Mission

To advance consumer education and brand transparency in the fresh pet food category by promoting clear standards, regulatory clarity, and industry alignment across North America’s refrigerated and frozen pet food segments — empowering stakeholders to earn trust through quality, safety, and real food values.

Who We Are

The Fresh Pet Food Alliance (FPFA) is North America’s industry-led alliance supporting the integrity and growth of refrigerated and frozen pet foods, including gently-cooked and raw products. We unite brands, manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and advocates who believe that feeding pets real, minimally processed food isn’t just a trend — it’s a shift toward better health outcomes and stronger relationships with our family pets.

The FPFA was started by Kristin Matthews and Peter AP Zakarow, the Founders of Canadian gently-cooked market segment innovator Tom&Sawyer, with the intention of aligning like-minded pet food brands and manufacturers who are adopting higher quality standards and investing in innovation to bring enhanced health and safety to the fresh pet food category. Together our intention is to better educate consumers on the differentiated offerings in the fresh pet food category, to spur further growth and adoption.

What We Do

We provide a hub of expertise, education, and regulatory clarity for the growing fresh pet food sector. Our work spans:

  • Consumer education campaigns

  • Clear guidance on labeling and marketing

  • Food safety and traceability best practices

  • Policy alignment across the U.S. and Canada, including extension of the AAFCO Human Grade definition compliance for Canada

  • Scientific research partnerships

  • Support for truthful differentiation through a tiered classification system

Why It Matters

Pet owners are increasingly prioritizing Health and Humanization, alongside the traditional pet food choice criteria, price and convenience, in their food choices. This growing demand for transparency and quality is driving the need for a trust framework to define and support brands doing things differently.

Yet the “fresh” category is largely unregulated, especially in Canada. Terms like “Human Grade” and “Complete And Balanced” are used inconsistently, and misleadingly, and production standards vary widely. The FPFA exists to close this gap by creating a common language, validating brand commitments, and helping consumers make informed decisions.

How We Help

To support transparency and elevate standards across the category, we are collaborating with industry members to develop a tiered classification system. This will help:

  • Consumers understand what they’re buying and how it was made.

  • Brands and manufacturers demonstrate their investments in quality, innovation and differentiation.

  • Retailers and distributors identify and support trusted products.

  • Regulators and researchers engage with a credible, aligned sector.

While one tier reflects AAFCO Human Grade compliance (which FPFA is extending into Canada where no such enforcement exists through the introduction of the FPFA Certified Human Grade designation), all tiers recognize meaningful differences in ingredient sourcing, facility standards, and food safety investment.

Our Vision

We envision a future where the fresh pet food category, which includes gently-cooked and raw refrigerated/frozen products, is defined not by marketing, but by meaningful standards, integrity, and a shared commitment to better health for family pets.