HPP Dog Food: How High-Pressure Processing Keeps We Feed Raw Safe

The discussion surrounding raw dog food inevitably leads to a single critical question: safety. For many pet parents, the biggest barrier to switching their dog to a raw diet is the fear of pathogenic bacteria like Salmonella or E. coli. Choosing a premium HPP dog food is the definitive answer to that concern.

At We Feed Raw, we believe you should never have to compromise your dog's health for peace of mind. We have embraced scientifically validated safety technology to ensure our raw diet is free from harmful bacteria, allowing us to confidently state that raw food is better for dogs than any processed alternative.

This comprehensive guide dives into why bacteria in dog food is a serious concern for all diets, explains how high-pressure processing (HPP) works to eliminate pathogens, and demonstrates why our HPP dog food is the safest choice you can make for your beloved companion.

The Unseen Threat: Why Bacteria in Dog Food Is a Major Concern

Concerns about bacteria and pathogens are often directed solely at raw diets, yet the presence of harmful microorganisms is a risk inherent in the entire pet food industry. Understanding this risk is the first step toward choosing the safest diet for your dog.

Pathogens Are Not Just a Raw Food Problem

While raw meat is the most common vector for bacteria, studies and recalls show that pathogens are not exclusive to raw diets. Highly processed, extruded kibble has been the subject of numerous massive recalls due to contamination with Salmonella.

This happens because the ingredients themselves—which can include rendered meats and other raw materials—may harbor bacteria before being processed. While the high heat of extrusion is designed to kill pathogens, improper handling, contamination after cooking, or insufficient processing time can allow bacteria to survive or be reintroduced.

Furthermore, even if the food is sterile, cross-contamination in the pet owner's kitchen is a risk for any food, whether you are preparing raw chicken for your family or serving a raw-coated kibble to your dog.

The Specific Dangers of Salmonella and Listeria

Certain pathogens pose a significant health threat to both dogs and the humans who handle their food:

Salmonella

This bacteria is the most common cause of foodborne illness linked to pet food recalls. In dogs, Salmonella can cause severe vomiting, bloody diarrhea, and lethargy.

A dog can also become an asymptomatic carrier, shedding the bacteria in its feces and saliva, posing a risk to vulnerable household members (children, the elderly, or the immunocompromised).

Listeria Monocytogenes

Listeria is particularly dangerous because it can survive and thrive at refrigeration temperatures, meaning the risk does not disappear when frozen food is thawed. While dogs may be resistant to Listeria, the primary concern is the serious risk of infection to humans who handle the contaminated food.

When you purchase a raw diet, you must ensure the brand has a validated, effective method for controlling these bacteria, as freezing alone is insufficient.

The Limitations of a Dog's Natural Defenses

Proponents of raw diets often argue that a dog's highly acidic stomach is strong enough to kill pathogens.

While a dog's stomach acid is certainly more potent than a human's, it is not an impenetrable shield. Factors like age, stress, underlying health conditions, and rapid dietary changes can all compromise a dog's natural defenses.

Relying solely on a dog's biology to handle every pathogen, especially resistant strains, is an unacceptable gamble for a premium pet food company. This is precisely why HPP dog food was developed: to provide absolute safety.

The Science of Safety: What Is High-Pressure Processing (HPP)?

HPP is the technological solution that makes raw food safe. It is a non-thermal pasteurization technology used across the human food industry for juices, deli meats, and baby food, and it is the gold standard for raw dog food safety.

HPP: Cold Pressure, Not Heat

Unlike traditional cooking, which relies on high temperatures (heat) to destroy bacteria, HPP uses ultra-high water pressure.

The food, already sealed in its final packaging, is subjected to immense hydrostatic pressure—up to 87,000 pounds per square inch (psi). This pressure is uniformly applied throughout the product.

The key benefit is that because this process does not rely on heat, the food's nutritional value, texture, and natural enzymes remain intact, preserving the raw integrity of the meal.

The Mechanism: How Pressure Inactivates Pathogens

The immense pressure applied during HPP physically disrupts the cellular structure of pathogenic bacteria, viruses, and molds. This pressure alters cell morphology, damaging cell membranes and rendering the pathogens inactive and unable to reproduce.

In essence, the bacteria are crushed by the pressure, not cooked by heat. This crucial step ensures the product is pathogen-free without degrading the valuable nutritional compounds provided by raw feeding.

Why HPP Is Superior to Other "Kill Steps"

High-pressure processing is scientifically superior to other methods used in the raw pet food market:

• •Freezing or drying inhibits pathogen growth but does not reliably kill dangerous bacteria like Salmonella and Listeria.

• •Cooking kills pathogens but also destroys valuable, heat-sensitive vitamins and digestive enzymes, reducing the food's bioavailability.

Vinicio Serment-Moreno, Ph.D., HPP applications and food processing specialist at Hiperbaric, said in an article for Pet Food Industry Magazine that "research analyzing the health benefits to dogs fed HPP diets found that HPP does not create changes in appearance, color, consistency, or smell; HPP raw diets notably increased protein and decreased cholesterol levels in blood."

In fact, studies show there is no effect on the food's naturally occurring enzymes of interest. Many critics of HPP cite studies that show foods with a hold time of 60 minutes or more. We Feed Raw uses a much shorter hold time of 240 seconds.

What About the Good Bacteria?

Critics sometimes claim that if HPP eliminates harmful bacteria, it must also destroy good bacteria. This is not the case. Various species of lactic acid bacteria, considered to be probiotics, prove resistant to the high pressure.

Species of lactic acid bacteria that survive HPP may serve as a natural approach to inhibit the growth of pathogenic spore-formers in meat products. Meats that have undergone HPP are still considered 100% raw because they are not exposed to high temperatures, which denature proteins.

Can HPP Improve Digestibility?

Preliminary studies actually show HPP improves the digestibility of food. A more digestible food means better nutrient absorption for your pet.

Many of our own We Feed Raw customers also report increased palatability when they switch their dogs to our HPP’d raw recipes.

We Feed Raw’s Commitment: HPP Dog Food Safety in Practice

Our dedication to safety means HPP is an integrated part of our production, ensuring we provide a superior HPP dog food that pet parents can trust implicitly.

Ensuring Quality From Sourcing to Seal

Our commitment to quality begins with the ingredients. We use only USDA human-grade meats, produced in a USDA-certified facility. This ensures that the raw materials themselves meet the highest standards.

We strictly adhere to industry-standard best practices and precautions, requiring all incoming ingredients to meet rigorous quality assurance specifications. This upfront sourcing excellence minimizes risk, and the HPP eliminates it.

The Perfect Safety Record: Zero Recalls

Thanks to our stringent quality control and the use of high-pressure processing on every single recipe (both frozen and freeze-dried), We Feed Raw has maintained a perfect, recall-free safety record since our founding.

This track record is our guarantee that our commitment to safety is effective and unwavering. When choosing a raw food brand, past safety performance is the clearest indicator of future reliability.

Nutritional Integrity: Raw Benefits, Pathogen-Free

The immense benefit of HPP is that it allows us to deliver a meal that is both raw and scientifically safe. The nutritional integrity of the food remains intact, meaning your dog receives:

• •Optimal protein for muscle maintenance

• •Natural enzymes that aid digestion

• •Moisture-rich food for better hydration

• •Pathogen-free confidence in every bowl

Beyond the Bowl: Safe Handling for Pet Parents

While our use of HPP makes our raw dog food exceptionally safe, responsible handling in the home is still necessary to maintain a clean environment, just as it is when handling raw meat for human cooking.

Kitchen Hygiene: Best Practices for Raw Food

Just like handling raw meat before you cook it for your family, you should take some precautions when handling your dog’s raw food:

• •Wash Hands Thoroughly: Always wash your hands with soap and water after handling any raw pet food product, regardless of the safety process used.

• •Sanitize Surfaces: Promptly clean and sanitize all dishes, utensils, and surfaces that come into contact with the raw food.

• •Thaw Safely: Always thaw frozen patties in the refrigerator, preferably in a sealed container, and never on the countertop.

Understanding the HPP Difference for Your Family

Because HPP has already eliminated the harmful pathogens in our food, the primary risk of cross-contamination in your kitchen is greatly reduced compared to serving unprocessed raw meat.

This provides critical peace of mind for households with small children, elderly family members, or those who are immunocompromised. Our commitment to HPP ensures a safe, nourishing diet for your dog and a healthier environment for your family.

Choose We Feed Raw: The Best HPP Dog Food

The choice is clear: the best HPP dog food offers a level of safety and assurance unmatched by conventional raw or processed diets. We eliminate the conflict between raw benefits and pathogen risk. Our commitment to high-pressure processing (HPP) ensures that every meal we provide is safe, nutritionally superior, and aligned with your dog's biological needs.

Don't settle for less than the gold standard in safety and nutrition. Choose the raw diet trusted by thousands of pet parents and backed by science.

Ready to provide your dog with the benefits of raw feeding, safely? Take our quiz now to get started on their personalized meal plan.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Does freeze-drying or freezing raw food achieve the same safety as HPP?

No, neither freezing nor freeze-drying achieves the same level of safety as high-pressure processing (HPP). Freezing only inhibits the growth of bacteria and viruses; it does not reliably kill them. Similarly, freeze-drying is a preservation step, not a food safety step.

HPP, however, is a validated kill step that uses intense cold-water pressure to physically inactivate harmful pathogens such as Salmonella and E. coli, ensuring a pathogen-free raw meal.

Is HPP safe for my dog’s digestion, or does it destroy beneficial bacteria?

HPP is entirely safe for your dog's digestion and does not destroy beneficial bacteria like heat does. The process maintains the food’s raw integrity and natural enzymes, which aid in digestion.

Furthermore, studies show that certain beneficial species of lactic acid bacteria (probiotics) are resistant to high pressure, meaning they can survive the process and potentially help inhibit pathogenic spore-formers.

How does HPP dog food compare to kibble in terms of bacteria risk?

HPP dog food has a verified, significantly lower risk of containing active pathogens than other food types. While pathogens exist in the raw ingredients of all foods, our HPP process eliminates them.

Kibble relies on high heat for sanitation, but recalls happen due to contamination after cooking or inadequate processing. HPP is a proven safety measure applied after packaging.

Does HPP change the nutritional value or taste of the raw meat?

No. Research confirms that HPP does not significantly change the nutritional value, taste, color, or smell of the raw meat. Because HPP uses pressure instead of heat, it avoids denaturing proteins or destroying heat-sensitive vitamins and enzymes.

This allows the food to retain the complete, natural benefits of a raw diet.

Why is HPP important for my family’s health, not just my dog’s?

HPP is important for your family’s health because it eliminates the risk of cross-contamination in your kitchen. Since the pathogens are inactivated before the food leaves our facility, you eliminate the risk of spreading harmful bacteria like Salmonella onto your countertops, utensils, or to high-risk family members when handling the food.