April 26, 2023
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Kiwi Kitchens is a family-based New Zealand pet food business that makes both dog and cat foods. Passionate about their products, they refer to their foods as “New Zealand in a bowl.”
Kiwi Kitchens focuses on high-quality New Zealand-sourced protein, fewer carbohydrates, and more omega-3s for pets in the most natural way possible. They say that environmental, financial, social and ethical sustainability are at the heart of their business.
Learn more about Kiwi Kitchens cat foods in our unbiased review.
The Cats.com Standard – Rating Kiwi Kitchens Cat Food on What Matters
We have analyzed Kiwi Kitchens cat food and rated it according to our standards here at Cats.com. Our grades are based on the food’s species-appropriateness, ingredients quality, product variety, price, customer experience, and recall history. You can read more about our ratings here.
Here are our ratings for Kiwi Kitchens in these key areas:
Ratings
- Species-Appropriateness – 8/10
- Ingredient Quality – 8/10
- Product Variety – 7/10
- Price – 7/10
- Customer Experience – 7/10
- Recall History – 6/10
Overall Score: 7.17/10
We give Kiwi Kitchens cat food a 43 out of 60 rating (71.67%) or a B grade.
About Kiwi Kitchens
Pet Nutrition New Zealand (PNNZ), the parent of Kiwi Kitchens, was founded by Calvin and Jo Smith. According to the company website, the owners are animal lovers with two dogs and two cats. They are passionate about nutrition and passionate about New Zealand, hence the phrase “New Zealand in a Bowl.”
Developed in collaboration with Pet Food Express, the concept of Kiwi Kitchens was to bring affordable freeze-dried cat food to the mainstream market. The New Zealand origin of the foods was important. “Kiwi” is, of course, a well-known fruit, but it is also the nickname of the people from New Zealand after the unique flightless bird only found in New Zealand.
Calvin and Jo Smith state that they firmly believe New Zealand produces the best quality food in the world. The company lists office headquarters in Christchurch, New Zealand.
While they are a New Zealand brand, most of their food is sold elsewhere around the world. According to information found online, 99 percent of the company’s sales are directed toward North America and Asia.
Sourcing and Manufacturing
Kiwi Kitchens is enormously proud of the food that goes into their products. Their ingredients include grass-fed New Zealand beef, lamb, and venison; sustainably-farmed New Zealand King salmon; New Zealand wild-caught white fish; and cage-free, humanely-raised chicken from New Zealand farmers.
The ingredients used by Kiwi Kitchens are fully traceable. All Kiwi Kitchens products are produced from meat and fish deemed fit for human consumption. Every batch is tested to ensure bacteria levels are safe.
Along with high-quality proteins and omega-3 fatty acids, the company adds beneficial ingredients such as New Zealand green mussel, dried seaweed, flaxseed, kiwi fruit, black currant, and fish oil to their foods.
The company uses no fillers, synthetic flavors, or colors in their products.
Manufacturing appears to take place in the Canterbury area of New Zealand. Kiwi Kitchens makes foods that are air-dried, raw frozen, and canned. The freeze-drying process at Kiwi Kitchens is explained here.
Has Kiwi Kitchens Cat Food Been Recalled?
We didn’t find any Kiwi Kitchens cat food recalls online. However, we did find a serious issue concerning an incident with Kiwi Kitchens and a retailer, apparently in Japan, that reported problems with some of their dog food.
After customers reported a bad smell in the food, the retailer conducted an independent analysis and learned that the food had oxidized and no longer met guaranteed analysis values. They contacted Kiwi Kitchens, but the company failed to do any initial inspection and instead blamed the retailer. After an entire year of back-and-forth with the retailer, Calvin Smith, president of PNNZ, visited Japan to inspect the product defects.
According to the retailer, the president “continued to insist that he did not want to recall the products or use the word ‘recall’ because it would affect the brand image of PNNZ using terms like ‘I don’t want to recall’, ‘I don’t want to use the word ‘recall’ ‘, and ‘it will damage the brand image (of PNNZ)'”.
Not only was this a case where the dog food probably should have been recalled, but the company should have owned up to the problem and taken responsibility instead of blaming the retailer and trying to hide the issue.
We cannot say if Kiwi Kitchens has acted this way in other instances with regard to problems with their food or not, but it raises doubts about the company’s integrity and the safety of the food in general.
What Kinds of Food Does Kiwi Kitchens Offer?
Kiwi Kitchens makes the following kinds of foods for cats:
- Air-Dried Dinners
Gently air-dried; uses a single protein made with 93 percent meat sourced entirely from New Zealand. Convenient and highly palatable. Complemented with vitamins and minerals for all life stages. Can be fed as a full meal or as a meal mixer.
- Raw Frozen Dinners
Protein-rich raw food with 93 percent meat and organs from New Zealand grass-fed lamb, grass-fed beef, grass-fed venison, and barn-raised chickens. Includes New Zealand green mussel and egg for an extra boost of nutrition. Complemented with vitamins and minerals to ensure the food is complete and balanced for all life stages.
- Canned Dinners
Single protein canned foods with 93 percent meat or fish sourced entirely from New Zealand. High in moisture and complemented with vitamins and minerals to ensure the food is complete and balanced for all life stages. Mussels are included in all kitten recipes to help with brain development and growth. Formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Cat Food Nutrient Profile for Kittens. All of Kiwi Kitchens’s canned food is carrageenan and BPA-free.
- Treats
Treats are highly palatable and made from meat, organs, and fish sourced entirely from New Zealand. They are protein-packed and naturally rich in vitamins. Freeze-dried to lock in nutrients.
What Do Customers Think of Kiwi Kitchens Cat Food?
We found a lot of reviews online for Kiwi Kitchens cat foods.
Positive Reviews
“Meow”
“*Cat loves the food. *Very meaty *Good texture (chunkier than pate) *Delivery quick.” – by Anonymous, reviewing Kiwi Kitchens Venison Dinner Wet Cat Food on 11/Aug/2022
“Select Protein Diet”
“My cat cannot eat anything except a select protein diet, meaning it has to be protein that is not found in ordinary cat food. I was using Royal Canin brand but their supply chain is on again/off again so very unreliable. I found this food and it is every bit as good as Royal Canin. In fact, my cat likes it better because it has more gravy.” – by Helen W., reviewing Kiwi Kitchens Venison Dinner Wet Cat Food on 10/Apr/2021
Negative Reviews
“Hard To Open”
“The can is not as easy to open as other cat food cans. Pulling on the tab and lifting the lid requires noticeably more effort; perhaps tricky for older people. And our cat is not a fan of the food” – by Brian Shieffelbein, reviewing Kiwi Kitchens Lamb Wet Cat Food on 3 Sep 2021
Kiwi Kitchens Cat Food – Top 3 Recipes Reviewed
| Product Name | Food Type | Primary Protein | Calories | Price | Our Grade |
| Kiwi Kitchens Gently Air-Dried Beef Dinner with Chicken | Air-dried | Beef | 480 kcal ME/cup | $26.12 per lb | B |
| Kiwi Kitchens Venison Dinner Canned Cat Food | Wet | Venison | 34 kcal/oz | $1.11 per oz | B+ |
| Kiwi Kitchens Venison Dinner Frozen Raw | Raw frozen dinner | Venison | 39 kcal/oz | $1.11 per oz | A- |
#1 Kiwi Kitchens Gently Air-Dried Beef Dinner with Chicken Review
Kiwi Kitchens Gently Air-Dried cat foods are available in three flavors: Beef Dinner with Chicken, Chicken Dinner, and Lamb Dinner with Mackerel. The gently air-dried food can be used as a full meal or as a meal mixer. These foods have vitamins and minerals added so they are complete and balanced for all life stages.
According to Kiwi Kitchens, gently air-drying the food helps lock in nutrients. The New Zealand ingredients are naturally high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids. The foods are also lower in carbohydrates than you would normally expect in cat foods.
Kiwi Kitchens Gently Air-Dried Beef Dinner with Chicken and the other foods in this line contain 93 percent meat sourced entirely from New Zealand.
This food does contain vegetable glycerine. Vegetable glycerine is a colorless, odorless liquid that can add a little sweet flavor to pet foods. It is also used to keep pet foods dry (a humectant) so mold is less likely to grow in the food. It is considered safe to use in pet foods by both the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but some pet owners object to it. It is easy to understand why a company would use a humectant in air-dried food to help keep the food dry and free of any mold.
Calorie Content: 4800 kcal/kg or 480kcal/cup ME (metabolizable energy) or approximately 136 calories per ounce.
Ingredients
Composition:
Beef, Chicken, Beef Lung, Beef Kidney, Beef Liver, Chicken Liver, Vegetable Glycerine, Mussels Digest, Beef Bone, Fish Oil, Sunflower Oil, Brewer’s Yeast, Salt, Dried Chicory, Calcium Carbonate, Choline Chloride, Mixed Tocopherols, Taurine, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Oxide, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Copper Sulphate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Sodium Selenium, Manganous Oxide, Pantothenic Acid, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Biotin, Vitamin B12, Folic Acid.
Note that we requested the typical analysis from the company but it was not provided.
Ingredients We Liked: Beef, Chicken, Beef Lung, Beef Kidney, Beef Liver, Chicken Liver, Dried Chicory
Ingredients We Didn’t Like: None
Guaranteed Analysis
Dry Matter Basis
Caloric Weight Basis
Pros
- High in protein with 93 percent meat sourced from New Zealand
- No fillers, synthetic flavors, or colors
- Complete and balanced for all life stages
Cons
- No ash percentage is provided; we asked for the typical analysis from the company to check on the nutrient percentages but it was not provided
#2 Kiwi Kitchens Venison Dinner Canned Cat Food Review
Kiwi Kitchens offers nine canned cat foods on their web site. Some of them are specially formulated for kittens, and one is only sold as a topper. They also sell several foods that are complete and balanced for all life stages: chicken dinner, beef dinner, lamb dinner, and venison dinner.
As with other Kiwi Kitchens recipes, this formula features 93 percent New Zealand-sourced meat. In this case, it has free-range, grass-fed venison, which is high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids to help support your cat’s healthy skin and coat. A variety of venison muscle meat and organs, including liver, lung, and kidney, are included in the food, all rich sources of animal-based nutrition.
Kiwi Kitchens uses no fillers, synthetic flavors, or colors in their products.
Venison is a novel protein for many cats. If your cat has any allergy problems or food sensitivities to other meats, he might do well with a meat such as venison.
Calorie Content (ME Calculated):1200 kcal per kilogram or approximately 34 calories per ounce.
Ingredients
Composition:
Venison, Venison Broth, Venison Tripe, Venison Liver, Fish Oil, Brewer’s Yeast, Venison Lung, Venison Kidney, Cassia, Salt, Agar Agar, Guar Gum, Taurine, Potassium Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, Choline Chloride, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Niacin, Vitamin E Supplement, Sodium Selenite, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Yucca Schidigera, Pantothenic Acid, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6 Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Calcium Iodate, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement.
We requested the typical analysis from the company but it was not provided.
Ingredients We Liked: Venison, Venison Broth, Venison Tripe, Venison Liver, Venison Lung, Venison Kidney
Ingredients We Didn’t Like: Guar Gum
Guaranteed Analysis
Dry Matter Basis
Caloric Weight Basis
Pros
- High in protein with 93 percent venison (meat and organs)
- Kiwi Kitchens uses no fillers, synthetic flavors, or colors
- Venison is a novel protein for most cats
Cons
- Uses multiple food thickeners/stabilizers (guar gum, agar, cassia)
#3 Kiwi Kitchens Venison Dinner Frozen Raw Cat Food Review
Kiwi Kitchens offers four different frozen raw dinners for cats: venison, lamb with chicken, chicken, and beef. These protein-rich raw foods contain 93 percent meat and organs from New Zealand. The lamb, beef, and venison are grass-fed, while the chickens are barn-raised on New Zealand farms.
These recipes also contain New Zealand green mussels and eggs for extra nutrition. Since the foods are frozen while they are raw, the nutrition in the ingredients remains intact and available to your cat. Vitamins and minerals are added to ensure the food is complete and balanced for all life stages.
Single-protein diets can be a good choice for a cat that has food sensitivities. This venison dinner frozen raw cat food, along with some of the other foods in this line from Kiwi Kitchens, contain lots of high-quality protein with few ingredients that could be a problem for a cat with sensitivities.
If you like the convenience of using frozen raw meals for your cat, we think Kiwi Kitchens dinners look good. These foods are non-GMO, and the packaging for these products is completely compostable.
Calorie Content (ME Calculated):1400 kcal per kg or approximately 39 calories per ounce.
Ingredients
Composition:
Venison, Venison Lung, Venison Liver, NZ Green Mussels, Egg, Kelp, Fish Oil, Sunflower Oil (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Dicalcium Phosphate, Potassium Carbonate, Sea Salt, Taurine, Choline Chloride, Mixed Tocopherols (preservative), Magnesium Oxide, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Sodium Selenite, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Vitamin D Supplement, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Calcium Iodate.
We requested the typical analysis from the company but it was not provided.
Ingredients We Liked: Venison, Venison Lung, Venison Liver, Nz Green Mussels, Egg, Kelp
Ingredients We Didn’t Like: None
Guaranteed Analysis
Dry Matter Basis
Caloric Weight Basis
Pros
- The raw frozen dinners are high in protein, containing 93 percent meat raised in New Zealand
- Contain NZ green mussels and eggs for added nutrition
- Non-GMO
- Low carbohydrate content
Cons
- No ash percentage is provided; we asked for the typical analysis from the company to check on the nutrient percentages but it was not provided
- Contains sunflower oil instead of animal-derived fat
How Much Does Kiwi Kitchens Cat Food Cost?
Air-dried and frozen raw foods tend to be more expensive choices. We found the 200-gram size bag of air-dried Kiwi Kitchens foods for sale on Petdirect.co.nz for $17.26. With auto-ship, the price drops to $11.69 for the first delivery and $14.38 for deliveries after that.
The 1 kg bag of air-dried food costs $57.59 for a one-time delivery. It costs $38.99 for the first shipment on auto-ship and $47.98 afterward.
A can of Kiwi Kitchens wet food (3 ounces or 85 grams) costs $3.35 on the same site with a one-time delivery. With auto-ship, the price is $2.27 for the first delivery and $2.29 for the following deliveries.
We found Kiwi Kitchens Frozen Raw cat food in an 18-ounce container for $11.99 online.
Overall, Is Kiwi Kitchens Cat Food a Good Choice?
Based on their ingredients, we do think that Kiwi Kitchens cat foods are a good choice. All of the customer reviews we found were very positive about the food. Most of the negative comments we came across involved being able to find the food. There may have been some difficulty shipping the food to North America via cargo ships during the pandemic.
We do hope that if the company learns about any problems with their foods, either from retailers or customers, they will notify the public and not try to hide the information.
If you are interested in Kiwi Kitchens, we think their air-dried food compares to Ziwi Peak. Ziwi Peak is more well-known but Kiwi Kitchens seems very similar. As for their wet food, we saw some comparisons online to Weruva cat wet food.
How Do You Order Kiwi Kitchens Cat Food?
You can check the Kiwi Kitchens website to find out where to buy Kiwi Kitchens cat food near you.
The cat food is sold in New Zealand, Australia, the United States, Canada, Singapore, and Taiwan through pet specialty retailers. We did not find it sold online through big retailers such as Amazon or Chewy.com.
