Pet food packaging is full of feel-good language — “natural,” “premium,” “wholesome.” Most of it isn't backed by anything specific. Open Farm's claims are a little different, because several of them are tied to actual third-party certifications rather than just marketing copy. Here's what's really behind them.
Certified Humane
This one isn't a term Open Farm invented — Certified Humane is a third-party animal welfare certification program that audits farms against specific standards for space, handling, diet, and living conditions, rather than taking a company's word for it. When a protein source in an Open Farm recipe, like the beef in their Grass-Fed Beef Freeze-Dried Raw recipe, carries this certification, it means the farm it came from was independently audited against those standards.
Non-GMO Ingredients
Open Farm's produce ingredients — things like pumpkin, cranberries, and sweet potato — are sourced as non-GMO. This applies to the fruit and vegetable components of the recipes rather than being a blanket claim about every single ingredient, but it reflects a consistent sourcing standard across the brand's product line.
Sustainable Seafood Sourcing
Any fish in an Open Farm recipe is sourced in line with sustainable fishing standards like Seafood Watch and Ocean Wise — programs designed to steer sourcing toward fish populations and fishing methods that don't deplete marine ecosystems. This matters more than it might seem: overfishing is a real problem in some of the same fish populations used broadly across the pet food industry, and sourcing standards like these are one of the more concrete ways a brand can address it.
The Traceability Tool
Open Farm markets itself as offering full traceability — a lot code on every bag that pet parents can enter to pull up sourcing information for that specific batch. It's a meaningfully different approach from the pet food industry norm, where ingredient sourcing is typically opaque. Worth noting: some independent reviewers have found the traceability tool doesn't always surface as much granular detail as the marketing suggests for every ingredient. It's a genuine differentiator relative to most of the industry, just not a perfect, fully detailed supply chain map for every item in the bag.
B Corporation Certification
Open Farm has earned B Corporation certification, a designation that requires meeting rigorous, independently verified standards across social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency — not just for pet food ingredients, but for the company as a whole. It's one of the more comprehensive third-party stamps of approval a company can pursue, and relatively few pet food brands have it.
No Artificial Colors, Flavors, or Preservatives
Across its recipes, Open Farm skips artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives, along with corn, wheat, and soy fillers — consistent with the brand's broader “clean ingredient list” positioning.
Why This Matters When You're Comparing Bags
Certifications aren't the only thing that matters when choosing a dog food — your dog's individual needs, budget, and how they actually do on the food still come first. But if ethical sourcing and ingredient transparency are priorities for you, Open Farm's claims are backed by more third-party verification than most brands on the shelf, which is worth something when you're trying to sort marketing from substance.
Shop the Full Open Farm Lineup
You can browse Open Farm alongside our other pet food brands at The Hungry Puppy, or learn more about our store. If you're stocking up on their freeze-dried recipes, remember orders of $75 or more ship free nationwide, and auto-delivery subscriptions save you 6% on every reorder.
We've built our own business on the same idea Open Farm is built around — being straightforward with customers about what you're getting. We've been doing that in Farmingdale, NJ since 1987, and we're happy to answer any questions at 732-938-4470 or info@thehungrypuppy.com.