Studies Show That The Farmer’s Dog Is Highly Palatable

In this article:

• What is palatability?
• Is The Farmer’s Dog clinically shown to be highly palatable?
• Does The Farmer’s Dog regularly test new recipes for palatability?

What seems obvious to some is news to others, so we’ll say it for the record: It’s important that your dog likes their food. Not only does tasty food improve their quality of life, it ensures they are getting the nourishment they need to thrive. Dogs can’t benefit from a meal’s full nutritional value if they don’t eat enough of it.

What is palatability?

There’s a scientific name for how tasty a food is: palatability. Pet-food companies think about palatability a lot. And, though it may sound like it would be too subjective to measure, there are clinical studies designed to determine which foods dogs find most appealing. 

Palatability studies are used because dogs can’t tell us, “I much prefer this food to that food.” 

One common method for determining which food a dog likes better is the two-bowl preference study (a.k.a. the versus test). It works like this: at mealtime, two bowls are set before a participating dog, one containing food A and and the other containing food B. The dog is then allowed to eat as they please. This is repeated multiple times over a number of days, and the bowls’ positions are switched each day to ensure that where they are placed doesn’t impact the dog’s choice. Humans record the dog’s preference, as determined by which food they choose to eat first and how much of each food they eat.

The Farmer’s Dog is clinically shown to be highly palatable 

In our commitment to the health and wellness of dogs, The Farmer’s Dog sponsored one such study. 50 dogs participated, and were twice given a choice between one of our fresh recipes and kibble. Our fresh diet was the first choice for 95 out of the 100 meals served.

A dog shows a “clear preference” in a versus study when they consume twice as much of one recipe as the other—and we vastly exceeded this benchmark. In our study, dogs chose The Farmer’s Dog over a leading kibble brand 86.4 percent of the time.

Since our foods are highly palatable, we don’t have to add palatants—ingredients designed to make food smell and taste more appealing. You’ll often find palatants listed on ingredient lists as “natural flavors.” And the science-backed benefits of The Farmer’s Dog don’t stop at its proven palatability. Our food is always formulated by on-staff, board-certified nutritionists to be 100% complete and balanced so that your dog will get all of the nutrition they need to thrive; it’s clinically proven to be highly digestible, meaning that dogs actually absorb the nourishment it’s designed to provide; and it’s pre-portioned for easier weight management, which is key because healthy-weight dogs can live up to 2.5 years longer than those who are obese.

The Farmer’s Dog regularly tests new recipes for palatability

We don’t just compare our food to kibble. Whenever we work on a new recipe, we run studies to make sure it’s as tasty as what we already make—or tastier. The goal is to design a gently cooked recipe that dogs will love—so that they can enjoy the full impact of its nutritional benefits and have the best chance at a long, healthy life.