Vital Essentials Pork Cat Food Wins Second Prestigious Industry Award

GREEN BAY, WI (December 1, 2021) – Carnivore Meat Company, industry-leading manufacturer of raw pet food and treats, has won the 2021 Pet Business Industry Recognition Award in the Raw Cat Food category for their new highly popular product Vital Cat Freeze-Dried Pork Mini Nibs. The award marks the third consecutive year and fourth time overall that Vital Cat or its parent brand, Vital Essentials®, has earned the prestigious award.

Pork, a novel protein, was added to the Vital Cat line in April to give new and current cat parents more flexibility and variety in their cat’s diet. Pet parents can feed their cat’s crunchy cravings with the award-winning Mini Nibs or lap up delectable Dinner Patties that can be fed wet or dry, providing multiple choices to meet the whole family’s needs and preferences. 

Pork is an alternative protein option for picky felines or cats who have allergies to common proteins like chicken or beef. Pork may be beneficial for cats with sensitive stomachs because it is easier to digest, and it contains many key nutrients, such as taurine for heart health and thiamine to regulate metabolism.

“Vital Cat Freeze-Dried Pork Mini Nibs Cat Food has quickly become one of the best selling products in our cat food line and we’ve received amazing feedback about the high quality and palatability of both Pork cat food options,” stated Melissa Olson, VP Marketing & Sales. “We’re honored to be recognized by Pet Business with the 2021 Industry Recognition Award.” 

Vital Cat Freeze-Dried Pork Mini Nibs not only earned Pet Business industry recognition, but this cat food item also received the 2021 Pet Innovation Award for Raw Cat Food of the Year in honor of the product’s creativity, quality and popularity.

This marks the second award Vital Cat Freeze-Dried Pork Mini Nibs Cat Food earned in 2021 from two different prestigious recognition platforms within the pet industry. Only products that represent the ‘best of the best’ rise above the rigorous evaluation process and steep competition found in both platforms.

2021 marks the 20th anniversary of the highly-respected Pet Business Industry Recognition Awards. A panel of industry experts evaluate hundreds of pet products each year before extending the award to “the most exciting and functional products that the industry has to offer.”

Vital Essentials has now earned a Pet Business Industry Recognition Award four times in three different categories. Vital Essentials previously won in the Merchandising Displays category in 2016 for the newly-released VE RAW BAR, and then again in 2019 for the VE RAW BAR Freestanding Display. In 2020, Vital Essentials Family Size Treats earned the award in the Freeze-Dried Dog Treats Category.

Each Pet Business Industry Recognition Award is a testament to the innovation and drive of Carnivore Meat Company, as the most tenured raw pet food manufacturer in the nation continues to release new high-quality products under the Vital Essentials and Vital Cat brands at groundbreaking speeds.

About the Pet Business Industry Recognition Awards

Pet Business is the most trusted trade media brand in the pet industry. Through a diverse and evolving set of platforms including print magazines, websites, e-newsletters and social media, Pet Business covers every facet of the industry, providing valuable, actionable advice to pet specialty retailers along the way. Pet Business’ Industry Recognition Awards program highlights the pet industry’s most innovative and functional products across a variety of categories. The winners are selected by the Pet Business editors after scouring the industry for the most exciting and functional products on the market.

About Carnivore Meat Company

Carnivore Meat Company is an award-winning manufacturer of premium raw frozen and freeze-dried pet food and treats.  Located in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the company’s rapidly growing brands include Nature’s Advantage®, Vital Essentials®, VE RAW BAR and Vital Cat®, which are distributed to over 6,000 retailers nationwide, in 14 international markets and online to Chewy.com, Amazon, PetFlow.com and others.  Long considered a raw pet food pioneer, the company’s freeze-dried products division supplies private label, co-packing and ingredients to customers globally.  Carnivore Meat Company is family owned and has been recognized for its growth accomplishments and manufacturing excellence with a number of awards in recent years, including Greater Green Bay Chamber Growth Award, Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year Award, Governor’s Export Achievement Award, Greater Green Bay Chamber Manufacturing Award of Distinction and Inc 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies.