The Simple Food Project Review

The Simple Food Project was formulated according to traditional Chinese principles of warming, neutral and cooling foods by holistic veterinarian and founder Chris Bessent, DVM. The food is manufactured in the company’s own facility in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. Recipes are made in small batches using USA-sourced ingredients.

IS THE SIMPLE FOOD PROJECT A GOOD DOG FOOD?

The Simple Food Project dog foods are considered low risk. When it comes to ingredient quality, 2 of the 3 recipes score 10/10 for both ingredient quality and ingredient safety. This line has average protein of 38% and average carbohydrate of 18% as calculated. 

The carbohydrate level is considered high for freeze-dried dog food but that’s a result of the high carbs in the Duck and Trout recipe at 27%. This is a very high level for a freeze-dried food and is from the lentils in the recipe. Lentils are also a crop known for high pesticide residues that costs another point. 

The Beef and Salmon Recipe and the Chicken and Turkey Recipe have 13% average carbohydrate as calculated, which likely come from the produce, including a couple of starchy vegetables like carrots and sweet potatoes. 

The produce in all recipes is organic, suggesting better quality. As these are freeze-dried recipes, processing is minimal so nutrients are preserved, and there are no added vitamins or minerals. This indicates higher quality ingredients because the nutrients come from whole foods.

As part of their freeze-drying process, all product goes through an IQF quick-freeze chamber which brings the temperature down to -60 degrees F. Then it goes into the freeze-driers which create a vacuum and bring the product to -65 degrees F.

The company specifies that it uses wild-caught trout, salmon and krill, which are more nutritious than farmed fish and have a better fatty acid balance.

The Simple Food Project is one of the few companies to note the omega-6:omega-3 ratio in its recipes. The Duck and Trout Recipe and Chicken and Turkey Recipe have a ratio of 1:1, and the Beef and Salmon Recipe has a ratio of 2:1. This is good to know since AAFCO allows a very inflammatory ratio of 30:1.