All of Steve's ingredients are sourced from local US farms. Each farm is vetted to ensure that they are both sustainable and humanly raising their herds. The meat is free range, grass fed, and antibiotic free. The poultry are free range, antibiotic and free from added hormones.
FAQs
FOOD QUESTIONS
Where do you source your meat & poultry?
How do I store the food?
You can feed the food frozen or defrosted. If you choose to defrost the food you will want to portion the food in airtight containers and defrost in the refrigerator. If you do not want to defrost, keep the food in the freezer and feed daily.
How is the food made?
Steve's makes each batch of food using only the highest quality human grade ingredients. The meat/poultry, produce and super-foods are all ground down and mixed together. They are then shaped into tater-tot sized nuggets and instant quick frozen to lock in freshness.
Is Raw Food Safe?
The plant operates at 40 degrees Fahrenheit and the food is stored at frozen temperatures to ensure any parasite or pathogen is killed. Additionally, Steve's uses High Pressure Technology to add a 2nd layer of protection against Salmonella, Listeria, and e.Coli.
SHIPPING QUESTIONS
How do you ship frozen food?
We ship all the food in insulated contains using dry ice. We include enough dry ice to keep the food frozen during transport. If you receive an order without dry ice and the raw food nuggets still hold their shape, then that means we used he perfect amount of dry ice and the last bit evaporated right before you opened the box. If there is still dry ice in the box, ware gloves to remove and discard it.
Do I Pay for Shipping?
If you buy 4 or more bags of food you will get FREE ground shipping. If you choose to buy fewer than four bags or you want expedited shipping you do pay for that. The shipping fee includes the insulted container and dry ice.
Can I return the food?
You can feed the food frozen or defrosted. If you choose to defrost the food you will want to portion the food in airtight containers and defrost in the refrigerator. If you do not want to defrost, keep the food in the freezer and feed daily.
What if it arrives defrosted?
Steve's makes each batch of food using only the highest quality human grade ingredients. The meat/poultry, produce and super-foods are all ground down and mixed together. They are then shaped into tater-tot sized nuggets and instant quick frozen to lock in freshness.
Can I expidite my shipping?
The plant operates at 40 degrees Fahrenheit and the food is stored at frozen temperatures to ensure any parasite or pathogen is killed. Additionally, Steve's uses High Pressure Technology to add a 2nd layer of protection against Salmonella, Listeria, and e.Coli.
When will I get my Food?
We ship orders out Monday threw Wednesday. If you place an order on Monday there is a good chance we can ship it that week, there an always be unforeseen delays. If you place an order on a Thursday it will not go our until Monday.
If you opt in to the free shipping, we use FedEx ground which will take between 1-3 days.
Find out more on our How we Ship page.
RAW FOOD NUTRITION
What is the difference between cooked and raw food?
Most kibbles are produced at temperatures between 300 and 600 degrees Farenheight, a heat that will destroy all the enzymes, some of the known antioxidants, and perhaps many of the known and unknown phytochemicals and flavonoids. These changes to the nutrient makeup of the food alters the bio-availability making it more challenging to digest.
Cooked diets will compensates for this loss by adding synthetic vitamins back in. So if you see things like Manganese Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrae, or Vitamin B12 Supplement, in your food's ingredient list, that means the food itself does not have enough vitamins and minerals and therefore needs them added back in.
How do I start my dog or cat on raw food.
If your pet has eaten the same thing their entire life you may need to transition them slowly. If you just start feeding them raw food they may either reject the food, throw it up and get loose stools. By slowly mixing in the new food with the old, you can avoid these issues.
If your pet has had a lot of variety, their stomachs and desires will be more open to raw food and you may be able to transition with out mixing their current diet with the food. You will want to keep
For more tips and tricks on transitioning, check out Steve's Transitioning Guide.
What are the benefits of raw food.
Raw food provides the optimal amount of vitamins, minerals, flavonoids, enzymes and probiotics. Because of this you will see your pet have the healthiest skin and coat, along with clear eyes and ears. Pet parents report that their furry family member's energy level and cognitive behavior also improves. The longer you feed raw food, the more benefits you will see, from less disease, joint pain or other issues associated with aging.
Are your ingredients organic?
Steve's Real Food uses only the highest of quality USDA inspected meats and poultry from farms in the Northwest. The fruits and vegetables are grown in the US from co-op farms in the Northwest. Since we focus on local farms and we do not change sources to fill in gaps, and therefore we are not able to guarantee organic ingredients 100% of the time. We do use organic when we can get it.
Is the food GMO free?
Yes, Steve's formulates each diet to use ingredients that they can constantly get that are GMO free.