The Raw Materials

We carefully select the raw materials we use to provide the optimum nutritional intake and biological value for the well-being of pets. At Farmina, our Vet Life and Natural & Delicious nutritional systems use only the best selection of raw materials. The result is a high-quality pet food that meets all of the nutritional needs of cats and dogs. 

PROTEINS

The fish, chicken, lamb, wild boar, and eggs used in our products come only from certified farms that we carefully selected for their high-quality standards. We only use meat from the animal, never any meals or by-products. All of our protein sources consume GMO-free diets and are raised without antibiotics and hormones.  

Free-Range Italian Chicken - A high biological value protein source that helps our product have a 95% digestibility rate. 

New Zealand Lamb - This meat has a high biological value due to its naturally occuring essential fatty acids, linoleic acid, and also has a healthy ratio of lean to fat mass when compared to other red meats. Our grass-fed lamb is born and raised in New Zealand without the use of antibiotics or hormones. 

Wild Italian Boar from Tuscany and Umbria-  Though it is not a commonly used ingredient in cat and dog food, we purposefully selected it because of its high biological value.

Wild-Caught Cod and Herring from the North Sea -  The result is a higher quality fish

Like our chicken, all of the eggs we use are sourced in Italy. We transport the eggs fresh to our shelling plants that transform the eggs into powder through the process of dehydration. This process guarantees the preservation of nutrients. 

Fats

Fats represent an important energy source as well as a source of essential fatty acids for carnivores. Fats are also used to help increase the palatability of our food.

Two of the fat sources used in our food are chicken fat because it provides a higher value of polyunsaturated fatty acids than bovine or swine and is also highly palatable for animals and fish oil because it is rich in omega-3 fatty acids particularly EPA and DHA to help support the immune system. We also use vegetable oil and linseed oil because they are rich in linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid for both cats and dogs. 

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates act as a source of readily available energy for cats and dogs. We use only GMO-Free spelt, oats, potato, and rice as our carbohydrate sources. Unlike many pet food manufacturers, we do not use corn in our products. We use ancestral cereals such as spelt and oats because they guarantee a better modulation of energy availability throughout the day. In foods and diets that require it, we sometimes will use potato and rice because they can provide a rapid energy boost. 

Using our innovative technology and accurate controls over the raw ingredients we use, we can guarantee excellent digestibility of our food. 

Fiber plays a significant role in regulating the transportation of food through the intestinal tract and the absorption of nutrients. We use beet pulp, pea fiber, pure cellulose, dehydrated alfalfa, and psyllium seed husk as fiber sources in our food.  These sources of fiber help to provide healthy digestion.

Some ingredients we use also have prebiotics such as fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and mannan-oligosaccharides (MOS). Prebiotic fibers help support a healthy digestive tract.

We pay particular attention to the fiber mix used in each formula by always taking into account the physiological and/or pathological condition of the animal. We also take the particular features of a species or breeds that are most predispose to certain pathologic conditions into account.

Vitamins

Vitamins are essential for a proper nutritional diet as they drive biochemical reactions in the body. All Farmina products contain a complete and balanced vitamin supplementation according to the physiological and developmental stage of the animal including the specific diet formulas we have developed to ensure the smooth operation of all vital functions. Vitamin supplementation prevents vitamin deficiencies that in some cases present specific and obvious symptoms and in others more subtle symptoms and a general weakening of the pet. 

Thanks to our post-extrusion process that protects vitamins from thermal stress and grants high bioavailability, our foods contain long lasting vitamins (Long Lasting Vitamin System).

MINERALS
Maximum care and attention went into our inclusion of macro and oligo-elements. We specifically balanced the minerals according to species, age, and the needs of your pet. 

FUNCTIONAL COMPOUNDS

Some of the function compounds we use are glucosamine, extracted from crustaceans, and chondroitin sulfate, derived from cartilaginous fish. These compounds are useful in promoting healthy joints. We also use marigold and lutein as sources of natural antioxidants. 

Several of the ingredients used in various combinations in our Natural & Delicious and Vet Life diets include:

  • Apple
  • Pomegranate
  • Blueberries
  • Orange 
  • Spinach
  • Carrot 
  • Rosemary 
  • Aloe vera
  • Turmeric
  • Green tea

We developed a valuable mix of elements that are beneficial to the health of our four-legged family members.