillonite Clay, Organic Dandelion Greens, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pantothenic Acid, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid, Biotin, Taurine, Organic Cranberries, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite, Salt, Salmon Oil, Mixed Tocopherols (a preservative), Magnesium Sulfate, Rosemary Extract.
Guaranteed Analysis (approximate, as-fed basis):
| Nutrient | Value |
|---|---|
| Crude Protein (min) | 47% |
| Crude Fat (min) | 40% |
| Crude Fiber (max) | 5% |
| Moisture (max) | 5% |
| Calories | ~256 kcal/cup |
Notable: Named chicken appears first — a concentrated protein source that meaningfully boosts the overall animal protein content. The inclusion of salmon oil is a positive signal for omega-3 fatty acid delivery. Over all, the ingredient list is quite robust, with quality ingredients. The fat content of this diet however, it very high at 40% as fed. Additionally freeze dried food can be quite expensive for the average pet owner to feed regularly.
Recipe 2: Wild-Caught Salmon Grain-Free Dry Cat Food
Representative Ingredient List: Salmon, Ocean Whitefish Meal, Herring Meal, Chickpeas, Red Lentils, Coconut Oil, Herring Oil, Pumpkin, Natural Flavor, Green Lentils, Salmon Oil, Cranberries, Apples, Dandelion Greens, Sunflower Oil, Calcium Carbonate, Salt, Dried Chicory Root, Choline Chloride, Vitamins (Niacin Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid, Biotin), Taurine, Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Calcium lodate), Mixed Tocopherols (a preservative), Turmeric, Dried Yucca Schidigera Extract, Rosemary Extract.
Guaranteed Analysis (approximate, as-fed basis):
| Nutrient | Value |
|---|---|
| Crude Protein (min) | 37% |
| Crude Fat (min) | 18% |
| Crude Fiber (max) | 3% |
| Moisture (max) | 10% |
| Calories | ~470 kcal/cup |
Notable: Salmon as the first ingredient is nutritionally appropriate for cats. This recipe is naturally rich in EPA and DHA, the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids associated with reduced inflammation, coat health, and cognitive support. Salmon meal concentrates that protein further. As a dry diet, this has a better balance of nutrients compared to the freeze dried recipes. It has a higher protein to fat ratio, which is preffereable.
Recipe 3: Harvest Chicken & Salmon Rustic Blend Wet Food
Representative Ingredient List: Chicken, chicken bone broth, pumpkin, carrots, spinach, red lentils, agar-agar, cranberries, chickpeas, chicory root, sunflower oil, coconut oil, salt, vitamins (vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, D-calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, biotin, folic acid, vitamin B12 supplement), minerals (zinc amino acid chelate, iron amino acid chelate, copper amino acid chelate, manganese amino acid chelate, sodium seleniuim), dried kelp, potassium chloride, dandelion greens, choline chloride, taurine, turmeric.
Guaranteed Analysis (approximate, as-fed basis):
| Nutrient | Value |
|---|---|
| Crude Protein (min) | 7% |
| Crude Fat (min) | 6% |
| Crude Fiber (max) | 2% |
| Moisture (max) | 82% |
| Calories | ~138 kcal per serving |
Notable: The high moisture content (82%) is one of the most important features of this recipe from a feline health standpoint. Cats have a naturally low thirst drive and evolved to obtain hydration from prey. Wet food is the closest commercially available approximation of that. The protein percentage looks low at a glance (8%), but on a dry matter basis it is more comparable to the dry kibble, sitting around 44% DMB. This is a recipe I’d recommend understanding before assuming the guaranteed analysis numbers at face value.
In-Depth Open Farm Cat Food Nutrition Review
Protein Sources
Cats are obligate carnivores. They require a dietary supply of nutrients that other species can synthesize endogenously, including taurine, arachidonic acid, and preformed vitamin A (retinol). Plant proteins cannot fully substitute for animal-based proteins in a feline diet.
Pros: Open Farm consistently leads with named animal proteins; chicken, turkey, salmon, whitefish. This is the right call from a species-appropriateness standpoint. Chicken meal and salmon meal, while less appealing to consumers visually, are concentrated protein sources with a lower moisture content that meaningfully raises the total protein density of the formula. Taurine is listed explicitly across all recipes reviewed, which is non-negotiable for cardiac and ocular health in cats.
Cons: Some of the grain-free kibble formulas lean on legumes as secondary protein contributors. While lentils and peas do contribute to the guaranteed protein figure on the label, their amino acid profiles are not equivalent to those from animal sources. This isn’t unique to Open Farm — it’s an industry-wide pattern in grain-free dry cat food — but it’s worth being transparent about.
Fats
Pros: Open Farm uses chicken fat (a highly digestible, palatable fat source) and herring oil across multiple recipes. Herring oil is particularly valuable as a natural source of EPA and DHA — the omega-3 fatty acids cats cannot synthesize efficiently on their own. This contributes meaningfully to coat quality, skin health, and anti-inflammatory pathways. Mixed tocopherols are used as the preservative system rather than BHA or BHT, which is appropriate for a brand positioning itself in the premium segment.
Cons: The omega-6 to omega-3 ratio is not disclosed on most packaging, which makes it difficult to independently verify balance. The inclusion of coconut oil in some wet food recipes contributes saturated fat without meaningful omega-3 benefit; while not harmful in small quantities, it adds less nutritional value compared to fish oils.
Carbohydrates & Fiber
Cats have a limited capacity for carbohydrate digestion. They lack salivary amylase and have low intestinal disaccharidase activity compared to omnivores. From a purely species-appropriate standpoint, lower carbohydrate diets are generally preferred for cats, particularly for those managing diabetes or obesity.
Pros: Open Farm’s wet food recipes are naturally low in carbohydrates, which is appropriate. The inclusion of chicory root (a prebiotic) and pumpkin (a source of soluble and insoluble fibre) is a thoughtful addition that supports gut microbiome diversity and motility.
Cons: The dry kibble formulas contain legumes in substantial quantities —lentils, peas, and chickpeas appear in the top six to eight ingredients in grain-free varieties. One verified customer review noted that the carbohydrate content of the Open Farm RawMix was higher than expected, and a cat eating it developed diabetes. While single anecdotes cannot establish causality, it’s a fair reminder that “grain-free” does not automatically mean “low carbohydrate.” Cat owners managing glucose regulation in their cats should calculate the estimated carbohydrate content from the guaranteed analysis before selecting a formula.
Vitamins & Minerals
All Open Farm recipes appear to use a vitamin and mineral premix to meet AAFCO nutritional adequacy standards, which is standard industry practice. Where the brand distinguishes itself is in the use of whole food ingredients that contribute naturally to the micronutrient profile — cranberries for antioxidants, pumpkin for beta-carotene precursors, and spinach for folate.
The brand does not currently appear to publish the specific form of minerals used (e.g., chelated versus inorganic), which would be useful information for owners managing cats with absorption issues. That said, the overall nutrient philosophy is sound and the formulations are developed with credentialed nutritionists.
Guaranteed Analysis Highlights
For comparison, AAFCO’s minimum recommended protein for adult cat maintenance on a dry matter basis is 26%, and for growth/reproduction it’s 30%. Open Farm’s dry kibble formulas sit at approximately 37–40% crude protein on an as-fed basis — well above minimum requirements and appropriate for obligate carnivores.
Fat content in the kibble (around 18%) is also well-positioned for a maintenance diet. Open Farm’s wet food, while appearing lower in protein on an as-fed basis, converts to a DMB protein level (~40–44%) that is equally impressive.
Moisture content is, predictably, the most significant difference between product formats: approximately 10% in kibble and 78–82% in wet food. For cats with a history of urinary tract issues or chronic kidney disease, the wet food format is substantially preferable from a hydration standpoint.
Recalls & Safety
Open Farm’s safety record is notably clean. The brand has never issued a formal recall. However, in December 2024, the company proactively initiated a voluntary market withdrawal of select lots of freeze-dried raw dog food products — not cat food — after identifying small pieces of soft plastic film (food-grade liner material) that had not been fully removed during manufacturing. The company described the plastic as non-toxic, thin, and malleable, posing no health risk, but withdrew the products proactively due to its quality standards. No injuries were reported. The withdrawal did not affect cat food products.
Open Farm conducts meticulous inspections of ingredients and facilities, and independently tests for contaminants such as salmonella, E. coli, and mycotoxins before packaging. Their manufacturing facility in Minnesota undergoes regular audits from the FDA, USDA, Certified Humane, and AIB International.
Transparency extends to safety: Open Farm makes third-party lab testing results publicly accessible via their website’s lot code tracking system. This is one of the most consumer-forward safety practices in the Canadian pet food market.
Price & Value
Open Farm sits firmly in the premium tier of the Canadian pet food market. Based on current pricing at Canadian retailers and the brand’s direct website:
- Dry Kibble: Approximately $35–$55 CAD for a 4–8 lb bag, depending on formula
- Wet Food (Rustic Blends): Approximately $4–$6 CAD per serving/pouch
- Freeze-Dried Raw: Approximately $30–$50 CAD for small format bags (3.5–8 oz)
For context, mid-range cat kibble from brands like Royal Canin or Hill’s Science Diet typically runs $30–$45 CAD for a 4 kg bag. Open Farm is priced higher per ounce, but the ingredient density — named animal proteins leading, no corn or soy, herring oil, chelate-quality premix — reflects a genuinely different formulation philosophy.
Is Open Farm Cat Food Worth the Price?
For owners who prioritize ingredient quality and supply chain transparency, yes — Open Farm is worth the premium. The ingredient lists are cleaner than most in the price bracket, the protein sources are appropriately animal-based, the fat profile is well-considered, and the traceability system is unmatched in Canada.
For the average healthy adult cat with a nutrition-conscious owner, Open Farm represents solid value for money.
Impact on Sustainability
Open Farm is one of the more credibly sustainability-focused brands in the Canadian pet food space. Their commitments include:
Ethical Sourcing: They exclusively partner with Certified Humane or Global Animal Partnership (GAP) certified farms and do not source from farms using cages or crates. Wild-caught fish is the standard for all seafood ingredients.
Traceability: The lot code transparency system is both a quality control tool and an environmental accountability measure — it incentivizes the supply chain to maintain verifiable standards.
Packaging: Open Farm has made commitments to reducing packaging waste, including the use of resealable cardboard cartons for wet food rather than traditional aluminium cans.
Local Sourcing: The Minnesota manufacturing facility operates a local vegetable sourcing program, reducing transport miles for some ingredients.
These practices are not merely marketing claims — they are audited and verifiable, which is a meaningful distinction.
Pet Nutritionist Approved?
As a certified companion animal nutritionist, my overall assessment of Open Farm cat food is cautiously positive — with some important nuances.
What I appreciate: The protein sourcing is genuinely species-appropriate. Named meats lead every formula, taurine is supplemented explicitly, herring oil provides meaningful omega-3 support, and the brand’s transparency infrastructure is best-in-class for Canada. The formulation team is credentialed, and that shows in the ingredient architecture.
What gives me pause: The high fat content in some of the freeze dried raw products and the highlight of dry products for cats. Cats should be fed a high moisture diet, which can be difficult to do on kibble alone.
Best suited for: Healthy adult cats whose owners want a high-quality, ethically sourced food with full ingredient transparency. Also appropriate for cats with mild food sensitivities benefiting from novel protein rotation. Wet food options are particularly well-suited to cats with urinary health concerns or low thirst drive.
Less ideal for: Cats with diagnosed kidney disease, diabetes, or hyperthyroidism should be managed on veterinary-therapeutic diets formulated specifically for those conditions, not premium commercial food regardless of brand. Multi-cat households on tight budgets may also find the cost prohibitive at scale.
Andrea Geiger is a certified companion animal nutritionist with a master’s degree in Veterinary Toxicology and Nutrition. With over five years of experience in product development and consulting, Andrea specializes in creating science-based nutrition plans and formulating recipes that prioritize pet health, ensuring optimal nutrition for dogs and cats alike.
Final Rating: 9 / 10
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Named animal proteins lead every recipe — appropriate for obligate carnivores
- Explicit taurine supplementation across all formulas
- Herring oil provides meaningful EPA and DHA
- Ingredient traceability via lot code system
- No corn, soy, artificial colours, flavours, or preservatives
- Independent third-party safety testing published publicly
- Zero formal recalls in over a decade of operation
- Strong sustainability and ethical sourcing credentials
- Wet food options provide excellent moisture content for feline hydration
- Formulated with credentialed companion animal nutritionists
Cons
- Mineral form (chelated vs. inorganic) not disclosed on labelling
- Premium price point is a real barrier for budget-conscious or multi-cat households
- High fat to protein ratio in some freeze dried raw diets
- December 2024 voluntary withdrawal (dog products only) was a reminder that no brand is immune to manufacturing process issues
- Manufactured in the USA despite Canadian headquarters — relevant for some buyers