With the recalls and controversies surrounding commercial dog kibble, many concerned dog owners started searching for alternative dog food as a response. Over the past several years, fresh dog food subscriptions and delivery services have popped up everywhere, and it can be difficult figuring out which ones are viable options.

In this guide, we’re doing a detailed comparison of two freshly made dog food brands: Nom Nom and Ollie. At a first glance, these companies seem to offer very similar services and products. However, upon further research, you’ll notice that they do have some key differences in their recipes and overall customer experience.

Keep reading to learn more so that you can make the most well-informed decisions and provide the best for your dog.

A Sneak Peek at the Winner: Ollie

It was a close call, but Ollie stands as our winner because of its nutrient-packed recipes. Both Nom Nom and Ollie use high-quality ingredients and meet or exceed standards for organizations such as the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) and the FDA. However, Ollie’s recipes go the extra mile and incorporate more superfoods than Nom Nom’s meals.

Ollie’s turkey recipe is particularly impressive because it’s grain-free and filled with healthy foods. It also has fewer calories than Nom Nom’s Turkey Fare and is a good option for dogs that need to maintain or lose weight.

Both Nom Nom and Ollie excel in certain areas. We’ve categorized their features and services so that you can have a fair comparison of both brands.

About Nom Nom

Nom Nom is a brand that aims to provide the best nutrition for your pets. Board-certified veterinary nutritionists are rare, as there are only 100 of these certified nutritionists in the US. Because of Nom Nom’s commitment to producing high-quality recipes backed by science, it has two board-certified veterinary nutritionists on staff.

You’ll quickly notice that Nom Nom values research and constantly works to develop the best products and improve on existing ones. It produces some of the most scientifically backed recipes on the market.

Online Questionnaire

The startup process is very simple and straightforward. All you have to do is complete an online questionnaire. The questionnaire requests the following information:

Once you fill out this information, Nom Nom will provide recommended recipes that best fit your dog’s needs. We also like the added thoughtful detail of including frequently asked questions about Nom Nom’s dog food as you’re completing the questionnaire. For example, once you get to the page where you can select recipes, it provides thorough information on the ingredients used for each formula.

We do wish that the questionnaire would provide the recommended portions at checkout. As of now, it just gives you the payment amount.

Price

Three main factors determine the price of each meal:

One thing that we wish that Nom Nom would include is the exact breakdown of how prices are determined. As of now, you just receive the payment amount at checkout. However, the prices are relatively comparable with other competitive fresh dog food companies.

You can also save on costs by opting for less frequent deliveries. Homes with multiple pets can also receive a multi-pet discount.

Food Quality

Nom Nom has board-certified veterinary nutritionists on staff who’ve helped develop each recipe to meet the standards of the AAFCO.

Each recipe contains high-quality protein and contains produce grown from trusted US growers and suppliers. Meat protein is the first ingredient in all the recipes, and the rest of the ingredients are nutrient-packed and added with intention. You won’t find any carb fillers in them. The website also includes a very transparent recipe page, which shows each formula’s nutritional information.

On top of using healthy ingredients, the recipes get cooked in a specific way to preserve all the vital nutrients. The meals get prepared in small batches to ensure that every single one of them meets quality assurance standards.

Delivery Experience

The meals can get shipped throughout the US, except for Alaska and Hawaii. Nom Nom prepares the meals just a few days before delivery to ensure maximum freshness. Shipping is free, and all the packaging is environmentally conscious. All the components are recyclable or made with recycled material.

You can also easily manage your deliveries and make changes through your online account. The standard delivery option is to send one recipe per delivery. However, you can select the option to have different recipes in a single delivery for an additional $5. Alternatively, you can opt to rotate the meals so that each delivery contains a new recipe free of charge.

Meal Packaging

Every meal comes in tightly sealed individual packs. You don’t have to worry about measuring anything because each pack contains the perfect portion for your dog. They also come with peelable tops, so you can easily open them and not have to use scissors.

The only critique about the packaging is that if your pet doesn’t finish its food, there’s no convenient way to store the leftover food because the individual meal packs aren’t resealable. It’s important to have proper storage because the food is fresh and will expire quickly. Fortunately, the food is freezable, so if your pet doesn’t finish it in time, you can always put it in the freezer to preserve it for longer.

Additional Benefits

Along with dog food, Nom Nom also produces treats. This brand prioritizes a pet’s nutritional health, so it also developed supplements to promote gut health. You can purchase their gut health kit to help you identify any symptoms triggered by an unhealthy gut system.

Nom Nom is committed to being at the forefront of advancements in pet nutrition. It has a research and development team that constantly conducts studies to learn more about all aspects of pet nutrition.

About Ollie

We already gave you a bit of background on this successful company at the start, so we’ll dig right into the details of how and why they do things right when it comes to your pooch’s meals.

Questionnaire

Ollie also provides a questionnaire to develop a customized meal plan for your dog. You can expect to submit similar information as Nom Nom’s questionnaire:

Price

Ollie states that their food starts at less than $4/day for small dogs and about $8 daily for most dogs. The costs mainly depend on the dog’s size and meal portions.

You can further customize your order and reduce costs by opting for partial meal plans. Ollie also offers a 50% discount on your first order.

Food Quality

Ollie also only uses human-grade food. Also, all their meat protein is hormone-free. All the recipes don’t contain any artificial flavoring, fillers, or preservatives, so you can expect all the meals to be fresh and safe for your dogs to consume.

The food can last in the fridge for up to four days after delivery. If needed, you can store the food in the freezer to last for a longer time.

Ollie also has a transparent recipe page that looks similar to Nom Nom’s recipe page. You can view all the ingredient information for each recipe, and you’ll notice that each recipe has meat protein as the first ingredient. All the recipes meet AAFCO standards.

All the ingredients come from family farms in the US and Australia, and the recipes get prepared at human-grade facilities in the US. A board-certified veterinary nutritionist helped develop each recipe. A team tests every batch to ensure that it’s safe to consume.

Delivery Experience

Ollie also ships to the same places as Nom Nom, so it’s accessible to all 48 continental states.

The meals get shipped on the same day of each week so that you can expect consistent arrival. Each delivery can stay out of the fridge until midnight.

It’s also very easy to change your order and delivery date. You can make all these updates through your online account. Ollie recommends making these changes at least 4 business days before the next shipping date.

Ollie also has a convenient travel option. If you’re going to be at a temporary address for a while, you can enter a new address through your online account page and put a cut-off date so that meals get sent to this address for just the right amount of time.

You can also select the recipes you want to include in each delivery. So, unlike Nom Nom, you can have multiple recipes in one delivery without additional fees.

Meal Packaging

Ollie has a very clever and convenient meal packaging system. Each delivery contains vacuum-sealed packs that contain the meals, a portion scoop, and a sealable “puptainer.” The packs open easily, and you use the portion scoop to scoop up the perfect amount of food for your dog to eat. Any food that you don’t use can go in the puptainer.

All opened and unopened food lasts in the fridge for up to 4 days. Additional food has to get stored in the freezer, and it’s good for 6 months.

Ollie also uses recyclable and recycled material for its packaging, so you can recycle it after you’ve finished using it.

Additional Benefits

Ollie is very thoughtful, and it’s clear that this company cares about your dog’s health. Founded by dog owners who love their dogs, this company is very careful and selective about its partners to harvest high-quality ingredients and pack and ship their meals.

You can rest assured in the fact that loving dog parents lead the Ollie team, and they serve recipes that they’d confidently serve their own pets.

The 3 Most Popular Nom Nom Dog Food Recipes

For further analysis, we’ve done more research on Nom Nom’s meals and reviewed three of its popular recipes:

1. Beef Mash

Ground beef is the first listed ingredient, and the following ingredients are russet potatoes, eggs, carrots, and peas. It also contains essential vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin A, B, and E, fish oil, iron, and zinc.

We want to highlight the incorporation of eggs in this recipe because they’re highly nutritious for dogs. They contain necessary fatty acids and vitamins that boost metabolism and the immune system.

Although russet potatoes are generally safe for dogs to eat, it’s not the best option for dogs with diabetes because they can cause blood sugar levels to spike. Therefore, if you have a dog with diabetes or a dog breed prone to diabetes, it’s best to avoid this recipe.

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2. Chicken Cuisine

This recipe contains diced chicken, sweet potatoes, squash, and spinach. Spinach is high in iron and can help prevent inflammatory and cardiovascular issues. Pumpkin and squash have high fiber content, and they can help with soothing upset stomachs. Since it’s gentle on the stomach, it’s a great ingredient for transitioning your dog to new food.

We noticed that this recipe contains higher amounts of sunflower oil and canola oil than fish oil. We would have liked to see more fish-based oils over plant-based oils to make up some of the fat content. When using plant-based oils, coconut oil and flaxseed oil are healthier and more nutritious options.

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3. Turkey Fare

The first ingredient in this recipe is ground turkey. It also contains brown rice, so it’s not grain-free. However, brown rice is a fairly nutritious option containing nutrients, such as calcium, iron, and manganese. When served in moderation, it can reduce the risk of diabetes and improve heart health.

Eggs, carrots, and spinach are the other main ingredients in this recipe. Carrots are a nutritious treat for dogs and contain fiber and Vitamin A. Since this recipe only contains poultry protein and fish oil, it’s a safe option for dogs with beef allergies.

This recipe contains the highest number of calories compared to other recipes, so it’s not ideal if you’re watching your dog’s weight.

The 3 Most Popular Ollie Dog Food Recipes

Here are comparative reviews of Ollie’s popular beef, chicken, and turkey recipes.

1. Beef Recipe

This recipe contains beef, beef kidney, and beef liver. It’s great to see beef organs in a recipe because they’re nutrient-dense. We also noticed that this recipe doesn’t contain any poultry protein, so it’s safe for dogs allergic to poultry.

It also has a diverse selection of fruits and vegetables. We like that this recipe uses sweet potatoes since they’re more nutritious than regular potatoes. However, it still contains regular potatoes.

We’re also concerned that the second ingredient is peas, which are high in carbohydrates.

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2. Chicken Recipe

The chicken recipe has many nutritious ingredients. The protein is exclusively poultry, and the fat content is comprised of fish oil and cod liver oil, which are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. It also contains spinach, so the recipe has a high iron content.

However, similar to the beef recipe, this recipe lists peas as its third ingredient. It also uses white rice instead of brown rice. White rice doesn’t have as many nutrients as brown rice, but it’s easier to digest. So, this recipe can be a good option for dogs with sensitive stomachs.

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3. Turkey Recipe

The protein that this recipe uses is turkey breast and turkey liver. The recipe is also free of peas or potatoes. Other notable and nutritious ingredients are pumpkin, kale, and coconut oil.

The main source of carbohydrates is lentils, which are rich in fiber and can help with weight loss. Compared to Nom Nom’s turkey recipe, Ollie’s turkey recipe contains fewer calories.

It’s important to note that kale is generally safe for dogs to eat. However, it contains calcium oxalate, which can contribute to kidney and bladder stones. Therefore, this recipe isn’t a good fit for dogs with chronic kidney and urinary tract issues.

 

Recall History of Nom Nom and Ollie

Both Nom Nom and Ollie dog food lines have pretty clean track records when it comes to food quality and safety. Ollie currently doesn’t have any recalled products.

Nom Nom does have a voluntary recall that occurred in July 2021 for its now discontinued cat food line. The reason for the recall is that Nom Nom’s chicken supplier, Tyson, issued broad concerns of traces of listeria monocytogenes. This recall only affected Nom Nom’s Chicken Cuisine for Cats product line. Nom Nom currently doesn’t have any recalls for its dog food.

Nom Nom vs Ollie Comparison

Nom Nom and Ollie share a lot of similarities and have several differences. We did a more detailed comparison of these two brands to get a better picture of how these two companies are unique from each other.

Ingredients and Recipe

Both Nom Nom and Ollie use high-quality ingredients, and all their recipes have a high protein content. Their recipes contain similar ingredients, but Ollie goes the extra mile to include more nutrient-dense foods, like chia seeds and rosemary, and it doesn’t use as many plant-based oils as Nom Nom.

Nom Nom also uses USDA-approved ingredients and prepares its meals in FDA-approved kitchens. Both companies also developed their recipes with a board-certified vet nutritionist.

Price

Both Nom Nom and Ollie have similar prices, but the actual price you pay will depend on your dog’s size and needs. Ollie offers 50% off your first order, and it also has small dog prices that are significantly cheaper than Nom Nom’s prices. However, if you have a large dog, Ollie’s dog food may end up being more expensive than Nom Nom.

Nom Nom also offers a discount for your first purchase, but it’s only 20%. However, if you have medium or large dogs, Nom Nom’s prices tend to be more affordable than Ollie’s medium and large dog meal plans.

Shipping and Delivery

Nom Nom and Ollie offer customizable delivery schedules so that you always have a substantial amount of food at home. Nom Nom also has very convenient packaging and provides individual packs of food so that you don’t have to worry about measuring out your dog’s food. Ollie provides a container with an airtight lid for you to store leftover food.

Both Nom Nom and Ollie pack their food in a way that preserves them for the duration of shipping and delivery. Therefore, it’s not usually a problem if you miss the delivery person. As long as you refrigerate the food on the same day it arrives, the food should be safe for your dog to eat.

Both companies also use environmentally friendly and sustainable packaging and work to reduce their carbon footprint.

Summary

Overall, Ollie is our winner because it offers high-quality recipes that include extra nutrient-rich superfoods. It’s also a more affordable option for small dog owners that have dogs that weigh less than 15 pounds.

However, Nom Nom is a close second. It also serves high-quality meals, and you can rest assured in knowing that their formulas get developed by board-certified pet nutritionists. Nom Nom is also very driven by research, so we anticipate that their recipes will only get better with time.

Looking for more dog food comparisons? Check out:

• Ollie vs Farmer’s Dog
• Ollie vs Spot and Tango