About the alliance

Fresh pet food deserves standards.
We're building them.

The Fresh Pet Food Alliance is North America's industry-led alliance supporting the integrity and growth of refrigerated and frozen pet foods — gently-cooked and raw.

Who we are

A hub of expertise, regulatory clarity, and education

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.

Our work spans consumer education, policy alignment, safety standards, and brand accountability — creating a trust framework for a high-growth category that deserves its own identity, oversight, and language. From ingredient sourcing and manufacturing standards to labeling, cold chain logistics, and scientific research, the FPFA empowers members to lead with transparency and build lasting confidence with pet owners and regulators alike.

Why the alliance exists

Pet owners increasingly weigh Health and Humanization alongside the traditional criteria of price and convenience. That demand for transparency is driving the need for a trust framework across North America. In the U.S., AAFCO standards give terms like "Human Grade" enforceable meaning — but AAFCO has no jurisdiction in Canada, and no Canadian body has stepped into that role. The same terms are used inconsistently and deceptively there, and production standards vary widely.

The FPFA exists to close this gap: creating a common language, validating brand commitments, and helping consumers make informed decisions.

Our vision: a fresh pet food category defined not by marketing, but by meaningful standards, integrity, and a shared commitment to better health for family pets.

Our founders

Co-founded by the team behind Tom&Sawyer — built as a coalition

The FPFA was co-founded to align like-minded pet food brands and manufacturers adopting higher quality standards and investing in innovation — bringing enhanced health and safety to the fresh category, and better educating consumers on its differentiated offerings. More than 20 brands joined our inaugural industry meeting at Connect, the Canadian pet industry trade show, and membership is opening as our certification programs and member benefits roll out.

Kristin Matthews

Kristin Matthews

Co-founder

A former forensic accountant, Kristin co-founded Tom&Sawyer in 2015 after her Yorkie-Poo, Sawyer, became seriously ill on commercial pet food — and the fresh meals she began cooking for him changed the course of her career. She built Tom&Sawyer into Canada's gently-cooked category innovator and its first AAFCO Human Grade certified pet food company.

Kristin helped create the FPFA to better protect consumers and bring enhanced transparency and truth to what is in the fresh pet food families have in their fridge.

Peter AP Zakarow

Peter AP Zakarow

Co-founder

Peter co-founded Tom&Sawyer to provide better and safer food for his Yorkie-Poo Sawyer. He has founded multiple health innovation companies and brings his human health and genomics experience to make our family pets live healthier and longer lives.

Given his experience with health policy and working with government, Peter wanted to share best practices with other fresh food brands that were also willing to invest to do better, and co-founded the FPFA to achieve this.

What we're building

A tiered classification system for the category

To support transparency and elevate standards, we're collaborating with industry members on a tiered classification system that helps consumers understand what they're buying and how it was made.

One tier reflects full AAFCO Human Grade compliance — which the FPFA is extending into Canada, where no such enforcement exists, through the FPFA Certified Human Grade designation. All tiers recognize meaningful differences in ingredient sourcing, facility standards, and food-safety investment.

See the two standards →

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