About dehydration:
Dehydration or drying, is one of the oldest and gentlest methods of food preservation. Food dehydration works by removing only the water content from the ingredients. All other nutrients remain, and become highly concentrated. Dried foods are extremely nutritious, easy to prepare and store, and light weight to ship.
Because dehydration takes place at moderate temperatures, the ingredients are still considered raw. The only exceptions are the meat and egg ingredients, which are dehydrated at high enough temperatures to kill any bacteria present and are therefore essentially considered 'cooked'. This is becuase they must be human-edible grade, to enter our manufacturing facility.
The removal of moisture prevents enzymatic activity, which can lead to browning and decomposition of foods, and also prevents the growth of bacteria, yeast and molds. Dehydration does not actually destroy or kill the food enzymes, as occurs in baking and freezing or high pressure processing such as extrusion. Enzyme activity in dehydrated foods is simply suspended, until the food is rehydrated.
A remarkable example of the way dehydration preserves without destroying, is in Africa, where scientists have discovered live fish being hatched from fish eggs, that have been dehydrated in the sun, during droughts that sometimes last for years. When the rains fall, the lakes and rivers refill with water to rehydrate the eggs - and live fish emerge. The eggs are actually preserved and remain viable throughout the natural dehydration that takes place.
Force, Verve & Embark are three wholesome foods for dogs, produced using gentle dehydration, a unique new approach to canine nutrition. These foods help you create delicious, nutritious, colorful meals made with real, recognizable ingredients, that are ready to prepare and serve at home.
Verve, Force & Embark offer many of the benefits of a biologically appropriate raw pet food diet, combined with the convenience and peace of mind of a nutritionally balanced, ready-blended product.
Dehydration also eliminates the safety concerns often associated with the storage and transportation of raw frozen diets, and there are none of the intrinsic astronomical shipping charges.
Our foods are not canned or extruded. They are blends of minimally processed ingredients, unharmed by the force, pressure and heat of conventional petfood processing.
Our products are widely trusted, because each whole food ingredient is actually visible in the blend, not pulverized beyond recognition, so you know just what it is you're serving up - what you see is what you get.
The issue of whether dogs should eat grains is a contentious one. At The Honest Kitchen, we believe the diet fed should be the one that best suits the individual animal. If a dog can tolerate grains, it is OK to include them. Some dogs really need grains in their diets to maintain a healthy bodyweight, skin & coat. If not, we suggest a grain free pet food alternative such as Force or Embark.
None of our diets contain any wheat, corn, soy, rice, or beet pulp which are common allergens for dogs.
