The scores
JustFoodForDogs: A (90/100) — Top-tier cooked-fresh. Ground beef and beef liver lead, algae-sourced omega-3s, AAFCO feeding-trial substantiation on the Beef & Russet Potato recipe.
The Farmer’s Dog: A (90/100) — Top-tier cooked-fresh. USDA human-grade beef, 8-ingredient food panel, sweet potato position-2 carb, formulation-only AAFCO.
These are two of the five A/90 products in our fresh-food database (the others being Ollie, Sundays, and Open Farm). A tied rubric score means this head-to-head is about philosophical priorities, not about one brand being nutritionally better.
How the ingredients compare
JustFoodForDogs (Beef & Russet Potato): Ground Beef, Russet Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans, Carrots, Sunflower Oil, Beef Liver, Green Peas, Apples, Omega Marine Microalgae Oil, then the JFFD Nutrient Blend
The Farmer’s Dog (Beef): Beef, Sweet Potato, Lentils, Carrot, Beef Liver, Kale, Sunflower Seeds, Salmon Oil, then the TFD Nutrient Blend
JFFD uses 10 food ingredients before the supplement tail (with russet potato at position 2, sweet potato at position 3, and green beans at position 4 — a carb-heavy opening). The Farmer’s Dog uses 8 food ingredients (with sweet potato at position 2, lentils at position 3 — one tuber, one legume). Both use algae- or fish-sourced omega-3 oils; JFFD specifically opts for algae-sourced DHA/EPA to avoid ocean-sourcing ethoxyquin concerns.
Where JustFoodForDogs pulls ahead
AAFCO feeding-trial substantiation: This is the single clearest differentiator. JFFD’s label states: "Feeding trials using AAFCO procedures substantiate that the JustFoodForDogs Beef & Russet Potato recipe provides complete and balanced nutrition for maintenance." That’s not formulation-only; actual dogs were fed this recipe under controlled protocols with blood work and body condition monitoring. The Farmer’s Dog uses formulation-only AAFCO (recipe formulated to meet published nutrient profiles rather than validated through feeding trials). Under our rubric, feeding-trial substantiation earns +5 points over formulation-only — but JFFD doesn’t reach 95 because other axes offset (carb stacking, pea position). Within the same A-grade band, feeding-trial rigor is genuinely meaningful evidence that the recipe supports healthy dogs in practice, not just on paper.
Open kitchens the public can tour: JFFD operates retail kitchens where customers can tour the production process. This kind of radical supply-chain transparency is nearly unique in the pet food category. Farmer’s Dog uses a human-grade production facility but doesn’t offer public tours.
Algae-sourced omega-3s: JFFD specifically uses Omega Marine Microalgae Oil as its DHA/EPA source instead of fish oil, avoiding the sustainability and ethoxyquin-contamination concerns associated with conventional fish oil supply chains. This is an unusually thoughtful formulation choice. Shop on Amazon →
Where The Farmer’s Dog holds its own
Shorter ingredient panel: 8 food ingredients vs. JFFD’s 10. Sweet potato is the position-2 carb rather than russet potato, which is a modestly lower-glycemic choice. Farmer’s Dog’s panel is closer to the "minimalist whole-food recipe" ideal that fresh-food purists look for.
Single-legume formulation: Lentils at position 3 is the only legume on the Farmer’s Dog beef recipe. JFFD has green peas at position 8 (a single legume as well), but the russet-plus-sweet-potato carb stacking at positions 2–3 is a broader carbohydrate footprint.
Subscription availability and delivery logistics: Farmer’s Dog operates the strongest direct-to-consumer subscription infrastructure in the category. JFFD mixes subscription with open-kitchen retail sales plus Petco distribution — a broader channel strategy but slightly less focused on subscription UX. Shop on Amazon →
The bottom line
Tied on rubric score at A/90 but with clearly different philosophical emphases. JustFoodForDogs wins if you value feeding-trial AAFCO substantiation as the strongest evidence of nutritional completeness — and you should value it, because it’s the pathway AAFCO itself considers gold-standard. The Farmer’s Dog wins if you value ingredient-panel brevity and a cleaner carb opening (sweet potato over russet) as the strongest evidence. Both are excellent choices; neither is wrong. If forced to pick one for a new subscription: JFFD gets the edge for its feeding-trial pathway unless you have strong recipe-variety preferences the Farmer’s Dog line fits better. Read the full reviews: JustFoodForDogs and The Farmer’s Dog.