What is G.A.P. (Global Animal Partnership) certification and what does it mean for dog food?

G.A.P. (Global Animal Partnership) is the third-party humane-welfare-certification framework developed by Whole Foods Market and used as the welfare standard for its meat supply. The G.A.P. tier system runs from Step 1 (no cages, no crates, no crowding) through Step 5+ (animal-centered, entire-life on the same farm). G.A.P. Step 2 (the minimum for Open Farm Rustic Stew chicken supply) requires: no antibiotic use, no hormone use, enriched-environment housing with documented space and enrichment standards, and third-party annual audits of the entire supply chain. The certification is rare in dog food because pet-food supply chains often source from conventional commodity-meat suppliers without parallel humane-welfare audits. Open Farm is one of the few national-retail-distributed dog food brands carrying G.A.P. certification across its meat supply. For owners specifically prioritizing humane-sourced animal-welfare-certified protein supply in their dog’s food, Open Farm is structurally aligned.

Can I feed wet stews or fresh refrigerated food as the only diet, or do I need kibble too?

You can feed either as the only diet provided the formula is AAFCO-substantiated complete-and-balanced for the dog’s life stage (puppy growth, adult maintenance, all life stages). Both Open Farm Rustic Stew and Freshpet Select are formulated to AAFCO complete-and-balanced standards for their substantiated life stages (Open Farm Rustic Stew for all life stages; Freshpet Select for adult maintenance). The trade-offs of all-wet or all-fresh feeding vs kibble-only or mixed feeding: (1) cost per calorie is typically 2-4× higher than dry kibble for both wet stews and refrigerated fresh; (2) dental hygiene benefits of dry kibble’s mechanical scrubbing action are reduced (offset with dental chews, brushing, or dental water additive); (3) dogs on all-wet or all-fresh diets typically need more frequent waste pickup due to higher moisture intake; (4) feeding-portion volume per meal is larger because moisture-content is higher. For owners wanting to incorporate the benefits of wet or fresh formats without all-wet cost, many vets recommend a 25-50% wet-or-fresh + 50-75% high-quality-kibble mixed-feeding approach — using Open Farm Rustic Stew or Freshpet as a topper on a base kibble.

Open Farm Rustic Stew vs Freshpet: Which Is Better for Your Dog?

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The short answer: Open Farm Rustic Stew wins by 12 points on the v15 rubric (A/90 vs B/78). Both are wet / fresh-format alternatives to dry kibble with high-meat / low-ingredient-count formulations, but the supply-chain quality tier and processing methodology differ. Open Farm Harvest Chicken Rustic Stew is a kettle-cooked canned wet stew with humanely-raised G.A.P.-certified chicken in chicken bone broth, plus pumpkin + carrots + spinach — complete-and-balanced AAFCO substantiation, ships shelf-stable in cans. Freshpet Select Fresh From the Kitchen Home Cooked Chicken is a refrigerated fresh chicken roll with chicken + eggs + cranberries + carrots + ground oats — 10 real ingredients, ships in refrigerated rolls / chubs / bagged form, must be kept cold and used within 7 days of opening. Pick on humane-sourcing certification depth + shelf-stable canned format (Open Farm) vs widely-distributed refrigerated convenience + lower per-serving cost (Freshpet).

The scores

Open Farm Rustic Stew Harvest Chicken Rustic Stew Wet: A (90/100) — Humanely Raised Chicken, Chicken Bone Broth, Pumpkin, Carrots, Spinach.

Freshpet Select Fresh From the Kitchen Home Cooked Chicken Recipe: B (78/100) — Chicken, Eggs, Cranberries, Carrots, Ground Oats.

How the ingredients compare

The top-five ingredients reveal the formulation split between these two products:

Open Farm Rustic Stew: Humanely Raised Chicken, Chicken Bone Broth, Pumpkin, Carrots, Spinach

Freshpet: Chicken, Eggs, Cranberries, Carrots, Ground Oats

The 12-point gap (Open Farm Rustic Stew wins by 12 points) shows where the v15 rubric weights ingredient breadth, protein density, and supplement depth differently.

Where Open Farm Rustic Stew pulls ahead

G.A.P. (Global Animal Partnership) humane-sourcing certification on chicken supply: Open Farm’s chicken is certified at the Global Animal Partnership (G.A.P.) Step 2 minimum welfare standard — the same humane-sourcing framework used by Whole Foods Market for its meat supply. G.A.P. Step 2 minimums prohibit antibiotic use, prohibit hormone use, require enriched-environment housing (with documented space and enrichment standards), and require third-party annual audits of the supply chain. Freshpet uses conventional supply-chain chicken without explicit G.A.P. or equivalent humane-welfare certification. For owners specifically prioritizing humane-sourced animal-welfare-certified protein supply in their dog’s food (the dietary equivalent of preferring G.A.P.-certified meat in their own diet), Open Farm Rustic Stew is structurally aligned. Open Farm is one of the few national-retail-distributed dog food brands carrying G.A.P. certification. Shop on Amazon →

Kettle-cooked wet stew format preserves whole-ingredient structural visibility + shelf-stable canned distribution: Open Farm Rustic Stew is kettle-cooked rather than retort-pressure-cooked (the standard high-temperature high-pressure canned-food cooking method). Kettle-cooking uses lower temperatures and longer cook times, preserving more visible whole-ingredient structure (you can see actual chunks of chicken, pumpkin, carrots, spinach in the can rather than a homogenized pate texture). The shelf-stable canned format ships and stores easily without refrigeration (until opened, then 3-4 day refrigerator life). Freshpet ships in refrigerated rolls / chubs / bagged form — requires cold-chain throughout retail distribution, refrigerated storage at home, and use within 7 days of opening. For owners specifically wanting shelf-stable storage and the visible-whole-ingredient structural format, Open Farm Rustic Stew is structurally aligned.

Topper-or-standalone format flexibility + complete-and-balanced AAFCO for all life stages: Open Farm Rustic Stew is AAFCO-substantiated as complete-and-balanced for all life stages including growth (large breed puppy substantiation), so it can be fed as a standalone meal, as a mixer / topper on kibble (the common use-case), or as a transition food for switching diets. Freshpet Select Fresh From the Kitchen is AAFCO-substantiated for adult maintenance — not for growth or large-breed-puppy life stages. For multi-dog households with mixed life stages, growing puppies, or breeding/lactating bitches, Open Farm Rustic Stew’s all-life-stages substantiation is the structural fit; Freshpet’s adult-maintenance-only substantiation is more limited.

Where Freshpet holds its own

Refrigerated fresh format + minimal-ingredient (10-ingredient) simplicity + visible meat texture: Freshpet Select Fresh From the Kitchen Home Cooked Chicken uses only 10 real recognizable ingredients: chicken, eggs, cranberries, carrots, ground oats, plus a short vitamin/mineral supplementation panel. The refrigerated fresh format (chubs and rolls in the refrigerated-pet-food section, never kibble-style processed) gives a meal-prep feel that many owners find more intuitive than canned wet food or dry kibble. The visible meat texture is closer to human-food-style chicken than the smaller chunks in canned wet stews. For owners specifically wanting the minimum-ingredient-count + refrigerated-fresh-format aesthetic and the convenience of pulling a roll from the refrigerator, slicing servings, and serving immediately, Freshpet is structurally aligned. Shop on Amazon →

Broadest retail distribution in the refrigerated pet food category + lowest per-serving cost in the category: Freshpet is the most-widely-distributed refrigerated pet food brand in the US, stocked in dedicated refrigerated cases at most major grocery chains (Kroger, Publix, Whole Foods, Safeway, Walmart, Target), pet specialty (PetSmart, Petco, Chewy, Tractor Supply), and many independent pet stores. The brand pioneered the refrigerated dog food retail category and has the deepest national distribution. Per-serving cost is meaningfully lower than Open Farm Rustic Stew or most other premium fresh / DTC alternatives (typically 30-50% less per pound of fed product). For households wanting the refrigerated-fresh format at the most accessible price point and broadest possible availability, Freshpet is structurally aligned.

Single-ingredient-source named protein + no broth-base water-content inflation: Freshpet Select Home Cooked Chicken is structured as a single-named-protein recipe with chicken as the sole animal protein source — useful for owners wanting single-protein commitment for elimination-diet or food-sensitivity testing. The formula is moisture-balanced through the natural water content of the fresh chicken + eggs + vegetables rather than added broth (Open Farm Rustic Stew uses chicken bone broth as the #2 ingredient, which adds nutritional contribution via collagen but also increases the moisture-to-meat ratio relative to the can-weight). For owners specifically wanting the densest possible meat-per-serving ratio without broth-base moisture, Freshpet’s no-broth structure is the structural pick.

The bottom line

Open Farm Rustic Stew wins by 12 points (A/90 vs B/78) — meaningful gap driven by humane-sourcing certification + AAFCO life-stage substantiation depth. Pick Open Farm Harvest Chicken Rustic Stew for G.A.P. (Global Animal Partnership) humane-sourcing certification on the chicken supply (one of the few national-retail dog foods carrying this), kettle-cooked visible-whole-ingredient structural format, shelf-stable canned distribution that doesn’t require refrigerated storage until opened, and AAFCO all-life-stages substantiation including large-breed puppy growth. Pick Freshpet Select Fresh From the Kitchen for the refrigerated-fresh-format aesthetic with 10 real recognizable ingredients, broadest retail distribution in the refrigerated pet food category with the lowest per-serving cost in the category, and single-named-protein chicken-only structure for elimination-diet feeding. The 12-point gap reflects humane-sourcing certification + AAFCO life-stage depth specifically.