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Kate Barrington / Cats.com
The Halo Pets brand is specifically marketed toward younger generations, playing into the idea that pets are the best kids. But are Halo products worthy of the hype? Find out in this detailed review of Halo Pets cat food.
The Cats.com Standard—Rating Halo Cat Food on What Matters
We’ve rated the brand on six key criteria for quality. Here’s how it rates in each of these six crucial areas.
Ratings
- Species-Appropriateness – 8/10
- Ingredient Quality – 7/10
- Product Variety – 7/10
- Price – 7/10
- Customer Experience – 9/10
- Recall History – 8/10
Overall Score: 7.3/10
In total, we give Halo cat food a 46 out of 60 rating or a B grade.
Why Trust Cats.com
With my cats’ help, I’ve tested and evaluated dozens of cat food brands over the years (and hundreds of individual products). Halo is a brand I I hadn’t tried until I was preparing to write this review. To start, I performed in-depth research to learn how the brand has changed over time and to discover its current standing in the cat food industry.
After performing my background research, I ordered three Halo cat foods and set about analyzing the product information. As I evaluated the products on their nutritional merit, I made observations about the packaging and read reviews to gauge customer satisfaction with each one. Finally, I tested each of the products I ordered with my cat, Munchkin. Below you’ll find the details of her experience with the food and my objective analysis of the brand.
About Halo
Halo is a pet food brand owned and operated by Better Choice Company, Inc. The Halo brand was originally founded in 1986 by Andi Brown with help from entrepreneur Voyko Marx. Together, they developed and launched one of the first lines of “holistic” pet food products. Though there’s no legal definition of this term, it’s generally accepted in the pet food industry that it applies to products formulated to support whole-body health.
Spot’s Stew, named after Brown’s cat Spot, was the first product released under the Halo brand name. Brown describes it as “the first totally natural, human-grade pet food, made under the strictest guidelines of a USDA kitchen.” The Halo product line expanded over time to include an array of products for both dogs and cats.
In 2008, the Halo brand shot into the spotlight when American talk show host Ellen Degeneres became a co-owner after purchasing a 15% stake in the brand. The brand received some backlash a few years later when it released a vegan dog food formula. Both Degeneres and representatives of the brand have claimed the company has no plans to produce vegan cat food.
In 2019, Better Choice Company, Inc. purchased Halo, adding it to an existing collection of pet health and wellness brands including TruDog, Orapup, TruCat, and Rawgo. Formerly focused on direct-to-consumer pet food sales, the acquisition of Halo enabled Better Choice Company to break into the e-commerce market with Halo’s already-established foothold in national pet retail outlets, both in-store and online.
Three years later, in 2022, Halo launched a brand new marketing campaign targeting millennials and Gen Z. Timed to promote the launch of Halo’s new product line, Halo Elevate, the campaign speaks to “Pet Moms” and anyone who loves their pet like family. Scott Lerner, then the CEO of Better Choice Company, said the campaign was created “to empower consumers to be the best pet parents and that starts with providing the highest quality nutrition.”
Sourcing and Manufacturing
Halo is headquartered in Tampa, Florida, where it currently operates as a privately held company. All Halo products are manufactured by Alphia, a premium pet food manufacturer that operates in several U.S. states. The relationship between Halo and Alphia has been a contentious one.
In June 2023, Better Choice entered a long-term partnership with Alphia and secured a $5 million investment from the manufacturer. When Alphia was acquired by PAI Partners in August 2023, Better Choice alleges that PAI Partners became obligated to acquire all Halo assets. It appears that PAI Partners has yet to do so and Better Choice has filed suit against Alphia to force the closing of the acquisition, seeking $19 million in monetary damages.
Ownership of the brand isn’t the only thing about Halo that’s a little murky. The Halo website doesn’t appear to provide any detailed information on the manufacture of its products. According to the brand’s website and packaging, Halo offers full ingredient traceability but it’s not quite clear what that means.
Halo makes a point to say most of its ingredients are “sourced in the USA.” However, as Truth About Pet Food points out, sourcing isn’t quite the same as country of origin. For example, a manufacturer could purchase ingredients from a U.S. supplier that bought them from outside the U.S. Halo declined to answer questions digging into the specifics of such questions and other claims made on the website.
Recall History
In over 30 years of operation, Halo appears to have only had one product recall. In October 2015, Halo announced a voluntary recall of a limited run of Spot’s Stew Sensitive Cat Turkey Kibble due to reports of mold.
What Kinds of Cat Food Does Halo Offer?
Halo offers a variety of pet food products for both dogs and cats. While the dog food product list is quite extensive—inclusive of the Halo Elevate line and several plant-based recipes—Halo’s cat food selection is more limited. It includes about a little over a dozen nutritionally complete products plus a few freeze-dried raw treats.
The first ingredient in every Halo recipe is responsibly sourced, certified animal protein—either Animal Welfare Certified meat and poultry or Certified Sustainable Seafood. Halo also claims that the top 10 ingredients in any given formula make up at least 94% of the total recipe, suggesting a focus on whole-food ingredients.
Here’s a list of Halo’s current cat food product selection:
- Grain-Free Indoor Adult Chicken Stew Wet Cat Food
- Grain-Free Indoor Adult Turkey Stew Wet Cat Food
- Grain-Free Indoor Adult Salmon Stew Wet Cat Food
- Grain-Free Chicken Recipe Pâté Indoor Adult Wet Cat Food
- Grain-Free Turkey Recipe Pâté Indoor Adult Wet Cat Food
- Grain-Free Salmon Recipe Pâté Indoor Adult Wet Cat Food
- Grain-Free Chicken Recipe in Broth Soft Pâté Adult Wet Cat Food
- Holistic Sensitive Stomach Support Healthy Grains Wild-Caught Whitefish Recipe Adult Dry Food
- Holistic Healthy Grains Wild-Caught Salmon and Whitefish Recipe Adult Dry Food
- Holistic Healthy Grains Cage-Free Chicken Recipe Adult Dry Food
- Holistic Healthy Weight Support Grain-Free Chicken Recipe Indoor Dry Food
- Holistic Healthy Weight Support Grain-Free Wild-Caught Salmon and Whitefish Recipe Indoor Dry Food
- Holistic Grain-Free Wild-Caught Salmon and Whitefish Recipe Dry Kitten Food
- Holistic Grain-Free Cage-Free Chicken Recipe Dry Kitten Food
- Freeze-Dried Raw Chicken Cat Treats
- Freeze-Dried Raw Salmon Cat Treats
At the time of review, there were a few additional Halo wet food recipes available on Chewy and from other online retailers. The list above, however, is from the brand’s website. Halo may be phasing out some of the older formulations in favor of the products that were released to coincide with the new marketing campaign.
What Did Our Test Cats Think?
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Kate Barrington / Cats.com
To test Halo cat food, I ordered three cat food products—one canned kitten food, one indoor adult canned food, and one dry food. I placed my order through Chewy, so it arrived quickly, all in recyclable packaging.
I was a little surprised to find that one product (Turkey & Duck Recipe Pâté Grain-Free Indoor Canned Cat Food) arrived in the new purple packaging—not the white and gold label pictured on the Chewy product page. It also has an “adult cat” callout on the can but doesn’t say anything about the recipe being specifically for indoor cats. This recipe wasn’t on Halo’s website at the time of review, so I’m not sure if the recipe is being phased out and what was left was simply relabeled.
Though I was only able to test Halo products with one of my cats, Munchkin (Biscuit is allergic to poultry), she seemed to really enjoy it. She always prefers wet food over dry food, but the kibble seemed appealing enough that she ate a few mouthfuls before wandering away.
Halo Cat Food – Top 3 Recipes Reviewed
Product Name | Food Type | Main Protein | Calories Per Ounce | Price Per Ounce | Our Grade |
Chicken Recipe Pâté Grain-Free Kitten Wet Food | Wet | Chicken | 35 | $0.56 | A |
Turkey & Duck Recipe Pâté Grain-Free Indoor Cat Canned Food | Wet | Turkey | 35 | $0.41 | A |
Holistic Healthy Grains Wild-Caught Salmon and Whitefish Recipe Adult Dry Food | Dry | Salmon | 111 | $0.42 | C |
What Do Customers Think of Halo Cat Food?
For the most part, customers seem to like Halo brand cat food. It’s worth noting that the products have been reformulated and repackaged several times over the years, however, so the reviews currently available might not reflect the whole history of customer satisfaction.
On average, however, Halo cat food products sold on Chewy are rated at least 3.3 out of 5 stars—most 3.9 or higher. Halo does not have any ratings on major third-party review sites like Trustpilot or Consumer Affairs. Reviews on Halo’s website are sparse.
Positive Reviews
Satisfied customers seem pleased with the quality of ingredients in Halo cat food, as well as the low carbohydrate content of the wet food in particular. Some positive reviews mention picky eaters liking the food.
“My cat is 9 years old and very picky. She is to have kidney formula but won’t eat it. Similar ingredients, rather she eat this.. natural ingredients.”— by Valerie reviewing Halo Chicken Recipe Grain-Free Kitten Wet Food on Chewy.com, July 16, 2024
“Right from the start, my cat dug right in. He’s allergic to chicken and must have limited ingredient dry food, so Halo really fits his dietary requirements. He needs a small kibble as he has dental problems. Plus, the old boy is a pretty finicky eater. It is well priced for top of the line cat food and Chewy makes ordering easy with fast shipping.”— by Betty reviewing Halo Holistic Wild-Caught Salmon and Whitefish Adult Recipe Dry Cat Food on Chewy.com, October 3, 2024
Negative Reviews
Many negative reviews for Halo cat foods mention a formula change that seems to have put some cats that previously liked the food off it. The product with the most reviews on the Halo website also happens to be the one with the lowest rating—the freeze-dried raw chicken cat treats. This product is the best example of a big negative swing in customer satisfaction following a formula change.
“Like many other reviews, my cat used to come running when I shook the liv-a-little container but now won’t eat them. I didn’t realize the manufacturing process had changed but I did notice that the pieces had a different consistency. I’ve been purchasing this product for about 15 years but no more.”— by Mufassa reviewing Halo Freeze-Dried Chicken Cat Treats on HaloPets.com, September 2024
“It used to be good so I don’t know how to rate it. My kitty liked this for a long time. Late last year I had to add a topper to have her eat it. Then she won’t even with that. It’s too bad because with the low carbs it was good for her diabetic condition.”— by Sparky reviewing Halo Turkey & Duck Recipe Grain-Free Indoor Canned Cat Food on Chewy.com, March 24, 2024
How Much Does Halo Cat Food Cost?
Despite its marketing as a premium brand, Halo cat food is relatively economical. Halo dry food recipes average a per-ounce price under $0.45. The price range for wet foods is between $0.41 and $0.44 per ounce for adult recipes and $0.56 per ounce for kitten recipes.
In terms of cost, Halo cat food is similar to brands like Nulo and Wellness. The daily cost to feed a 10-pound cat Halo dry food would be about $0.75. To feed a 10-pound cat Halo wet food would cost between $2.35 and $3.20.
Where Is Halo Cat Food Sold?
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Kate Barrington / Cats.com
Halo appears to be focusing on e-commerce platforms rather than in-store sales, but you may still be able to find some Halo cat food products in national pet retail chains like Petco or regional chains like Pet Supplies Plus. The Halo website has a Store Locator you can use to find retailers in your area.
The easiest way to purchase Halo cat food is to buy it online through Chewy or Amazon. The Halo website also has buy buttons, but they link directly to the Halo store on Amazon or the product page on Chewy. Halo doesn’t appear to sell products directly from its website.
Overall, Is Halo a Good Choice?
At first glance, Halo is a brand that seems to be doing everything right. The website and packaging are loaded with buzzwords like “holistic” and “whole-body health.” Halo’s wet food formulas are very low-carb and protein-rich; the kibbles, pretty consistent with the average commercial dry cat food. Even the pricing is relatively attractive for a premium brand.
The more I dug into Halo’s history and scrolled through customer reviews, however, the more uncertain I became. It’s my impression that when the founder sold Halo, the new owners may have strayed from the original mission of the brand in favor of profit. I actually really like the wet food formulas and would heartily recommend them if not for my general skepticism about the brand’s earnestness.
Similar Brands
Looking for other cat food brands similar to Halo? Check out some of our other brand reviews.
I have a 2 year old cat. She is an indoor cat and is a few pounds overweight. I mostly feed her fancy feast grilled entrees – salmon and chicken are the only 2 she will eat. She LOVES dry food but I limit that. I want to know what the best dry food for her would be. I need it to be low carb and low calorie. She loves salmon and chicken flavors only. She is CRAZY for Purina Beyond – chicken recipe. It’s actually weird how crazy she is about it – like it’s a drug. Is this dry food ok or should I find something lower in carbs and calories?
Thanks-
Lisa
Hi Lisa, thanks for the comment! The Purina Beyond food isn’t the worst, but there are other dry options that are probably a lot better for your cat! You can get some ideas in our review of the best dry cat food on the market.
First, a week my bengal poop does not smell bad and my bowel movements are smooth.
Reduce eye mucus.
Reduce tear stains.
It’s good food, but high in carbs. Low-carb foods don’t necessarily use good ingredients, and meat meal is not good.
Halo informed me that they have not used garlic powder in their cat food for at least 2 years. You might want to write a new review in light of that information.
Hi there. Thank you for letting us know—I agree that the article is in need of an update to reflect this information.
She actually.mentiines this already in a post dated may 15 2021. You may have missed it.
Hi Mallory,
I want to thank you for your work, there is so much BS on the internet and between brand marketing and veterinarians recommending that I stick with the big brands because they have “nutritionists on staff”, it’s been so hard to find honest sources when looking at cat food. I have two now 10yr old male rescues (litter mates) and in the past year they have been showing signs of food allergies (itchy skin around face and ears and now a bacterial ear infections that just won’t go away). I had them on a decent dry food supplemented with fancy feast gravy lovers for their entire lives. I had no idea about the disgusting stuff they put in commercial cat food until they became so itchy and I began to research. Even their vet (now former Vet) would urge me to feed them the big brands and she was the one who first suspected food allergies. Their favorite were fish flavors and I immediately removed all fish from their diet. It helped with the frequent vomiting but itchy skin progressed to bacterial ear infections for both and I can’t get rid of them. My new vet doesn’t think they have a chicken allergy, but they have been eating chicken based dry all their lives. I’ve been trying to transition them to nom nom and they are resistant. They are both becoming more and more dependent on dry food which is not what I was trying to do. If i pull back on the dry they still won’t eat the nom nom. One is extremely picky and hasn’t eaten wet food since I’ve pulled FF from their diet and it’s been several months now. He drinks tons of water- I mean he naps with his head resting on his water dish – he drinks lots of water. I’ve been trying to find an acceptable wet food that is similar to their beloved FF but doesn’t have all the filler and junk- or common fish. Do you have any suggestions for me? Also, I want to make sure they are getting omega 3 supplement but I’m not sure if there are any out there that won’t trigger their fish allergies. Are there any types of fish that aren’t in the usual commercial brands? Thanks so much again for your advice and for sharing all your knowledge! I wish I had found you years ago!
Hello there! Thanks for the comment. I would advise taking a very methodical approach to ruling out any food allergies. It sounds like removing fish helped, but I also wonder if removing chicken would be helpful. I’d lean towards a limited-ingredient diet featuring a novel protein (a protein source to which your cats have not been previously exposed). With that in mind, the brands I’d recommend are Ziwi, Hound & Gatos, and Koha. My cats are also Fancy Feast lovers and, of the ones I’ve mentioned here, they’ve only tried Ziwi and Hound & Gatos. They enjoy the chicken paté from Ziwi but aren’t big fans of the others. With that in mind, I can’t say that your cats will necessarily like these recipes. In other words, I can’t say that your kitties are guaranteed to love these products, but they have qualities that would make them a nice upgrade from the familiar FF Gravy Lovers and which make them particularly appropriate for cats with suspected food allergies or sensitivities. Regarding fish less commonly included in cat food, the types of fish most commonly seen in cat food are salmon, tilefish (usually identified as ocean whitefish), and tuna. Less-common alternatives that can be found on the market include sardines, mackerel, and tilapia. I hope this helps a bit! Good luck. – Mallory
Thank you for this in-depth review! I wanted to note that it looks like Halo’s Adult Chicken Stew no longer contains garlic powder. I spoke with them today and they informed me they have removed garlic powder from their cat food recipes (and I don’t see it listed on the ingredients list). I also don’t see rosemary extract but I did not ask them about this. I personally appreciate Halo’s commitment to farm animal welfare, so it might be a good choice for me. Thank you for your help!
Curious if you did a breakdown of their wet kitten food? The chicken formula is grain free and doesn’t appear to have veggies in it. I’m curious if it is better than the adult varieties?
Hi there! We haven’t done a complete breakdown of Halo’s wet kitten food. That said, I just took a glance at their chicken recipe for kittens and it looks quite good. I’m not sure why they chose to include vegetable broth instead of solely chicken broth, but overall, it looks like pretty species-appropriate food.
What is the best highly digestible cat food moist and dry? I want something that decrease the amount and smell of poop! I thought Halo was a good choice. Now I’m not sure. Any help would be great.
Hi Michelle, Halo does advertise itself as a highly-digestible brand, but I’d recommend anything with a streamlined, meat-based ingredient list. Think about some of the options on our list of the best cat food for IBD (a condition that demands ultra-digestible food). None of these are prescription foods and they’re just as promising options for reducing fecal smell and volume as they are for easing irritation: https://cats.com/best-cat-food-for-ibd
I have two Senior cats (18 & 15) with various health issues and very delicate digestive systems. We loved Blue Buffalo until they changed their recipe and the girls wouldn’t touch it. We tried several different brands and finally found that they did well with Halo Senior grain free holistic chicken and chicken liver recipe. Well, they have obviously changed the formula on their food because I have had one of the girls vomiting and very sick. Vet bill and steroid shot I came home and checked the food in her dispenser, it was totally different from the food I had been feeding them. Luckily I had another bag of the previous food (old formula) and she is fine. I have this on auto ship and just got this months shipment and it is not the same as old formula!!!! I will now need to yet again try and find a food that they can eat. It is so frustrating when they do this!!! When you have aging fur babies with delicate systems this is very hard on them!!! So very disappointed!!!
Hi Lori,
Thanks for sharing your experience with Halo. I can see why you’d be frustrated after having to try several different brands already.
Our article on the best food for cats with sensitive digestive systems may help you to find a new favorite:
https://cats.com/best-cat-food-for-sensitive-stomach
Take care,
Mallory