{"id":35701,"date":"2024-09-10T08:50:20","date_gmt":"2024-09-09T23:50:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/first-reach.org\/?p=35701"},"modified":"2026-03-26T11:31:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T04:31:10","slug":"oem-for-freeze-dried-dog-food-in-new-zealand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/first-reach.org\/en\/contents\/oem-for-freeze-dried-dog-food-in-new-zealand\/","title":{"rendered":"OEM Manufacturing of New Zealand Freeze-Dried Dog Food"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Freeze-dried dog food is an attractive product because of its high nutritional value and the reassuring level of quality it offers. In particular, products made in New Zealand have become highly popular in the pet food industry due to their premium ingredients and strict manufacturing standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, we will explain the basics of freeze-dried food, New Zealand\u2019s OEM manufacturing environment, and its competitive advantages over OEM production in other countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For companies aiming to commercialize their own brand products, developing New Zealand-made freeze-dried dog food through OEM manufacturing is an important opportunity to expand business potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is Freeze-Drying?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The origins of freeze-drying can be traced back to the ancient Inca Empire. It is said that indigenous people in the Andes developed a preservation method for making chu\u00f1o, using the region\u2019s extreme temperature differences between day and night. By repeatedly freezing potatoes, squeezing out moisture, and sun-drying them, they created a technique that allowed potatoes to be preserved for long periods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later, during World War II, freeze-drying technology was also used to preserve blood plasma and penicillin. As for commercial freeze-dried foods, production is often said to have begun with instant coffee introduced by Nescaf\u00e9 in 1938.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Modern Freeze-Drying Technology<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Freeze-dried food is made by freezing ingredients below their freezing point (or eutectic point) in a freeze dryer, then removing the moisture through sublimation while keeping the product in its frozen state. In other words, rather than simply drying the food, the process involves freezing it first and then drying it under vacuum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To explain in a little more detail, the ingredients are first frozen so that the moisture turns into ice (solid). Then, by reducing the pressure with a vacuum system, the ice can be converted directly into water vapor (gas) at a very low temperature, without passing through the liquid stage. This process is called sublimation. The water vapor generated during sublimation is captured by a cold trap, where it condenses, freezes, and adheres to the inner wall of the machine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because this freeze-drying process removes moisture from the ingredients, the finished product contains very little water. Guaranteed analysis typically shows moisture levels of around 5\u201310%, whereas frozen raw meat contains more than 70% moisture. However, most of the nutrients in the ingredients are retained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related article<\/div>
Freeze-Drying Manufacturing and Design Guide for Pet Food Developers<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Why Freeze-Dried Food Is So Nutritious<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Here, we explain why freeze-dried food is considered more nutritious than most other types of food, except frozen food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Ingredients\u2019 Natural Nutrients Are Preserved<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Freeze-drying does not denature nutrients in the same way conventional cooking does. Just as you cannot turn a cooked omelet back into a raw egg, ingredients used in dry dog food cannot be restored to their original state once they have been processed. With typical cooking methods, proteins and other nutrients are altered, and some of the ingredients\u2019 original nutritional value is lost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By contrast, freeze-dried food preserves proteins, amino acids, and many other nutrients in a form very close to raw food. Other important components such as enzymes, fats, and probiotics are also largely retained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One nutrient that can decrease during freeze-drying is vitamin C. However, this is generally not a major concern, because dogs and cats are able to synthesize vitamin C on their own. Therefore, it is not something they necessarily need to obtain in large amounts from their regular diet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Natural Food Without Additives<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Manufacturers that produce and sell freeze-dried food tend to set themselves apart from dog food manufacturers that use low-nutrient ingredients such as starches to cut costs. To provide safe and nutrient-rich recipes, they mainly use natural foods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, studies have shown that pasture-raised livestock, which do not need artificial hormones, grain-based feed, or other synthetic additives, can produce beef containing 30\u201340% more conjugated linoleic acid (CLA)\u2014a compound associated with anti-cancer effects and weight management\u2014than beef from cattle fed primarily on grain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Free-range chicken has also been shown to contain less fat and fewer calories, while eggs from such systems may contain less fat, more vitamin A, and higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Freeze-dried food is expensive and certainly not cheap, but because it is typically made with high-quality natural ingredients, it results in a highly nutritious product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Advantages of Freeze-Dried Food<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Freeze-dried dog food offers not only excellent nutritional value, but many other benefits as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Highly Palatable and Texture Can Be Adjusted<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The freeze-drying process preserves much of the natural nutrients and flavor compounds originally present in the ingredients. Because almost all moisture is removed, the food can be fed as-is, allowing dogs to enjoy the concentrated flavor of the ingredients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, the unique crisp texture of freeze-dried food can enhance palatability. On the other hand, adding water softens the texture, allowing owners to adjust it to suit their dog\u2019s preferences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Long Shelf Life<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Freeze-dried food preserves not only nutritional value and palatability, but can also be stored for at least one year. Some products can even last up to around five years. This is because freeze-dried foods contain very little of the moisture that microorganisms need in order to survive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, once opened and exposed to air, most products are generally recommended to be consumed within 1\u20133 months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Excellent Digestibility<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Freeze-dried food has also been reported to offer excellent protein digestibility. With high-quality ingredients and minimal heat processing, it can be gentler on the stomach and easier to absorb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result, dogs that eat freeze-dried dog food may produce lower levels of ammonia and other harmful substances in their stool from undigested protein, and may also experience fewer digestive issues such as diarrhea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Convenience Through Light Weight<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Compared with raw meat, which requires refrigeration or freezing, freeze-dried food offers convenience similar to dry dog food. For example, if you are traveling with your dog, freeze-dried food is extremely easy to carry because the moisture has been removed and it is very lightweight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is also no need to pack a large cooler in the car to prevent frozen food from thawing and spoiling during transport. Because it is so light, dogs can even carry their own food in a backpack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The One Major Drawback of Freeze-Drying<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If there is one major downside to freeze-dried food, it is the manufacturing cost. Freeze-dried products sold in stores are noticeably more expensive than kibble and many other types of pet food. Why are they so expensive?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One reason is the use of premium ingredients, but the freeze-drying process itself is also costly. This is largely because production takes a very long time. A single batch of freeze-dried food takes about two days to produce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If production time is shortened, some moisture may remain in the food, which would compromise important freeze-dried benefits such as light weight and long shelf life. On the other hand, because freeze-dried food tends to be high in protein and fat, the daily feeding amount can be lower than that of regular dry dog food, as shown below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a 5 kg Dog<\/th>New Zealand Freeze-Dried Food<\/th>Canadian Dog Food<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Feeding Amount<\/td>40 g<\/td>90 g<\/td><\/tr>
Retail Price<\/td>\u00a521,414 \/ 1.8 kg<\/td>\u00a58,800 \/ 2.0 kg<\/td><\/tr>
Daily Feeding Cost<\/td>Approx. \u00a5476<\/td>Approx. \u00a5396<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>
Please treat this as reference information based on our own research.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Even so, daily feeding costs still tend to be higher than those of ordinary dog food. However, considering the many benefits of freeze-dried dog food discussed above, it may not be as expensive as it first appears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Safety of Freeze-Dried Food<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One important point in manufacturing freeze-dried food is that, as with raw food, high-quality ingredients must be used. If that is the case, there should be little concern about harmful bacteria being present in freeze-dried dog food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dogs and cats are generally more resistant to bacteria than humans. As carnivores, their stomach acid has a pH of around 1\u20132, which is highly acidic, so most bacteria that would make humans sick do not affect dogs and cats in the same way. For example, a dog that eats leftovers found on the ground during a walk does not necessarily become ill. In the wild, they may even consume carcasses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, many manufacturers still use High Pressure Processing (HPP) for freeze-dried foods. HPP became more widely used after the U.S. Food Safety Modernization Act began to apply to pet food as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result, many pet food manufacturers have been forced into costly and unnecessary recalls. For this reason, most manufacturers now use HPP, so it is fair to say that concerns about bacterial contamination are minimal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the name suggests, High Pressure Processing is a sterilization method that eliminates pathogens by applying very high pressure to food. However, it is not considered conventional food processing, and studies suggest that it causes only minimal nutrient loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Difference Between Freeze-Dried and Air-Dried Food<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The biggest difference is that freeze-dried food retains nutritional value much closer to raw food. In the case of air-dried food, heat is applied, so some nutritional value is inevitably lost. Freeze-dried food may sound similar to dried food, but this is a clear point of distinction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Air-drying is generally a technique used to remove moisture from ingredients. However, heat is used in the process. Some manufacturers claim that air-dried food is not cooked, but in reality it is cooked at low temperatures. As a result, the structure of the food changes, and some of its original nutrients are lost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most companies do not disclose the exact temperature used in air-dried food production, but foods marketed as air-dried are generally processed at around 60\u201380\u00b0C. Therefore, air-dried food is clearly different from raw or freeze-dried food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, one advantage of air-dried food is that, because heat is used, the risk of bacterial contamination is lower than with raw or freeze-dried food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related article<\/div>
A Guide to OEM Manufacturing of New Zealand Air-Dried Dog Food<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Key Points and Precautions When Manufacturing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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When producing freeze-dried dog food, care must be taken to preserve nutritional value comparable to raw food. Otherwise, the advantage of using freeze-drying is significantly reduced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It Must Provide Complete Nutrition<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to develop freeze-dried food as a complete and balanced diet, make sure the product can be manufactured in compliance with AAFCO or FEDIAF standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is important because many freeze-dried foods are developed and manufactured as toppers rather than complete diets. To avoid misunderstandings, it is essential to maintain close communication with the manufacturer in advance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Careful Selection of Ingredients<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To produce high-quality freeze-dried food, consider the following types of ingredients:<\/p>\n\n\n\n