The Farmer’s Dog vs Nom Nom : which one is the best for you?

Choosing which fresh dog food delivery service is best for you and your pup isn't easy. There are so many factors to take into consideration. Which is tastier? Which contains more nutrients? Is there a difference in price? Where and how should you store them? And what about the environment – do all fresh food delivery companies do the same?

We've gone through two of the biggest fresh dog food brands, comparing all the important features of both so that you can easily make a decision. So, when it comes to The Farmer's Dog vs Nom Nom which one comes out on top?

Why should you start feeding your dog fresh food?

As dog owners, we always want to do what's best for our pups and to make sure that they're healthy. And of course, this starts with what they put in their mouths. Traditional dog food (such as kibble or other regular canned food) is full of preservatives, added extras, and meat that barely resembles meat. Many experts believe it's the canine equivalent of junk food. Fresh meals are full of high-quality meat, veggies, plant proteins, and all the minerals, vitamins, and nutrients your pup needs to be as healthy as possible.

Many owners notice a huge difference when changing their dogs over from a traditional dog food diet to fresh dog meals. Pups quite often have more energy and are excited about mealtime. Fresh, nutritious food can also help to cure skin and digestive problems as well as give your pup a healthy-looking coat.

Of course, quality costs a little more and fresh food isn't for everyone (or every dog). But there are lots of benefits to finding a good fresh dog food delivery service – a big one being that you don't have to drag back cans of dog food from the store!

Nom Nom vs The Farmer's Dog – which is best?

Both the Farmer's Dog and Nom Nom are great choices if you want delicious, nutritious dog food delivered to your door. If you have a multi-pet household, Nom Nom also does cat food. There are, however, a few differences:

Meal options	Beef, turkey, pork, and chicken	Beef, chicken, pork, turkey
Made by vets?	Yes	Yes
Customizability and variety	Yes, based on breed, sex, weight, age, whether they're spayed or not, body shape, and activity level.	Yes, based on size, activity level, breed, sex, and whether the dog has any allergies or health conditions
Price	Between $2 -$12 per day	Between $2 – $11 per day.
Free shipping?	Yes	Yes
Sustainability	All the packaging is either biodegradable or recyclable and free from poisonous toxins.	Nom Nom is also very conscious of sustainability. All of their packaging can be recycled (once rinsed out) and some is biodegradable.
Donations to charity	They regularly work with rescue centers and other pet charities.	If you adopt a pup through one of their partners, they'll give you 50% off your first order and will donate $50 to the shelter!
Welcome offers	50% off your first box	50% off your first box + free shipping
Can you cancel at any time?	Yes	Yes

Meal options

The Farmer's Dog

The Farmer's Dog uses all human-grade ingredients that are produced by reputable suppliers and local farms. All the meals are created in USDA standard kitchens. When they say they want to produce food that humans could eat – they really mean it!

There's a tasty protein at the heart of all The Farmer's Dog meals. Depending on which flavors your dog likes best or any allergies they have, you can choose just the one meat meal (to be delivered for every meal) or choose a mixture.

There are 4 possible meals to choose from. They're tasty, filling, nutritious, and maintain 9-11% crude protein.

Example recipes:

Beef recipe: USDA Beef, Sweet Potato, Lentils, Carrot, USDA Beef Liver, Kale, Sunflower Seeds, Fish Oil

Turkey recipe: USDA Turkey, Chickpeas, Carrot, Broccoli, Parsnip, Spinach, Fish Oil

Chicken recipe: USDA Chicken, Brussels Sprout, USDA Chicken Liver, Bok Choy, Broccoli, Fish Oil

Pork recipe: USDA Pork, Sweet Potato, Potato, Green Beans, Cauliflower, USDA Pork Liver, Fish Oil

Nom Nom

Just like The Farmer's Dog, Nom Nom provides your pup with nutritious meals that they'll love. There are a few similarities between the two companies. They both have the same 4 proteins to choose from and a lot of the secondary ingredients are also the same. Where The Farmer's Dog uses animal organs as a protein, Nom Nom often uses eggs –plus veggies, fruits, healthy starch, and added vitamins. Nom Nom also uses brown rice in their Turkey meal, which some pet parents may or may not like. They all have added minerals and maintain 8-11% crude protein.

Nom Nom food is made in US kitchens, but they're not USDA approved.

Example recipes:

Beef Mash: Ground beef, russet potatoes, eggs, carrots, peas

Chicken Cuisine: Diced chicken, sweet potatoes, yellow squash, spinach, sunflower oil

Pork Potluck: Ground pork, russet potatoes, green beans, yellow squash, kale, brown mushrooms

Turkey Fare: Ground turkey, brown rice, eggs, carrots, spinach

Customizability and variety

The Farmer's Dog

As with most fresh dog food delivery services, the first thing you need to do is register online and create your dog's profile. They'll ask you various questions including your pup's name, breed, sex, age, weight, activity level, and body shape. They'll also take into account any allergies your pup may have and recommend which of the four meals is best for them, as well as how many calories they should be eating each day.

Something that's particularly great about this fresh dog food is that you can also notify them about any health conditions your pup may have. If your dog suffers from stomach troubles, low energy levels, or bad breath, you can mention that in the profile and they can give you advice on which meal would help. If your pup has a specific dietary requirement for liver, joint, or skin problems, The Farmer's Dog can also help you to find the best diet for them. Of course, you should always check with your vet first before making any major changes to prescription diets.

Whilst these fresh meals are customizable because they take your dog's specific requirements into account and name the packaging, they're perhaps not suited to really fussy eaters. You can choose which out of the 4 meals is best but you can't remove specific ingredients from within that meal. So, if your dog doesn't like chickpeas, you can't simply take them out of the turkey meal.

Alternative food plans

Changing your dog's diet can be difficult and it's sometimes recommended that you do it slowly over time. Dogs that have spent most of their lives eating kibble, may find it hard to suddenly eat soft food with sweet potatoes in it. A really good solution is to order The Farmer's Dog topper plan. These are smaller portions that you can mix into your pup's existing food. There are a few flavor options for bigger dogs that eat more, but less (or none) for tiny dogs.

Nom Nom

Just like The Farmer's Dog, you'll be asked to create a profile for your pup including their size, activity level, breed, sex, and whether they have any allergies or health conditions.

Nom Nom is big on your pup's gut health. They offer microbiome gut testing kits so you can make sure your dog's digestive tract is as healthy as possible. If your dog's weight (or cat's for that matter) fluctuates, they have diarrhea, vomit often, itch, or are behaving unusually, it's worth checking their gut health. Nom Nom also offers probiotic support to improve your dog's health.

Partial meals/treats

Nom Nom could be one of the best fresh dog food companies because they also offer partial meal plans and treats. They have topper plans for larger pups and you can buy their beef jerky or chicken jerky treats.

Something else which is great about Nom Nom is that they offer a tasting pack so your dog can try all four recipes and decide which one they like best before you order. It's also subscription-free!

Price

Highly nutritious, yummy dog food that's delivered right to your door is naturally going to cost you more than kibble from the local store. Many pet parents, however, note that they actually save money on vet bills because of the health boost fresh food gives their dogs.

The Farmer's Dog

On average The Farmer's Dog food costs between $2 -$12 a day. This does, however, depend on your dog's breed, size, activity level, and how much food they should eat.

Nom Nom

Nom Nom roughly costs between $2 – $11 a day, but again, this depends on your pup and how much food they've been recommended to eat.

Portions/storage

When your fresh dog food order arrives, you'll need to put the portion for that day and the next day in the fridge and freeze the rest. With either order, you'll receive clear instructions about how much food to feed your dog and how to store the dog food.

The Farmer's Dog

The Farmer's Dog recipes are designed to contain all the vital bits your pup needs. This fresh dog food delivery service also labels all the packages with your pup's name – which is ideal if you have more than one dog and they have different diets.

The fresh food arrives in squeezable pouches and it's clearly marked how much to give each pup at mealtimes. Unlike other fresh dog food companies, all of The Farmer's Dog recipes come in the same size pouch. This means that if you have a Chihuahua you might get 8 meals out of one pouch but a Great Dane may make their way through an entire pack in a day.

This quality dog food needs to be kept refrigerated when opened as fresh human food does. Non-opened food can stay in the freezer for a few months – you just need to remember to thaw it the day before so your dog doesn't go hungry!

Some owners don't like the idea of keeping opened dog food in the fridge for a few days. The reason The Farmer's Dog has decided to do larger pouches with multiple servings is because they use less plastic.

Nom Nom

Nom Nom also comes in a squeezable packet which makes it easy for you to serve your dog's food. There's no need to scoop or measure exactly how much food they should be getting. Unlike The Farmer's Dog, one pouch is one portion (unless you have a tiny pup). Just peel open the pouch and put it all in the bowl!

Portions for the following days and weeks will need to be frozen and thawed so they don't spoil.

Sustainability

Sustainability and what these two companies do for the environment is an important deciding factor for many potential customers.

The Farmer's Dog

One of the key selling points for The Farmer's Dog is that they really do their bit for the environment, in particular the amount (or non-amount) of single-use plastic they use. Of course, because the food is fresh and is shipped right to your door, it needs to be frozen and stay that way during transit. The fresh food arrives in an insulated box and both Nom Nom and The Farmer's Dog use dry ice to keep it cool.

The Farmer's Dog uses cornstarch insulation which can be dissolved and disposed of in water or composted. The packaging is either biodegradable or recyclable and they also put multiple servings together in one pouch to reduce wastage. They can also send you a biodegradable tub to put leftover food in.

Nom Nom

Nom Nom is also very conscious of sustainability. All of their packaging can be recycled (once rinsed out) and some is biodegradable.

When considering how often you want your fresh dog food to be delivered, it's worth thinking about ordering more portions at a time so that there's less packaging and miles per serving. Of course, you have to have enough freezer space though!

Shipping

As mentioned above, controlling when and how often you get a fresh dog food delivery is really important – especially if you're traveling or have limited freezer space.

For both companies, shipping is free within the US (excluding Hawaii and Alaska).

The Farmer's Dog

The Farmer's Dog sends shipments based on how big your pup is and therefore how much food they're eating. For larger dogs, it's every 3 weeks and smaller ones every 8. If you want to, you can change how often you get a delivery online.

You can also easily change the delivery address in your account in case you're traveling (within the US). It's important your order hasn't been processed before you change any details. If for any reason, there's a delay to your order, The Farmer's Dog will tell you in advance.

Nom Nom

If you want to you can do a two-week transition period with Nom Nom and after this, deliveries are shipped every two weeks. If bi-weekly doesn't work for you, you can also change deliveries to every week or every three weeks.

As with The Farmer's Dog, as long as your order hasn't been processed, you can delay your shipment, speed it up, or change the address.

Vets behind the food

Both Nom Nom and The Farmer's Dog hire board-certified veterinary nutritionists to develop their recipes. They're created with your dog's health in mind – as well as what they'll love to eat!

Both use high-quality ingredients and The Farmer's Dog even cooks their fresh dog food in USDA kitchens.

How they give back

The Farmer's Dog

They do a lot with local dog shelters and rescue centers. If your dog doesn't like The Farmers Dog food, they'll give you your money back as long as you agree to donate the unwanted portion of food to a rescue center.

Nom Nom

Nom Nom has a great adoption scheme. If you adopt a pup through one of their partners, they'll give you 50% off your first order and will donate $50 to the shelter!

Welcome offers

Both The Farmer's Dog and Nom Nom have 50% off your first order. They both regularly update their welcome offers, so it's worth checking their website for the newest discounts.

Verdict

Both The Farmer's Dog and Nom Nom are great choices if you're looking for fresh, nutritious food for your pup. They both use board-certified veterinary nutritionists to make sure that your dog is getting absolutely everything they need.

If ease of serving is your priority, Nom Nom is probably a better choice as they pack each serving individually. The Farmer's Dog, however, takes the more sustainable approach to this and packs many servings together to reduce plastic.

What's more, Nom Nom offers gut health supplements, treats, and cat food. So if you're looking for good quality extras or cat food, ordering from Nom Nom would be easiest. The Farmer's Dog, however, individually labels pouches with your pup's name, which is really useful if you have more than one dog.

Whichever you decide to go with, you're sure to end up with delicious and nutritious food for your dog that they and you will love!

Have you tried either Nom Nom or The Farmer's dog? We'd love to know your thoughts on them!