Ziwi Peak Dog Food Reviews

Ziwi Peak foods are made at the company’s own facilities in several New Zealand locations. The company was founded in 2002 by a free-range deer farmer who wanted to combine the nutrition of a raw diet with the convenience of a ready-serve kibble. Ziwi Peak is still family-owned but in September 2021 there was a press report that a Chinese private equity firm was acquiring the company. The report stated the acquisition would help fund Ziwi’s new facility that will double current production capacity, at a cost of NZD 70 million.

Ziwi’s website mentions the new plant but not the acquisition. There’s also no mention of Ziwi on the investor’s website at this stage, so it’s unknown if the report was accurate or whether the alleged acquisition was completed. 

The brand offers air dried as well as canned foods in their Originals line. Their Provenance line (with both air-dried and canned choices) features unusual local ingredients from 3 different regions of New Zealand. Ziwi considers its air-dried foods to be a raw alternative.

In September 2022, Ziwi reportedly agreed to buy the company Freeze Dried Foods NZ Ltd. If that’s true, you can probably expect to see Ziwi add freeze-dried foods to their product line-up in the future. 

For our Ziwi Peak dog food reviews we’ll look at each food line individually, based on the food ingredient quality and safety. There are 4 lines of 18 dog foods. Each dog food review was based on these criteria.

Package Ingredients For Ziwi Peak Originals Tripe & Lamb Recipe: Lamb Tripe, Lamb, Lamb Heart, Lamb Liver, Lamb Lung, Lamb Kidney, New Zealand Green Mussel, Lamb Bone, Lecithin, Inulin from Chicory, Dried Kelp, Minerals (Dipotassium Phosphate, Magnesium Sulfate, Zinc Amino Acid Complex, Copper Amino Acid Complex, Iron Amino Acid Complex, Manganese Amino Acid Complex, Selenium Yeast), Salt, Parsley, Preservative (Citric Acid, Mixed Tocopherols), Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid)

Using our evaluation criteria, Ziwi Peaks Originals Air Dried is considered a low risk dog food.

Ingredient Safety

Ziwi Peak Originals loses an ingredient safety point for moderate processing, as the recipes are air-dried using heat (and doesn’t disclose the temperature except to say that it’s sufficient to remove pathogens.. Heat causes some loss of active enzymes, vitamins, amino acids and phytonutrients.

Ingredient Quality

There’s only one ingredient quality point lost, for the following reason …

Excessive Added Minerals
The addition of excessive added minerals often suggests poor quality or overly processed raw ingredients. Ideally, these nutrients should come from whole food sources. Mineral excesses, especially copper, can also result from vitamin premixes.

Other Concerns

Here are some other concerns to be aware of when evaluating the safety and quality of dog food:

Does Not Provide Omega-6:Omega-3 Ratio
Ziwi Peak does not state the omega6:omega-3 ratio in their foods. While this is true of most foods, it’s a concern because AAFCO allows a very inflammatory limit of 30:1. Diets rich in omega-6 fats can cause chronic inflammation and disease.

Benefits

Here are some benefits of these foods:

Low Carbohydrates
This line averages 4% carbohydrate as calculated, which is a good low level. Foods that are rich in carbohydrate can increase insulin levels, increase the risk of obesity and cause unwanted changes to the gut microbiome. 

No GMO Ingredients
This isn’t a non-GMO verified line, however, there aren’t any ingredients with GMOs which is good to see. There are limited safety studies on genetically modified and Roundup Ready crops although they are lacking in nutrients compared to non-GMO foods. GMO crops also strip nutrients from soils, require increased pesticide risk and may be involved in bee die-off.

Read more Ziwi Peak Dog Food Reviews

Package Ingredients For Ziwi Peak Provenance Otago Valley Recipe: Beef, Venison, Lamb, Whole Southern Blue Whiting, Hoki, Beef Kidney, Lamb Tripe, Beef Heart, Venison Lung, New Zealand Green Mussel, Venison Tripe, Lamb Lung, Lamb Liver, Beef Liver, Venison Kidney, Lamb Kidney, Lecithin, Lamb Bone, Beef Bone, Venison Bone, Inulin from Chicory, Dried Kelp, Dried Apple Pomace, Minerals (Dipotassium Phosphate, Magnesium Sulfate, Zinc Amino Acid Complex, Iron Amino Acid Complex, Copper Amino Acid Complex, Manganese Amino Acid Complex, Selenium Yeast), Salt, Parsley, Preservative (Citric Acid, Mixed Tocopherols), Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid)

Using our evaluation criteria, Ziwi Peak Provenance Air Dried is considered a low risk dog food. Here are our concerns:

Ingredient Quality

There’s just one concern when it comes to ingredient quality:

Excessive Added Vitamins And Minerals
The addition of excessive added vitamins and minerals often suggests poor quality or overly processed raw ingredients. Ideally, these nutrients should come from whole food sources. Vitamin and mineral excesses, especially vitamin D and copper, can also result from vitamin premixes.

Ingredient Safety

Many pet food ingredients are unsafe or are grown using unsafe chemicals. Here are some of the issues with the Provenance Air Dried line:

High Pesticide/Herbicide Ingredient
The Provenance line loses an ingredient safety point for containing apples, an ingredient known for high pesticide or herbicide residues. Foods with the largest reported amount of residue are penalized, including crops that are known to be spray-dried with glyphosate.

Moderately Processed
Air dried foods are processed using heat (and Ziwi doesn’t disclose the temperature). Heating foods will cause losses in some active enzymes, vitamins, amino acids and phytonutrients.

Other Concerns

Here are some other concerns to be aware of when evaluating the safety and quality of dog food:

Does Not Provide Omega-6:Omega-3 Ratio
Ziwi Peak does not state the omega6:omega-3 ratio in their foods. While this is true of most foods, it’s a concern because AAFCO allows a very inflammatory limit of 30:1. Diets rich in omega-6 fats can cause chronic inflammation and disease.

Not All Fish Ingredients are From Wild Caught Fish
Some but not all fish ingredients are wild caught. Farmed fish is less nutritious than wild caught fish and does not contain the same healthy fatty acid balance. 

Benefits

Low Carbohydrates
This line averages 1% carbohydrate as calculated, which is extremely low and good to see. 

Read more Ziwi Peak Dog Food Reviews

Package Ingredients For Ziwi Peak Originals Wet Venison Recipe: Venison, Water Sufficient for Processing, Venison Tripe, Venison Liver, Chickpeas, Venison Lung, Venison Heart, Venison Kidney, New Zealand Green Mussel, Venison Bone, Lecithin, Minerals (Dipotassium Phosphate, Magnesium Sulfate, Zinc Amino Acid Complex, Copper Amino Acid Complex, Selenium Yeast, Manganese Amino Acid Complex), Dried Kelp, Salt, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin B5 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid)

Using our evaluation criteria, Ziwi Peak Originals Wet Dog Food is considered a moderate risk dog food. Here are our concerns:

Ingredient Quality

Overall, there are several concerns when it comes to ingredient quality:

Excessive Added Vitamins and Minerals
This line loses significant ingredient quality points for excessive added vitamins and minerals. This usually reflects poor quality or overly processed raw ingredients. Ideally, these nutrients should come from whole food sources. Vitamin and mineral excesses, especially vitamin D and copper, can also result from vitamin premixes.

Ingredient Safety

Many pet food ingredients are unsafe or are grown using unsafe chemicals. Here are some of the issues with Ziwi Peak Originals Wet dog food line:

High Pesticide/Herbicide Foods In The Top 5
This line contains chickpeas in the top 5 ingredients, a crop that’s known to carry a large pesticide/herbicide residue. Chickpeas (unless organic) are spray-dried with Roundup, leaving them with more glyphosate/herbicide residue than other crops, even genetically modified ones. Glyphosate is an antibiotic that can kill beneficial gut bacteria and has been linked to cancer and other diseases.  

Highly Processed
Canned foods are heated before and during canning, which will cause significant losses in some active enzymes, vitamins, amino acids and phytonutrients. Processed foods are also linked to higher mortality rates in many species. 

Other Concerns

Here are some other concerns to be aware of when evaluating the safety and quality of dog food:

Does Not Provide Omega-6:Omega-3 Ratio
It’s also worth noting that Ziwi Peak does not state the omega6:omega-3 ratio in their foods. While this is true of most foods, it’s a concern because AAFCO allows a very inflammatory limit of 30:1. Diets rich in omega-6 fats can cause chronic inflammation and disease.

Benefits

Here are some benefits of these foods:

High Protein
The protein content for Ziwi Peak Wet averages a good level of 43% on a dry matter basis.

Low Carbohydrates
This food averages almost no carbohydrate, as calculated on a dry matter basis, which is good to see in a canned food. Foods that are rich in carbohydrate can increase insulin levels, increase the risk of obesity and cause unwanted changes to the gut microbiome. 

Read more Ziwi Peak Dog Food Reviews

Package Ingredients For Ziwi Peak Provenance East Cape Wet Food Recipe: Mutton, Lamb Broth, Goat, Whole Kahawai, Goat Tripe, Whole White Trevally, Mutton Tripe, Mutton Lung, New Zealand Green Mussel, Lamb Plasma, Whole Mackerel, Goat Liver, Lamb Bone, Lecithin, Mutton Liver, Goat Heart, Mutton Bone, Goat Lung, Minerals (Dipotassium Phosphate, Magnesium Sulfate, Zinc Amino Acid Complex, Iron Amino Acid Complex, Copper Amino Acid Complex, Selenium Yeast, Manganese Amino Acid Complex), Goat Kidney, Goat Bone, Dried Kelp, Salt, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin B5 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid)

Using our evaluation criteria, Ziwi Peak Provenance Wet Dog Food is considered a moderate risk dog food. Here are our concerns:

Ingredient Quality

There’s one concern when it comes to ingredient quality …

Excessive Added Vitamins and Minerals
This line loses ingredient quality points for excessive added vitamins and minerals. This usually reflects poor quality or overly processed raw ingredients. Ideally, these nutrients should come from whole food sources. Vitamin and mineral excesses, especially vitamin D and copper, can also result from vitamin premixes.

Ingredient Safety

Many pet food ingredients are unsafe or are grown using unsafe chemicals. The main concern with the Ziwi Peak Provenance Wet line is processing:

Highly Processed 
Canned foods are heated before and during canning, which will cause significant losses in some active enzymes, vitamins, amino acids and phytonutrients. Processed foods are also linked to higher mortality rates in many species. 

Other Concerns

Here are some other concerns to be aware of when evaluating the safety and quality of dog food:

Glam Ingredients
These recipes also include glam ingredients, in this case turkey heart. Glam ingredients are healthy sounding ingredients intended to appeal to consumers, but they’re listed after salt, which means they’re included in minimal amounts that don’t provide any nutritional benefit. 

Does Not Provide Omega-6:Omega-3 Ratio
Ziwi Peak does not state the omega6:omega-3 ratio in their foods. While this is true of most foods, it’s a concern because AAFCO allows a very inflammatory limit of 30:1. Diets rich in omega-6 fats can cause chronic inflammation and disease.

Benefits

Here are some benefits of these foods:

High Protein
Lower protein is expected in processed food yet the protein content for Ziwi Peak Provenance Wet is 47.8% on a dry matter basis, which is good to see.

Low Carbohydrates
This food averages close to zero carbohydrate, as calculated on a dry matter basis, which is very unusual and good to see in a canned food. Foods that are rich in carbohydrate can increase insulin levels, increase the risk of obesity and cause unwanted changes to the gut microbiome. 

Read more Ziwi Peak Dog Food Reviews

Is Ziwi Peak a Good Dog Food?

When evaluating ingredient quality and safety, scoring shows Ziwi Peak’s 4 lines of 18 dog foods to low to moderate risk foods. 

The canned lines score lower because canned foods are highly processed. However, they have almost zero carbohydrates, which is rare amongst canned foods and good to see. 

The company claims the air dried foods are shelf-stable while being as nutritious as raw food, but they don’t disclose the drying temperature or time. They do state the food is dried sufficiently to eliminate pathogens (which likely means 160F). This suggests there’s also sufficient heat to cause some nutrient loss. 

Some recipes also lose points for containing known ingredients known to have high pesticide/herbicide residues, like chickpeas or apples. Others lose points for excessive added vitamins and/or minerals. 

There are additional concerns with the dog food and marketing. These don’t affect the Ziwi Peak dog food reviews score, but they’re worth mentioning:

Glam Ingredients
Some Ziwi Peak recipes contain glam ingredients (such as turkey heart). These are expensive or desirable ingredients often added to appeal to consumers, but are below the salt in the ingredient list. This means they are included in tiny amounts that contribute little or no nutritional value to your dog. 

Does Not Provide Omega-6:Omega-3 Ratio
This omission is true of most foods. However it’s a concern because omega-6 fatty acids are pro-inflammatory, and AAFCO allows a very inflammatory ratio of 30:1. 

Ziwi Peak Dog Food Recalls
To date there have been no recalls of Ziwi Peak dog foods.

Evaluation Criteria

We evaluate and score dog foods based on two criteria:

Are the Ingredients High Quality?

Here are some common low quality ingredients or markers we look for:

• Is there excessive carbohydrate content, which can cause gut imbalances?
• Does the food contain unnamed proteins, which are low quality?
• Does the food use cellulose (wood pulp) as a source of fiber instead of real food?
• Are there excessive vitamins and minerals added in place of real food nutrition?
• Are there excessive added amino acids or plant proteins instead of expensive meat protein?
• Does the food contain inflammatory processed seed oils?

How Safe Are the Ingredients?

Many ingredients come from unhealthy, inflammatory sources or are full of pesticides so we look for:

• How processed is the food?
• Does the food contain known genetically modified foods?
• Does the food contain ingredients known to be high in pesticides?
• Does the food contain natural flavor, which are often MSG or animal digest?
• Does the food contain rice, which is high in arsenic?

Each food is objectively evaluated by these criteria and a score is assigned using the average of ingredient quality and safety. This is NOT a paid list and there are no affiliate links. We’ve partnered with DogFoodReviews.com to make sure dog owners have unbiased, objective criteria to help them choose the best dog food on the market. You can view the full Evaluation Criteria at DogFoodReviews.com.