The scores
Nulo FreeStyle Freeze-Dried Raw Chicken & Salmon Recipe Cat Food: B (78/100) — 98% animal content (chicken, salmon, chicken necks, liver, hearts), BC30 probiotic, all-life-stages AAFCO, pathogen-control protocols NOT publicly documented on nulo.com.
Stella & Chewy’s Chick Chick Chicken Freeze-Dried Raw Dinner Morsels Cat Food: A (90/100) — 98% chicken-plus-organs-plus-bone, four-strain probiotic, SecureByNature HPP documented, formulation-based AAFCO.
Both are freeze-dried raw, both are ~98% animal-content, both use shelf-stable pantry packaging. The 12-point grade difference is driven by the Fresh Food Rubric v1.0 §4.5 raw-format pathogen-control default (−3 deduction when pathogen control is not publicly documented).
How the ingredients compare
Nulo FreeStyle Freeze-Dried Raw Chicken & Salmon: Chicken, salmon, chicken necks, chicken liver, chicken hearts, ground flaxseed, spinach, salmon oil, cranberries, coconut oil, inulin, dried kelp, potassium chloride, salt, BC30 probiotic, taurine, proteinate-form trace minerals, full vitamin complex.
Stella & Chewy’s Chick Chick Chicken: Chicken with ground bone, chicken liver, chicken gizzard, pumpkin seed, potassium chloride, sodium phosphate, choline chloride, fenugreek seed, four probiotic fermentation products, taurine, mixed tocopherols, dandelion, dried kelp, proteinate-form trace minerals, full vitamin complex.
Both panels open with nose-to-tail animal content and stack organ meats in premium positions. The biggest measurable ingredient difference is protein source: Nulo combines chicken + salmon for a dual-protein profile with natural EPA/DHA from the salmon; Stella & Chewy’s is chicken-plus-organs-plus-bone single-protein. Nulo carries BC30 (single-strain Bacillus coagulans) probiotic; Stella & Chewy’s stacks four probiotic strains. Nulo substantiates AAFCO for all life stages (kittens and adults); Stella & Chewy’s substantiates for all life stages as well — both are appropriate for kittens.
Where Stella & Chewy’s pulls ahead
Documented HPP pathogen control. Stella & Chewy’s explicitly names SecureByNature HPP in their consumer-facing materials. High-pressure processing applies 87,000 psi of pressure to the finished raw product to inactivate pathogens (Salmonella, Listeria, E. coli) while preserving the raw nutritional profile. This is the single most important pathogen-control pathway for raw pet food, and documenting it publicly is a meaningful signal. Under the rubric, documented HPP earns +5 over undocumented raw; the net gap vs Nulo’s undocumented pathway is 8 points (3 point default deduction on Nulo + 5 point bonus on Stella & Chewy’s).
Four-strain probiotic stack. Stella & Chewy’s guarantees 50M CFU/oz minimum across four distinct bacterial strains (Bifidobacterium animalis, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus reuteri, Enterococcus faecium) preserved in the freeze-dried matrix. Nulo carries BC30 alone. Multi-strain probiotic panels deliver broader gut-microbiome diversity than single-strain panels.
Lower medically-vulnerable-household caution. CDC, AVMA, and AAFP guidance on raw pet food is more favorable for HPP-documented products than for products without documented pathogen control. Households with infants, immunocompromised adults, pregnant adults, or adults over 65 should still avoid raw food per general guidance, but the HPP documentation moves Stella & Chewy’s into a less-flagged category than undocumented raw. Shop on Amazon →
Where Nulo holds its own
Dual-protein chicken + salmon. For cats that respond well to omega-3-rich formulations (skin conditions, coat quality, inflammation-sensitive conditions), Nulo’s salmon-second positioning delivers natural EPA/DHA alongside muscle-and-organ chicken content. Stella & Chewy’s is chicken-only in this specific Chick Chick Chicken SKU.
All-life-stages formulation pathway for kittens. Both products substantiate for all life stages, so both work for kittens. Nulo’s emphasis on developmental nutrition (it’s a brand explicitly positioned around the "kitten and growing cat" market) is worth noting for households planning to feed across life stages.
BC30 viability in freeze-dried matrix. Bacillus coagulans spores are exceptionally shelf-stable — they survive freeze-drying, shelf storage, and (unlike some probiotic strains) stomach acid. For owners whose priority is probiotic delivery to the gut rather than breadth of strains, BC30 is a practical choice.
If internal pathogen controls are robust, the B grade may understate. Nulo may apply HPP, test-and-hold, or equivalent pathogen-control protocols internally without publishing the details. The rubric cannot credit controls it cannot verify. If Nulo publicly documents pathogen control in the future, this score would re-evaluate. Shop on Amazon →
The bottom line
Under the Fresh Food Rubric v1.0, Stella & Chewy’s Chick Chick Chicken Freeze-Dried Raw Cat (A/90) is the stronger freeze-dried raw primary diet because of documented HPP pathogen control. This is especially important for households with medically vulnerable members and for owners who want to know exactly what their cat food company is doing to mitigate raw-format pathogen risk. If you are comfortable with Nulo’s sourcing and packaging standards and you want a dual-protein chicken + salmon profile with BC30 probiotic support, Nulo FreeStyle Freeze-Dried Raw Chicken & Salmon (B/78) is still a strong freeze-dried raw choice. For documented-HPP raw, Stella & Chewy’s Chick Chick Chicken (A/90) is the A-tier option. For test-and-hold raw, Primal Freeze-Dried Cat (A/90) is the alternative pathway at the A-tier.
Compare Nulo & Stella & Chewy’s Freeze-Dried →