As a dog owner, you know the importance of feeding your dog a healthy, balanced, and nutritional diet. But with so many different brands and options out there, it can be hard to know what to choose. We’ve put together this comparison of three popular brands: Nom Nom, Ollie, and Farmer’s Dog food. We’ll look at recipes, ingredient quality, ordering and pricing, and customer reviews in order to help you decide which is best for your beloved pet.
In This Article
About The Farmer’s Dog
Founded by a dog owner, Farmer’s Dog food set out to be a top choice for pet owners interested in serving their dog’s high-quality ingredients without fillers, preservatives, and artificial dyes. Many customers report increased energy, digestive health, and coat health in their dogs following the start of a Farmer’s Dog food diet. Offering 4 different recipes, Farmer’s Dog will customize a meal plan for your pup based on numerous factors, including weight, breed, health, and more. With an automated subscription, they can ship your food to your doorstep wherever you are, making them an easy and convenient choice.
About Nom Nom
Nom Nom dog food is another brand that offers a variety of high-quality dog food. Nom Nom Dog Food was founded by Nate Phillips, a pet lover who wanted to provide his dogs with the best nutrition. This passion for pets is evident in the human-grade ingredients and quality dog food they offer. Like Farmer’s Dog, Nom Nom’s recipes are formulated by board-certified veterinary nutritionists and meet the high standards of the AAFCO. There are 4 recipes in total: Beef Mash, Chicken Cuisine, Pork Potluck, and Turkey Fare. Nom Nom also operates on a traditional subscription plan and allows customers to pause, resume, and cancel their subscriptions from their websites.
About Ollie
Founded by Alex Douzet, Gabby Slome, and Randy Jimenez, Ollie set out to disrupt the premium dog food space by offering high-quality, human-grade dog food free from preservatives and fillers. A love for dogs fuels their mission. They believe in dog health, happiness, and longevity. Ollie is now a nationally recognized pet wellness brand offering a variety of food dog food. In line with the other brands in this comparison, Ollie features a personally customized meal plan for your pet, 4 recipes to choose from, and an automated subscription. Their recipes are also specially formulated by board-certified veterinary nutritionists.
The Farmer’s Dog vs. NomNomNow vs. Ollie: At A Glance
| The Farmer’s Dog | Nom Nom | Ollie | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Starts at $2/day | Starts at $3/day | Starts at $2/day |
| Shipping | Free | Free | Free |
| Recipe Options | Turkey, Beef, Pork, Chicken | Beef Mash, Chicken Cuisine, Pork Potluck, Turkey Fare | Fresh Beef, Fresh Chicken, Fresh Turkey, Fresh Lamb |
| Ingredient Quality | Human-grade ingredients from food suppliers that meet USDA standards. | Human-grade ingredients from US farms. | Human-grade ingredients |
| Free From | Preservatives Fillers Feed-grade ingredients |
Preservatives Fillers “Meal” protein Byproducts |
Preservatives Fillers Artificial Flavors |
| Personalized Diet Plans Based On | Breed Sex Weight Age Reproductive Status Fitness Activity level Current diet Current health issues |
Breed Sex Weight Age Fitness Current health issues |
Age Breed Weight Reproductive Status Activity Allergies and Food Sensitivities |
| Accreditations | Formulated by Board Certified Veterinary Nutritionists | Formulated by Board Certified Veterinary Nutritionists | Formulated by Board Certified Veterinary Nutritionists |
| Packaging | Single-Use Recyclable Plastic Bag & Single-Use Fridge Carton | Single-Use Recyclable Plastic Bag | Single-Use Meal Packs |
| Storage | Refrigerated | Frozen/Refrigerated | Frozen/Refrigerated |
| Meals for Cats | None | Chicken Cuisine | None |
| Treat Options | None | Beef Jerky Chicken Jerky |
None |
How do Farmer’s Dog, Nom Nom, and Ollie Compare?
Recipes
Currently, all three companies offer 4 total recipe options to choose from. Each brand will calculate your dog’s needs differently. This means you may end up with only 2 out of 4 possible recipes in your dog’s plan.
None of the companies offer specially formulated allergen-friendly or dietary recipes. However, Ollie does ask about allergies and food sensitivities in their onboarding survey, which may affect which recipes are recommended for your pet.
The Winner
Nom Nom and Ollie tie for this category because they are slightly more transparent with their ingredients. If you’re interested in reviewing recipe options or ingredients, you can easily find that information online. However, Farmer’s Dog requires you to submit personal information and take the survey for your dog before accessing available choices and ingredients.
Ingredient Quality
Farmer’s Dog, Nom Nom, and Ollie have specially formulated recipes. Their recipes are created by certified veterinary nutritionist according to the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). Ingredients are all human-grade, which means the ingredients are good enough for humans to consume. Each brand is also free of preservatives and fillers.
The Winner
Ingredient quality for all brands is evenly matched, so this category is a 3-way tie. If ingredient quality is your top priority, we recommend checking out the complete ingredient lists for each recipe. We also recommend checking with your vet or veterinary nutritionist for their recommendation.
Ordering and Pricing
The ordering process is straightforward for Farmer’s Dog, Nom Nom, and Ollie. Each brand offers easy cancellation as well. You can also pause and resume subscriptions from your account for all three brands.
The cost of shipping is included in the quote of your meal plan for each brand. However, pricing varies for each brand. Farmer’s Dog and Nom Nom only offer fresh dog food. Farmer’s Dog begins at $2 per day, and Nom Nom starts at $3 per day. Ollie can begin at $2 per day, but this is the rate for baked (dry) dog food. The fresh dog food will start at around $3 per day and average at about $4 per day.
The Winner
The winner of this category is Farmer’s Dog. Farmer’s dog has the lowest starting rate of all three brands without any noticeable trade-off for the lower price point. The second place winner is Nom Nom, strictly because of the $3 per day cost for fresh food, followed by Ollie’s $4 per day rate for fresh dog food.
Packaging and Storage
Farmer’s Dog food comes packaged in a single-use plastic package. It is not individually portioned, so customers will have to squeeze or portion each meal accordingly. However, each shipment ships with a container for storage in the refrigerator.
Both Nom Nom and Ollie ship their dog food in individually portioned plastic bags. However, while Nom Nom’s plastic is recyclable, Ollie’s is not.
The Winner
The winner of this category is Nom Nom. We believe customers will appreciate the ease of individually portioned meal packs combined with the recyclability of the packaging. Second is Ollie, despite the inability to recycle the plastic packaging. Farmer’s Dog ranks last because we found many customers are less than happy with having to self-portion the dog food by manually squeezing the packaging. We’ve also seen complaints about the included container for storage in the refrigerator.
Customer Reviews
The Farmer’s Dog Reviews
The positive. Overall, customers have an excellent experience with Farmer’s Dog. Many customers report significant improvements in the health, energy level, and overall well-being of their pets.
“For years, I struggled to find a food that would give my dog zero issues as he has a very sensitive stomach. I tried several high-quality brands of kibble and freeze-dried foods. Eventually, he had to be put on prescription food and although it worked, I wanted to know he was being fed natural ingredients. I took the quiz on the website and haven’t gone back since. Since Farmer’s Dog, he has had little to no issues and absolutely loves breakfast and dinner time. Truly has been a game changer.” – Marina, Thing Testing, 6/1/22
The negative. While there are countless positive reviews for Farmer’s Dog, not everyone has the perfect experience. Of the complaints, we could find, most customers mentioned shipping, delivery, and packaging as their main pain points.
“I am on my fifth delivery of melted food. I live in Arizona and have discussed extra dry ice each time food shows up melted. I am at my wit’s end. This will be the final batch if they can’t get it to me safely to feed my dog. For the price I am paying,a little more attention to detail would be nice. I am out of food again and have no choice but to give my dog kibble.” – Robert, Trust Pilot, 7/29/22
Nom Nom Reviews
The positive. Many customers are very happy with Nom Nom’s fresh dog food. Customers report that their dogs are excited to eat and boast about a long relationship with the company. Other customers report about improved health and energy in their pets.
“Where to start! This food has been a literal life saver for my 9-year-old Siberian Husky Charlie. The food looks and smells amazing and his health has done a full 180 since starting a month and a half ago.
He sheds way less, he poops way less, his constant water drinking has stopped and he has lost a good amount of weight. He’s more lively, he gobbles down his food at mealtime vs leaving it to sit all day with dry dog food.
Charlie was in liver failure mode prior to starting him on this food. Since then he has gone back to normal levels and is truly a different, much happier pet. Don’t hesitate to get this food, it will add years of happy living to your pet’s life.
Also if considering this against another option like Farmers Pet, get Nom Nom. I tried both and the quality with Nom Nom is hands down better. “ – Jessica, Trust Pilot, 3/22/21
The negative. Like with all pet food brands, not every customer has a positive experience. Many customers leaving negative reviews report a change in the quality of the food over recent years, increased prices, and challenges with food temps during delivery.
“My dogs really do love the food unfortunately the quality has dropped. I just canceled my subscription. I’m getting packages that are labeled 110G, when I weigh them they are anywhere from 70 to 124G. I have no idea if I’m actually getting what I’m paying for and if the company cannot fill a package correctly, I don’t want to trust them with my dog’s diet.” – Jodi, Trust Pilot, 6/25/22
Ollie Reviews
The positive. A majority of customer feedback is overwhelmingly positive. Many customers report lifelong satisfaction with the food, outstanding customer service, and improved energy levels in their pets.
“I have been hearing about fresh food for a while now and was skeptical about it. Luca (16 weeks, Rottie) has a sensitive stomach. I tried stuff like dewormers and pumpkin powder, but nothing seemed to help. He wasn’t eating properly either. I switched to Ollie two weeks ago, and boy, the magic happened. Luca is cleaning the bowl, no more stomach issues, and seem much more energetic.” – GG, Trust Pilot, 9/8/22
The negative. Of the negative reviews we looked at, most customers complained about automatic charges following free trials. While there are a few complaints about pets not enjoying the food, they were sparse.
“Really unhappy with how they handle their subscription process after receiving a trial box. I was charged $285 without any kind of heads-up email, nor do I remember approving an auto-subscription after reviving my first box. Their customer service has been unwilling to help cancel the shipment even on the same day it was shipped. Speaks volumes to how their business mode is set up. I would have never ordered $300 of dog food at one-time yet here we are.” – Marcus, Trust Pilot, 11/11/2021
Which is better?
If we’re forced to make a decision, we pick Nom Nom. Nom Nom was the/a winner in the recipe, ingredient quality, packaging, and storage categories, which is more than Farmer’s Dog and Ollie.
However, we feel confident in recommending all three fresh dog food choices we’ve explored today. While each of the three brands offers similar features overall, there are subtle differences in what each company has to offer. Ultimately, it’s a close race, and you’ll have to decide which dog food is the best for your pet and your home.
Also, check out some of our other dog food and nutrition based resources for your pup:
- How to Add More Fiber to Your Dog’s Diet
- How Long Does it Take for a Dog To Digest Food?
- The Farmer’s Dog vs. Nom Nom Now vs. Ollie’s Dog Food Reviews
- The Best High Fiber Dog Food
- Best Foods for Dogs with Allergies
- The Best Small Breed Puppy Foods
- The Best Dog Food for Dobermans
- The Best Automatic Dog Feeders
- The Farmer’s Dog Food Review
Pet News Daily writers are experts in pet care, health and behavior. We are members of Society for Professional Journalists and practice ethical journalism.
