Globally, the pet food industry has never been larger and more profitable. Because of this, cat owners in 2023 are faced with choosing between an ever-expanding selection of diets for their feline friends. To help you out, we’ve written this in-depth comparison of two family-owned cat food brands that may appeal to a similar group of kitty owners. Keep reading for our thoughts and analysis of Open Farm vs. Fromm cat food.
A Sneak Peek at the Winner: Fromm Cat Food
We picked Fromm cat food as our winning brand based on its availability and appeal to a wider range of cat owners. Overall, Fromm is also the more affordable option. Two recipes we especially like from Fromm are:
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Product
Details
Fromm Adult Gold Cat Food
Made with whole grains and a blend of proteins
Includes nutrients to support digestive, immune, coat, and joint health
Open Farm cat food is produced by Open Farm, which is a small, family-owned company based in Canada. Recipes are developed in Canada and manufactured at a Minnesota facility. The company was founded in 2014.
Open Farm produces traditional dry and wet food in several protein choices. They also produce freeze-dried raw diets, along with broth and other food toppers. While they offer a dry diet formulated for kittens, there are no other specialized diet options, such as senior formulations or light foods.
Where Is Open Farm Cat Food Sold?
Open Farm is available for purchase online, with the option for one-time purchases or auto shipment on a schedule of your choice. It can also be purchased at specialty pet stores in various locations, with more available all the time. The Open Farm website provides a handy store locator but recommends you call the retailers first to ensure they have stock available.
Open Farm is known for its focus on the transparency and traceability of its ingredients. On the website, you can find sourcing information for every ingredient in its foods. They prioritize using local ingredients from humane farms, which is why their pet food plant is located in Minnesota, in the heart of the farm country. The company is also committed to sustainability and maintaining a low carbon footprint.
Pros
Multiple high-protein dry and wet food recipes are available
Made by a small, family-owned company
Uses high-quality, traceable ingredients
Transparent about ingredient sourcing
Sustainability and humane treatment of animals are a priority
Cons
Not widely available in retail stores
No senior or light foods are available
About Fromm Cat Food
Who Makes Fromm Cat Food?
Fromm cat food is made by Fromm Family Foods, a Wisconsin-based, family-owned, and operated company. It’s manufactured at three company-owned plants located in Wisconsin. Fromm has been producing pet food since 1949.
Fromm produces dry and wet cat food, as well as treats. They produce adult, senior, kitten, and weight control recipes. Whole-grain and grain-free formulas are both available.
Where Is Fromm Cat Food Sold?
Fromm products, including cat food, are sold in specialty pet stores across the United States and Canada. They’re also available from limited retailers in Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the Czech Republic. Fromm Cat Food can also be purchased from various online retail partners. Fromm continues to expand the availability of their products in local pet stores.
Fromm Cat Food is known for its tight quality control and food safety procedures. All products are manufactured at company-owned plants, allowing Fromm to oversee and monitor all areas of the manufacturing process. They conduct safety testing on ingredients and 3rd party testing of finished products. They’re also known for prioritizing the quality of pet food over producing large quantities at a time. Small batches of food are produced by well-trained employees, with consistent quality as the goal.
Pros
Multiple recipes are available, including senior, kitten, and weight control diets
Quality control is a company priority
Produced in company-owned plants
Grain-free and whole-grain diets are available
Available in specialty pet stores or online
Cons
Less transparency about ingredient sourcing
Only available from small pet stores or online, no big store chains
*Use code EXCITEDCATS20 and save on your first auto-ship order.
Homestead Turkey and Chicken Dry Cat Food is a high-protein, calorie-dense offering from Open Farm. It’s made with turkey, chicken, and a blend of fish meal proteins, and it also contains fruits, vegetables, and coconut oil for added nutritional benefit. It also features prebiotic fiber for digestive health. All ingredient sources are documented on Open Farm’s website, and the meat comes from humane-certified farms. Because it contains chicken and fish, common allergen triggers, this diet is not the best pick for cats with food sensitivities. It is only available in 4 or 8-pound bags, with no bulk option.
Pros
High protein diet
Contains prebiotic fiber
Humane-certified, easily traceable ingredients
Cons
Not a good option for cats with food sensitivities
*Use code EXCITEDCATS20 and save on your first auto-ship order.
Harvest Chicken Rustic Blend wet cat food features humanely raised chicken blended with bone broth and vegetables to make a smooth, high-protein mixture. Serve this food by itself or mixed into dry kibble. Harvest Chicken Rustic Blend contains fatty acids and is free from artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives. Like all Open Farm diets, you can confirm the source of all ingredients in this food on its website. This wet food is only available in 5.5 oz cartons and a case of 12, so it’s not the most cost-effective if you’re using it as the primary diet.
*Use code EXCITEDCATS20 and save on your first auto-ship order.
Open Farm’s Grain-Free Kitten Food is made with a blend of poultry and fish sources, forming a diet with increased fat and protein levels to support growing cats. The ingredients are all sustainably sourced from humane farms, with no GMOs, hormones, or antibiotics. This kitten diet contains added nutrients like prebiotics, fiber, Vitamin A, and taurine. Kittens are less likely to suffer from food allergies, but you should be aware that chicken and fish are two of the most common allergy triggers in cats.
Pros
Increased protein and fat levels to support healthy growth
No ingredients with GMOs, hormones, or antibiotics
Contains added fiber, prebiotics, taurine, and Vitamin A
Cons
Not the best choice for kittens with early food sensitivities
Fromm Adult Gold Cat Food is a chicken-based diet formulated to meet the needs of healthy adult kitties. It contains whole grains, probiotics, antioxidants, and fatty acids for coat health. You’ll also find collagen for joint health. Fromm Adult Gold contains 32% protein and 18% fat. It’s available in 4-pound and 10-pound bags. Cats with potential food allergies may not do well with this diet. It also includes cheese as one of the ingredients, and some cats don’t tolerate dairy products well.
Pros
Made with whole grains and a blend of proteins
Includes nutrients to support digestive, immune, coat, and joint health
Available in a larger, 10-pound bag
Cons
Not the best choice for cats with food sensitivities
Some cats don’t tolerate dairy products (cheese) well
This canned diet is formulated for all life stages from kitten to senior. It’s made with turkey and sweet potatoes with plenty of moisture from broth, and it provides protein and moisture to keep your kitty well-hydrated. Fromm Shredded Turkey in Gravy contains 9% protein and only 1.5% fat. With only 99 calories per can, you’ll likely need to feed quite a bit to meet your cat’s daily calorie needs, which could get expensive. This food may work better as a supplement to a more nutrient-dense dry diet. Cats that prefer a pate-style canned diet may not like the texture of this food.
Fromm Kitten Gold Dry Food contains multiple protein sources—chicken, duck, and salmon meal—and is formulated for kittens, pregnant felines, and nursing cats. It contains 34% protein and 20% fat. Compared to other kitten diets (including Open Farm,) Fromm Kitten Gold has a lower protein content. This recipe contains fatty acids to support proper brain development in kittens. You’ll also find probiotics and antioxidants for digestive and immune support. Cats with food sensitivities may not do well with this diet because it contains chicken and fish. This food is available in 4 or 10-pound bags.
Pros
Formulated for kittens or pregnant and nursing cats
Contains fatty acids, antioxidants, and probiotics
Not a good choice for cats with food sensitivities
Recall History of Open Farm and Fromm Pet Food
Fromm Cat Food has never been recalled, based on our research. However, the company has issued two separate recalls for canned dog food, once in 2016 and again in 2021. Both recalls were due to abnormally high levels of Vitamin D in the food. In each case, the problem was discovered based on in-house testing.
Open Farm has not announced recalls on any products as of the time of this writing.
Image Credit: Patrik Slezak, Shutterstock
Open Farm vs. Fromm Comparison
Taste
Based on user reviews, most cats seem to enjoy the taste of Open Farm and Fromm products overall. Of course, cats being cats, there are always some who will be the exception to this rule. We’ll give Open Farm the edge on taste here because more user reviews mentioned it being one of the only foods their picky cats will eat consistently.
Nutritional Value
Both Fromm and Open Farm cat food products are formulated to meet the standards set by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), as all commercial pet diets sold in the United States must. This means they meet the same basic nutrition standards. Neither company performs feeding trials or nutritional studies on their cat food, based on the information we uncovered during our research.
Based on the available information we have, we’ll give Open Farm the edge on nutritional value because they are more transparent about where they get their ingredients, giving more confidence that they provide the intended nutritional value. They also state on their website that their diets are formulated by an animal nutritionist.
Image Credit: Lita Keire, Shutterstock
Price
Some of Fromm’s higher-end diets are comparable in price to Open Farm, but overall they get the edge on price. Fromm cat food offers more options that are lower in price than Open Farm, in both canned and dry formulas. They also offer dry food in larger bags than Open Farm, which is more cost-effective, especially for multi-cat households.
Selection
Again, Fromm wins this category hands-down. They simply offer more products, more recipes, and more specialized formulas than Open Farm. Grain-inclusive, grain-free, standard and gourmet recipes, weight control diets, plus multiple protein choices can all be purchased from Fromm. They also produce cat treats, which Open Farm does not currently.
In the world of pet food, Open Farm is still relatively new, having been founded in 2014. Fromm Family Foods, on the other hand, has been making pet food since the mid-20th century. We expect Open Farm will continue to expand its product selection over time, but for now, Fromm gets the edge here.
Image Credit: Pixel-Shot, Shutterstock
Overall
Overall, we chose Fromm Cat Food as our winner. While we like the transparency Open Farm brings to its ingredient sourcing and appreciate its commitment to sustainability, we felt that Fromm offered the most appeal and value to a broader range of cat owners. It’s more widely available for sale both online and in retail stores, is more cost-effective, and offers a wider range of products. While they don’t make it as easy to find out where all their ingredients come from as Open Farm, Fromm does value strict quality control and produces food out of company-owned plants.
Conclusion
Fromm Cat Food wins our head-to-head comparison of kitty diets based on its broader range of products, bag sizes, and availability. We feel that this company’s products appeal to a wider selection of cat owners than Open Farm. However, Open Farm is the superior choice for the consumer who is willing to spend a little more to support a company with values that match their own. Open Farm’s commitment to sustainability, use of humanely raised meat, and transparency in ingredient sourcing make their food a perfect match for many cat owners.
Elizabeth Gray is a lifelong lover of all creatures great and small. She got her first cat at 5 years old and at 14, she started working for her local veterinarian. Elizabeth spent more than 20 years working as a veterinary nurse before stepping away to become a stay-at-home parent to her daughter. Now, she is excited to share her hard-earned knowledge (literally–she has scars) with our readers. Elizabeth lives in Iowa with her family, including her two fur kids, Linnard, a husky mix and Algernon, the worldÊ»s most patient cat. When not writing, she enjoys reading, watching all sports but especially soccer, and spending time outdoors with her family.
