Do Primal and Steve's Real Food both use HPP?

Primal documents HPP (high-pressure processing) pathogen kill-step validation on every raw product, including a public-facing HPP-validation white paper. Steve’s Real Food uses HPP on its frozen-raw products and test-and-release protocols across all products, but with less public-facing white-paper documentation at the same emphasis level. Both brands manage pathogen risk through validated industry-standard approaches; Primal’s documentation is more publicly explicit.

Why does Steve's Real Food include raw goat's milk?

Raw goat’s milk is a uniquely valuable whole-food supplement. Goat’s milk fat globules are roughly one-third the size of cow’s milk fat globules and lack the agglutinin protein, making goat’s milk significantly easier for many dogs to digest than cow’s milk. The raw (unpasteurized) form retains naturally-occurring lipase, amylase, and lactase enzymes that pasteurization denatures. Raw goat’s milk also carries naturally-occurring lactobacilli and bifidobacteria probiotic cultures at densities synthetic supplements can’t match. Steve’s is one of the only freeze-dried raw brands at scale to use raw goat’s milk as a primary supplement ingredient.

Primal vs Steve's Real Food: Which Is Better for Your Dog?

Q: Is Primal or Steve's Real Food better for dogs?

Both score A/90 on the v15 rubric — tied. Both are A-tier raw recipes from long-tenured independent brands. Primal Pronto Beef delivers frozen-raw format (raw-feeding reference standard), seven USDA-certified-organic produce ingredients, HPP-validated pathogen kill-step, and 25-year brand track record. Steve’s Real Food delivers freeze-dried format (no freezer required), raw goat’s milk at #9 (unique whole-food enzyme + probiotic delivery), eggshell membrane + supplemental taurine, and the shortest 18-ingredient panel in the category. Pick on format (frozen-raw Primal vs freeze-dried Steve’s), protein (beef Primal vs chicken Steve’s), and supplementation strategy (organic produce Primal vs goat’s milk Steve’s).

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The short answer: Tie at A/90. Both are A-tier raw recipes from long-tenured independent brands — but the format, protein anchor, and supplementation strategies differ. Primal Pronto Beef is frozen-raw with HPP-validated pathogen kill-step, seven USDA-certified-organic produce ingredients (squash, carrots, kale, apples, blueberries, cranberries, broccoli), and 25-year brand track record. Steve’s Real Food Chicken Nuggets is freeze-dried with raw goat’s milk at #9 (unique whole-food enzyme + probiotic delivery), eggshell membrane for joint cartilage support, and the shortest 18-ingredient panel in the freeze-dried raw A-tier.

The scores

Primal Pronto Beef Recipe Frozen Raw: A (90/100) — Beef with Ground Bone, Beef Liver, Organic Squash, Organic Carrots, Organic Kale.

Steve's Real Food Freeze-Dried Raw Chicken Nuggets: A (90/100) — Ground Chicken, Raw Ground Chicken Bone, Chicken Livers, Chicken Gizzards, Broccoli.

How the ingredients compare

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

Primal: Beef with Ground Bone, Beef Liver, Organic Squash, Organic Carrots, Organic Kale

Steve's Real Food: Ground Chicken, Raw Ground Chicken Bone, Chicken Livers, Chicken Gizzards, Broccoli

Both products earn effectively the same v15 score, but the ingredient lineups tell different stories about how they got there — that is where the actual pick decision lives.

Where Primal pulls ahead

Seven USDA-certified-organic produce ingredients: Primal Pronto Beef includes organic squash, organic carrots, organic kale, organic apples, organic blueberries, organic cranberries, and organic broccoli — seven USDA-certified-organic produce ingredients. Steve’s Real Food includes broccoli, carrots, romaine lettuce, and cantaloupe in the produce section but without explicit USDA-certified-organic status at the same coverage level. For owners specifically prioritizing certified-organic produce sourcing in raw feeding, Primal is the structurally aligned pick. Shop on Amazon →

Frozen-raw format (raw-feeding reference standard): Primal Pronto is frozen-raw — the meat and produce go from slaughterhouse to freezer to refrigerator thaw to bowl without intermediate dehydration, sublimation, or pressure-processing steps. For owners adequately freezer-equipped and willing to manage 24-48h thaw planning, frozen-raw is the most-raw raw approach. Freeze-drying (Steve’s format) preserves nutrition very well, but the sublimation process is an additional manufacturing step beyond pure frozen-raw.

HPP (high-pressure processing) validated + 25-year brand track record: Primal documents HPP validation on every raw product with a public-facing HPP-validation white paper. Primal Pet Foods has been in business since 2001 (25 years) with industry-leading sourcing transparency disclosures, broad veterinary recognition in the holistic-veterinary community, and well-established supply-chain reliability. Steve’s Real Food has been in business since 1998 (28 years — slightly longer brand history) but at smaller production scale.

Where Steve's Real Food holds its own

Raw goat’s milk at #9 (unique whole-food enzyme + probiotic delivery vehicle): Steve’s Real Food includes raw goat’s milk at position #9 — no other freeze-dried raw brand in the KibbleIQ catalog uses raw goat’s milk as a primary supplement. Goat’s milk fat globules are one-third the size of cow’s milk fat globules, the raw form retains lipase + amylase + lactase enzymes, and raw goat’s milk carries naturally-occurring lactobacilli + bifidobacteria probiotic cultures at densities synthetic supplements can’t match. For owners specifically interested in raw goat’s milk supplementation, Steve’s integrated approach delivers everything in one bag. Shop on Amazon →

Eggshell membrane + supplemental taurine + salmon oil: Steve’s includes eggshell membrane (naturally-occurring glycosaminoglycans for joint cartilage support), supplemental taurine (belt-and-suspenders over organ-meat-derived natural taurine, especially relevant for DCM-pathway support), and salmon oil for direct marine omega-3 (EPA + DHA). Primal Pronto Beef delivers marine omega-3 from fish oil in the supplement section but doesn’t carry eggshell membrane or supplemental taurine.

Freeze-dried format (no freezer required, faster prep): Steve’s is freeze-dried and shelf-stable, rehydrating in 1-2 minutes with warm water. No freezer space required; no 24-48h thaw planning. For travel, multi-dog households with limited freezer space, owners feeding multiple raw brands in rotation, or first-time raw-feeders, freeze-dried is meaningfully easier than frozen-raw. Primal Pronto requires freezer storage and refrigerator thaw planning.

The bottom line

Tied at A/90 on the v15 rubric — structurally similar A-tier raw recipes from long-tenured independent brands with different formats and supplementation strategies. Pick on the trade-off you weight more heavily. Primal Pronto Beef delivers frozen-raw format (raw-feeding reference standard), seven USDA-certified-organic produce ingredients, HPP-validated pathogen kill-step with public white-paper documentation, and 25-year brand track record. Steve’s Real Food delivers freeze-dried format (no freezer required), raw goat’s milk at #9 (unique whole-food enzyme + probiotic delivery), eggshell membrane + supplemental taurine + salmon oil supplementation, and the shortest 18-ingredient panel in the freeze-dried raw A-tier. For freezer-equipped beef preference, Primal. For freeze-dried chicken + goat’s milk preference, Steve’s.