Based on current guidance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Veterinary Medical Association, plus the peer-reviewed study behind the FDA testing. This is an editorial source check, not an independent veterinary review. Last checked September 2026.

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Is Raw Pet Food Safe? What the Testing Actually Shows

Raw pet food can carry Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes. FDA testing found substantially more pathogen-positive samples among raw foods than among the other categories it tested. Here is what that evidence shows, who is most at risk, and how to reduce exposure if you choose to feed raw.

Published by My Pet Calculator · Updated

The short answer

Raw pet food carries a measurably higher risk of bacterial contamination than cooked or dried pet food. That risk falls on two groups at once: the animal eating it, and the people in the household handling it.

  • FDA states that because raw pet food is more likely than processed food to contain harmful bacteria, “the single best thing you can do to prevent infection with these foodborne bacteria is to not feed your pet a raw diet.”
  • CDC does not recommend feeding raw pet food or raw treats to dogs and cats. AVMA discourages raw or undercooked animal-source protein.
  • Freezing and freeze-drying reduce bacteria. They do not reliably remove them.
  • Raw is not automatically more nutritious. Food-safety risk and nutritional quality are separate questions.
  • If you feed raw anyway, the handling rules are closer to raw chicken for humans than to scooping kibble.

This page explains risk and handling. It is not a diagnosis, and it cannot tell you whether a raw diet is nutritionally complete for your individual animal. That is a conversation for your veterinarian.

1. What FDA Testing Actually Found

The clearest like-for-like comparison comes from an FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine investigation that ran from 2010 to 2012 and tested more than 1,000 pet food samples across categories. Raw pet food stood well apart from everything else tested.

FDA testing for Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes, 2010–2012
Food type Samples tested Salmonella positive L. monocytogenes positive
Raw pet food19615 (7.7%)32 (16.3%)
Dry exotic pet food19000
Jerky-type treats19000
Semi-moist dog food12000
Semi-moist cat food12000
Dry dog food12000
Dry cat food1201 (0.8%)0

The FDA's own summary is blunt: compared to the other types tested, raw pet food was more likely to be contaminated with disease-causing bacteria. Note that the comparison groups were not uniformly clean — one of 120 dry cat food samples was positive for Salmonella — which makes the size of the gap more meaningful, not less.

An honest limitation: this testing ran from 2010 to 2012. It is the largest direct comparison the FDA has published, and it is the figure the agency still points owners to, but it is more than a decade old and it does not tell you the contamination rate of any product on a shelf today. Treat it as evidence that the raw category carries elevated risk, not as a current batch-level statistic.

2. Who Is Actually at Risk

Most coverage focuses on the pet. The public-health case rests as much on the people, because contaminated food is handled in a kitchen, stored in a family fridge, and eaten by an animal that then licks things.

People at higher risk

The CDC names four groups: children under five, adults aged 65 and over, people with weakened immune systems, and people who are pregnant. In a household containing any of them, the risk calculation is not the same as in a household of healthy adults.

Animals at higher risk

Puppies and kittens, and any animal that is immunosuppressed or already unwell, are less able to cope with a bacterial challenge. An animal can also shed Salmonella in its stool without ever looking ill.

The route people forget

The bowl, the scoop, the fridge shelf, the sink and your hands are all part of the chain. The FDA specifically advises against letting a pet lick your face or mouth after it has eaten raw food.

3. Why Freezing Is Not Sterilizing

This is the single most common misunderstanding, and it is worth stating plainly. The CDC's position is that freeze-drying, dehydrating and freezing raw animal protein only reduce the amount of germs present. They are not a kill step.

Proper cooking to an adequate internal temperature, or another validated pathogen-control process, is designed to substantially reduce or eliminate foodborne pathogens. Freezing alone is not such a control — it is storage. A frozen raw product that left the plant carrying Salmonella arrives in your kitchen still carrying it. The FDA makes the same point directly: refrigeration or freezing does not kill Salmonella.

What about high-pressure processing or irradiation?

Some manufacturers use high-energy beams (irradiation) or very high pressure (HPP) to kill germs without heat. The CDC acknowledges both, but says it does not currently have enough information about how well pet food facilities are applying these processes, and therefore still classifies such products as raw pet food. Treat an HPP label as a claim to ask about, not as the equivalent of cooking.

4. Is Raw Pet Food Healthier?

This is the question that usually sits behind the safety one, and it deserves a straight answer rather than a dodge.

The CDC's position is that raw is not necessarily healthier. Both raw and cooked pet food can be made with high-quality or low-quality ingredients, either can be nutritionally adequate or inadequate, and digestibility varies with how the food is prepared.

So food safety and nutritional quality are two separate questions. A raw diet can be complete and balanced, or it can be badly formulated. The same is true of a cooked one. What the evidence does not support is the idea that choosing raw removes the microbiological risk described above, or that it guarantees better nutrition.

If raw food is your pet's main diet rather than a topper or treat, check whether the product is labeled complete and balanced, and discuss it with your veterinarian or a veterinary nutritionist. That is the CDC's own recommendation, and it is the part of this decision a website cannot make for you.

5. What FDA, CDC and AVMA Say

There is unusually little disagreement between the major bodies on this question, whatever the marketing says.

  • AVMA: discourages feeding any raw or undercooked animal-sourced protein to dogs and cats because of the risk to human and animal health, and supports diets processed by methods that reduce or eliminate pathogens.
  • CDC: does not recommend feeding raw pet food or treats to dogs and cats.
  • FDA: states that because raw pet food is more likely than processed pet food to contain harmful bacteria, “the single best thing you can do to prevent infection with these foodborne bacteria is to not feed your pet a raw diet.” It also publishes harm-reduction guidance for owners who feed raw anyway.

These positions concern microbiological safety. They do not mean every raw product is contaminated, or that every pet fed raw will get ill. They mean the route of exposure carries a recognized and largely preventable hazard.

6. If You Feed Raw: Safer Handling, Step by Step

If you feed raw, handle it the way a food-safety inspector would want raw chicken handled in your kitchen. These steps come from FDA and CDC guidance.

  1. Wash your hands before and after. Soap and warm water, at least 20 seconds. Before matters as much as after.
  2. Thaw in the refrigerator or the microwave only. Never on the counter, never in the sink.
  3. Do not rinse raw meat. Rinsing sprays bacteria around the sink and worktop rather than removing it.
  4. Store it sealed and separate. A closed container, in the freezer or fridge, kept away from human food. Keep the refrigerator at 40 °F (4 °C) or below.
  5. Disinfect every surface and utensil it touched. The FDA gives a working bleach solution of one tablespoon per quart of water.
  6. Wash bowls and scoops after every single meal, with soap and hot water. Never use the pet's bowl as a measuring scoop.
  7. Throw away anything left at room temperature. Do not top up a bowl that has been sitting out.
  8. No face or mouth licking after a raw meal, particularly around anyone in the higher-risk groups above.

None of this makes contaminated food safe to eat. It reduces the chance that a contaminated batch becomes a household infection.

7. Signs of Illness After a Suspect Food

In your pet

Lethargy, diarrhea, fever and vomiting are the signs regulators tell owners to watch for after eating a suspect product. Contact a veterinarian, and say what the animal ate and when. Remember that an animal can carry and shed Salmonella while appearing perfectly well.

8. What to Do When a Recall Is Announced

Raw and cooked pet foods are both recalled, for many different reasons. Notices are issued by product, package size, lot code and best-by date rather than by brand alone, so the first job is always to read the actual notice and check the packaging in your freezer rather than the name on the bag.

  1. Stop feeding the product immediately.
  2. Check the lot code and best-by date against the notice. Other lots of the same product are usually unaffected.
  3. Seal it and bin it in a covered container, so no other animal can reach it.
  4. Disinfect the fridge or freezer shelf, the bowl, the scoop and anything else it touched.
  5. Watch both the animal and the people who handled it for the signs above.
  6. Report a problem to the FDA at 1-888-INFO-FDA, or through its online reporting portal.

Switching food abruptly can cause digestive upset of its own, which is a separate problem worth handling properly: see our guide to changing your dog's food during a recall, and our write-up of what to do when a recall affects your dog.

Work out the right amount to feed

If you are changing diet after a recall, portion size changes with it. These tools estimate daily amounts by species:

See all pet food calculators

9. Frequently Asked Questions

Is raw pet food safe?

It is legal to sell and buy, but it carries a higher measured risk of bacterial contamination than dry, semi-moist or jerky products, and both the CDC and the AVMA advise against feeding it. Whether that risk is acceptable depends heavily on who else lives in your household.

Does freezing raw pet food kill Salmonella?

No. According to the CDC, freezing, freeze-drying and dehydrating only reduce the number of germs present. Proper cooking or another validated pathogen-control process can substantially reduce or eliminate them.

Can raw pet food make people ill?

Yes, through handling rather than eating. Bacteria transfer from packaging, bowls, surfaces and hands. Children under five, adults over 65, pregnant people and anyone immunocompromised are at higher risk.

My pet ate a recalled food and seems fine. Do I need a vet?

Not automatically, but stop feeding the product and watch for lethargy, diarrhea, fever or vomiting. Be aware that an animal can shed bacteria in its stool while appearing healthy, so hygiene still matters even if nothing looks wrong.

Is raw pet food healthier than cooked food?

Not necessarily. The CDC states that raw and cooked foods can both be made with high-quality or low-quality ingredients, and either can be nutritionally adequate or inadequate. Nutritional quality depends on the formulation of the whole diet, not on whether the ingredients were cooked.

Is freeze-dried raw food safer than fresh raw food?

Freeze-drying changes storage and handling, but the CDC still classifies freeze-dried uncooked animal protein as raw pet food. It can reduce microorganisms; it should not be assumed to remove them.

Is high-pressure processed raw food safe?

High-pressure processing and irradiation can reduce microorganisms without heat, and the AVMA supports validated processes that reduce or eliminate pathogens. But the CDC says it does not yet have enough information about how well pet food facilities apply these methods, and still treats such products as raw pet food. Ask the manufacturer what the pathogen-control step is and how the finished product is verified.

How should I store raw pet food?

Sealed, in the freezer or refrigerator, physically separate from human food, with the refrigerator at 40 °F (4 °C) or below. Thaw in the refrigerator, never on the counter.