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There is a reason kibble is such a popular choice for dog food. This diet option is incredibly easy to purchase, store, and feed. Unlike many fresh and raw food choices, kibble is readily available at all pet stores, grocery stores, and more. And storing it doesn’t take up space in your fridge or freezer. All you need is a little extra room in the pantry or cupboard.
Most distinctive of all, kibble is super easy to feed. All you need is a scoop and a bowl, and you’re off to the races. No messy cleanup. No lingering odors.
Despite all these conveniences, many dog owners are looking to get away from kibble. Why? Because it is highly processed, dependent on synthetic nutrients and additives, and often made with low-quality ingredients that have no place in your best friend’s dinner bowl.
If you want better for your pup but also don’t want to give up the ease of feeding kibble, you’re in luck. The Honest Kitchen’s Clusters provides all the convenience of kibble with none of the drawbacks.
* Offer applicable on additional $60+ spent on The Honest Kitchen dog food valid from 7/20 – 8/16
How Are The Honest Kitchen’s Clusters Better Than Kibble?
The Honest Kitchen has reinvented dry dog food with their Clusters product lines. These dog food options may look like kibble, but they are so much more: Healthy. High Quality. Human Grade. Let’s take a deeper look at what makes this easy-feeder option so much better than traditional kibble.
Gentler Processing Preserves Nutrition and Taste
The process for making dog kibble is anything but pretty. It starts with grinding up ingredients—often of questionable quality—then pre-conditioning them with steam (the first source of high heat). Then, extruding the mix under high pressure and heat (more heat) to form dense balls. Finally, those balls are dried (using, you guessed it, more heat) to create kibble.
These kibbles are then sprayed with a mix of fats, digests, flavoring agents, and synthetic vitamins and minerals to create something that is palatable and somehow meets AAFCO nutritional standards. Those nutrients and added flavors are necessary because all that heat and pressure destroy the nutrients, amino acids, enzymes, and natural flavors present in the original ingredients.
Clusters are made differently. The Honest Kitchen starts by mixing quality ingredients and cold-pressing them to shape (no heat here!). Then, they take those bite-sized Clusters and roast and gently dehydrate them at low temperatures, then dry them at low heat to create “kibble” that maximizes the nutrition and taste, resulting in a better-smelling, better-for-them dry food.
Human-Grade Ingredients Processed in Human-Grade Facilities
Another key difference between Clusters and most kibble options is the quality of the ingredients that go into making this food.
The Honest Kitchen uses only human-grade ingredients, like cage-free chicken, ranch-raised beef, carrots, and blueberries. This means your dog is eating the same kind of highly regulated, quality-sourced ingredients that you and the rest of your family eat.
This human-grade seal also means that The Honest Kitchen’s diets don’t contain any low-quality meat meals or rendered meats, which often come from questionable sources and can contain unknown ingredients and meats of unverified origin.
All of The Honest Kitchen’s Clusters options are made in human-grade food facilities that meet the same high-quality manufacturing standards as those that make human food products.
* Offer applicable on additional $60+ spent on The Honest Kitchen dog food valid from 7/20 – 8/16
Emphasis on Quality Whole Foods
Many kibble diets rely on cheap meats and low-nutrition fillers, such as corn, soy, and wheat. Clusters are different.
Each of these recipes starts with human-grade meat as the first ingredient and contains a short list of nutritious carbohydrates and fiber, and essential vitamins and minerals. Their Whole Food Clusters line also includes probiotics and superfoods, such as carrots, broccoli, and kale.
Better, but Just as Convenient
Between the gentle, low-heat processing and higher quality ingredients, it’s easy to see why The Honest Kitchen’s Clusters provide more benefits to your dog than the average kibble diet. But those differences don’t mean this food is any harder to feed.
In fact, all the things that make kibble the most convenient type of dog food also apply to this ingenious option.
Clusters are readily available at PetSmart, can be stored the same way you currently store your kibble, and only require a scoop and bowl to feed.
Best of all, these roasted and gently dehydrated nuggets of nutrition are brimming with tasty flavors and a tantalizing natural aroma to entice even the pickiest of eaters.
Three Lines to Meet Every Need
Whether you are looking for a simple maintenance diet, an option that embraces the power of whole-food nutrition, or a protein-packed meal to power your active pup, The Honest Kitchen has you covered. Their Clusters option is available in three different lines, each offering its own specific benefits on top of all we discussed above.
* Offer applicable on additional $60+ spent on The Honest Kitchen dog food valid from 7/20 – 8/16
Essentials Clusters
The Essential Clusters line is the perfect everyday diet for adult dogs of all sizes. These recipes emphasize high-quality proteins and healthy whole grains for owners who want the best for their dogs but who don’t want to break the bank feeding them the best.
One of the most popular recipes in this line features cage-free chicken as the first ingredient, with oats, peas, barley, and flaxseed as the supporting cast. This recipe also contains chicken livers for added nutrients and coconut oil as a source of healthy fat. It contains 23% protein and 11% fat (by dry matter) and is a great option for less active adult dogs.
Whole Food Clusters
The Whole Food Clusters line features whole-grain, grain-free, small-breed, and puppy recipes with high-quality proteins, probiotics, and superfood ingredients. This line is a great choice for adult dogs in need of a little more nutritional support or added benefits like digestion or skin and coat support.
One of the most popular recipes in this line is the beef option. The first ingredient here, as you might have guessed, is ranch-raised beef, followed by potatoes, peas, and beef liver. It also contains lentils, eggs, and flaxseed, as well as a handful of superfood ingredients, including broccoli, pumpkin, apples, and fish oil. This recipe is higher in protein and fat, with 27% and 15% (dry matter), respectively, and is a great option for slightly more active dogs.
Protein Plus Clusters
Protein Plus Clusters is a grain-free dog food line that combines high-quality animal protein with functional ingredients that support digestion, skin and coat health, and heart health. Made with human-grade chicken and beef and free from rendered meat meals or feed-grade ingredients, the recipes emphasize both nutritional quality and ingredient transparency.
Pumpkin and probiotics help promote healthy digestion, while added omega fatty acids from fish oil and flaxseed support healthy skin and a shiny coat. The recipes also provide animal protein and taurine to help support heart health. With a clean ingredient list and a simple protein matrix designed for digestibility, Protein Plus Clusters offers a balanced approach to high-protein nutrition.
These recipes average 36% protein and 19% fat, making them ideal for active adult dogs.
* Offer applicable on additional $60+ spent on The Honest Kitchen dog food valid from 7/20 – 8/16
Our Final Thoughts
When it comes to feeding your best friend, there is nothing better than a food that offers the convenience of kibble without the drawbacks.
The Honest Kitchen’s Clusters lines offer whole-food ingredients, meat-first recipes, and human-grade quality in the form of cold-pressed, oven-baked bites that store and feed like kibble, but offer so much more.