The Honest Kitchen is a female-founded pet food brand dedicated to producing healthy, human-grade, minimally processed products. Alongside its focus on product quality and sustainable ingredient sourcing, the Certified B Corp brand invests in its employee team and local communities through paid volunteer hours. It also supports various nonprofits via employee donation matching and charitable giving. The Honest Kitchen has been awarded our top rating in the pet food category.

About The Honest Kitchen

The Honest Kitchen was founded in 2002 by canine and equine nutritionist Lucy Postins while searching for a solution for her Rhodesian Ridgeback Mosi’s chronic ear infections and skin issues. Frustrated by the lack of healthy pet food options, she began preparing whole-food meals in her San Diego kitchen. After seeing a dramatic improvement in Mosi’s health, she realized other pets—and their owners—could benefit too.

Pioneering the human-grade pet food category, the company overcame significant regulatory challenges to set a new industry standard. In 2022, it became one of the first U.S. pet food brands to earn B Corp certification. Today, The Honest Kitchen offers a wide range of dry, wet, and dehydrated foods, toppers, treats, and supplements—all made in human food facilities and held to rigorous quality and safety standards.

Product Categories
Pet Food & SupplementsPets
Attributes
Ethical Sourcing
Raw materials have been sourced ethically with people and planet in mind.
Non-toxic
All products are made with ingredients or materials that are currently considered non-toxic
Sustainable Materials or Ingredients
Either all or most products are made with sustainable materials or ingredients.
Thoughtful packaging
Product packaging has been designed and created with the end of life outcome in mind and can be easily recycled or composted.
Woman Owned
This brand is owned by a woman or a group of women.
Certifications / Memberships
American Humane Certified
American Humane Certified
American Humane Certified™ ensures farm animals receive humane care through science-based welfare standards and independent audits.
B Corp
B Corp
The B Corp Certification, administered by the nonprofit B Lab, recognizes companies that meet high standards of verified social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. Certified B Corps balance profit with purpose, committing to responsible practices that benefit workers, communities, customers, and the planet while embedding sustainability into their business model.
FSC®
FSC®
The FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council) certification ensures that wood, paper, and other forest-based materials come from responsibly managed forests that provide environmental, social, and economic benefits. Products bearing the FSC® label support biodiversity, protect the rights of forest communities and workers, and promote sustainable forestry practices.
MSC Certified
MSC Certified
The MSC blue fish label means the product carrying it is made with wild-caught and certified sustainable seafood that meets the MSC Fisheries Standard, a set of requirements for sustainability that a fishery must prove they meet.
Non-GMO Verified
Non-GMO Verified
The Non-GMO Project Verified mark appears on products that have been evaluated by third party technical administrators to ensure they meet North America's most rigorous standard for GMO avoidance.
SFI
SFI
SFI (Sustainable Forestry Initiative) certification signifies that a forest or organization managing forests meets specific, rigorous standards for sustainable forest management.
Location

United States

Pricing

$$$$$

Ships from
United States
Ships to
United States

Rating Summary

Nature & Animals

The Honest Kitchen produces human-grade pet food using ingredients that meet both FDA and USDA standards for human consumption. Several ingredients carry third-party certifications, including American Humane Certified chicken and Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified wild-caught fish. In 2024, 100% of the brand’s purchased fish was MSC certified. Some ingredients are also organic, and all produce is verified non-GMO.

The use of human-grade and some organic ingredients results in inherently low chemical input during manufacturing, and sourcing from sustainable farms helps reduce water use. However, the brand does not currently track or set formal targets for water usage, chemical inputs, or biodiversity impacts.

Packaging includes both renewable and recyclable materials. Dehydrated food boxes contain 18% post-consumer recycled cardboard, shipping cartons contain 40% recycled content, and all virgin cardboard is certified by either the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). Overall, 76% of the brand’s packaging materials are renewable and recyclable.

To minimize food waste, The Honest Kitchen redirects test batches, production leftovers, and unsellable products to nearby hog farms. Efforts to reduce carbon emissions include prioritizing local ingredient sourcing and consolidating shipments. However, no formal emissions tracking or reduction targets are in place.

In terms of animal welfare, all chicken used in the dehydrated line is cage-free, with 50% certified by American Humane. The brand has conducted in-home versions of the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) feeding trials for its Whole Grain Dehydrated, Grain Free Dehydrated, and Grain Free Whole Food Clusters foods for dogs. These trials bypass the need for traditional feeding trials and exceeded AAFCO standards by incorporating additional wellness checks, like echocardiograms.

Score for Nature & Animals: 43%. Learn more about our scoring here.

Communities & Wellbeing

The Honest Kitchen offers a range of employee benefits, including paid time off, medical and life insurance, a safe harbor 401(k) plan, and donation matching. Each employee is also allocated 40 hours per year to volunteer with nonprofit organizations.

Ingredient suppliers must adhere to current good manufacturing practices and, where applicable, implement fair trade–equivalent standards. All suppliers undergo third-party audits. The brand partners with carefully chosen farms, some of which they have worked with since founding in 2022.

The Honest Kitchen is proudly female-founded, with 69% of the workforce and 60% of management identifying as female. The company has also established a DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging) committee and prioritizes sourcing from women- and minority-owned suppliers when possible.

Product formulation and production prioritize health and safety. All ingredients are accompanied by Certificates of Analysis from accredited labs, confirming the absence of pathogenic bacteria. Finished products are further tested to ensure safety, with over 1,500 lab tests performed on at least 250 samples each month. Additional third-party testing screens for contaminants such as melamine, ethoxyquin, and heavy metals. The brand has a privacy policy in place to protect customer data.

The Honest Kitchen prioritizes sourcing from local suppliers when possible. Currently, 93% of ingredients in its Whole Food Clusters and 73% in its dehydrated recipes are grown in North America. The brand also supports small-scale producers globally, such as sourcing organic quinoa from cooperatives of independent family micro-growers in Bolivia and Peru.

Score for Communities & Wellbeing: 80%. Learn more about our scoring here.

Values & Governance

The Honest Kitchen employs 64 people directly. They are a Certified B Corporation and a registered public benefit corporation. The brand publishes annual impact reports outlining its sustainability initiatives and progress, though these reports do not currently include time-bound commitments.

There is no known history of greenwashing, misleading claims, or harmful marketing practices.

The company matches employee donations and provides employees with 40 hours of paid volunteer time each year. In 2024, The Honest Kitchen collectively donated over $500,000 to various nonprofit organizations and collectively volunteered 596 hours with various non-profit organizations. The brand also awarded a $24,000 grant to the American Humane Society.

Score for Values & Governance: 58%. Learn more about our scoring here.

Product Performance

Customer reviews suggest that The Honest Kitchen performs as well as—or often better than—many conventional pet food brands, particularly in terms of ingredient quality, digestibility, and overall health benefits. Pet owners consistently praise its positive effects on coat condition, energy levels, and sensitive stomachs.

Score for Product Performance: 100%. Learn more about our scoring here.

Review Summary From Other Customers

Pros

  • Many pet owners report noticeable improvements in their pets' digestion, energy levels, and coat quality after switching to the brand’s products.
  • Customers note that the variety of recipes and the quality of ingredients make the food appealing to picky eaters and suitable for pets with food sensitivities or allergies.

Cons

  • Some customers find The Honest Kitchen products more expensive than other pet food options, which may be a consideration for those on a budget.
  • The dehydrated food options require rehydration before serving, which some users find less convenient compared to traditional kibble.

Disrupting

Top 10% of brands

Honest Kitchen scores 58% overall and at the time of writing is our top rated brand in the Pet Food Category. Learn more about our scoring here.

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