Air drying is one of the oldest forms of food preservation, and Ziwi has made a name for itself by applying this technique to dog food.

The main selling point for Ziwi is its natural recipes, which are minimally processed to preserve their nutritional value. These innovative techniques have catapulted Ziwi's popularity, positioning it as one of New Zealand's most celebrated dog food companies. But does Ziwi live up to the hype?

We give Ziwi dog food an impressive 5 out of 5 rating. All Ziwi dog foods contain at least 85% real meat and chelated minerals for easy nutrient absorption. While there are raw food storage and safety concerns, Ziwi's recipes stand out from the crowd due to their high protein content.

Read on for Wag!'s full Ziwi dog food review, where we analyze its ingredient quality, pros, cons, and recalls.

Ziwi dog food is divided into three different complete and balanced dog food lines: air-dried, steamed, dried, and canned wet food. They also offer a treat line that we will cover as well. Let's check them out!

Ziwi has coined the term "Z-TWINTECH®" which is the process they use to develop its air-dried recipes.This process dries the raw food material by circulating warm air around the ingredients, producing a crispy product that marries raw food's nutritional benefits and kibble's shelf life.

According to Ziwi's website, the air-dried recipes are formulated with "high inclusions of 100% raw meat, organs, ground bone, and seafood gently processed to preserve the nutritional integrity of the ingredients."

This line comes in six meat-centric flavors, like beef, chicken, and mackerel & lamb. These recipes follow a very similar structure, primarily composed of real meat as the first ingredient, followed by several mineral-rich organ meats like tripe and liver and green mussels for a healthy dose of omega-3 fatty acid. 

These recipes also include prebiotic ingredients like parsley, dried apple pomace, and inulin, which can help digestion. Finally, a slew of vitamins and chelated minerals round off the recipe to ensure it is complete and balanced for Ziwi's furry customers.

The recipes range between 44% and 51% protein as factored on a dry matter basis and between 427 and 474 calories per cup. They can be a little high in fat; for example, the Ziwi Peak Air Dried Beef recipe contains 34.8% fat as dry matter, which is above average for dog food. 

Ziwi uses its patented Z-MicroSteam™ technology to create the Steam & Dried recipes. The website says, "This process combines delicate micro-steaming with gentle air-drying to create a light texture dogs love."

We particularly love that Ziwi gently cooks these recipes, as raw foods are inherently at a higher risk for foodborne pathogens. Steaming is a great way to kill bacteria while maintaining the nutritional integrity of the proteins, vitamins, and minerals, which high temperatures can denature.

This line comes in three flavors: beef with pumpkin, chicken with orchard fruits, and lamb with green vegetables. These flavors are available in a variety pack bundle, so your pooch can try all three.

This line has a nice balance of meat and plant-based ingredients but prioritizes animal products as the primary protein source. For example, the first five ingredients in the chicken with orchard fruits recipe are chicken, chicken liver, chicken necks, dried egg white, and chicken bone.

Further down the list, we see the likes of peas, quinoa, pears, blueberries, and kiwi, all excellent sources of fiber and micronutrients. 

These recipes are much lower in calories than the air-dried recipes, averaging just over 300 calories per cup and ranging from 38% to 41% protein as dry matter.

Like their air-dried counterparts, these foods can also be a bit high in fat due to their meat content. For example, the Steam & Dried Beef with Pumpkin flavor contains 31.8% fat as dry matter. 

Ziwi has translated its signature whole foods into a wet food range, with all varieties featuring at least 91% animal products. 

For instance, the beef recipe includes beef, water, beef lung, beef kidney, beef tripe, and chickpeas as the first few ingredients. There's not much else to these wet foods besides added vitamins and minerals.

We like that these recipes are limited-ingredient and feature single-source meats, which is super helpful for parents of pets with protein allergies.

To make these meals, Ziwi uses the retort method, which the company explains holds the temperature of the food at a certain degree for a specific amount of time to kill any bacteria present in the wet food, while preserving high nutrient levels.

These recipes come in 6 oz and 13.75 BPA-free cans and range between 40% and 45% protein and 204 and 468 calories per 6 oz can. Ziwi Canned Dog Foods are lower in fat than the rest of its ranges — the Canned Beef recipe contains 25% fat as dry matter. 

Ziwi has seven different treat options made of various organ meats and animal products from lamb, beef, and venison. Lamb tripe and trachea might sound unappetizing to us, but dogs go crazy for these meaty flavors. Most varieties contain only a couple of ingredient - which are mostly meat and flavoring - making them a good choice for dogs with food allergies or sensitivities. 

We were impressed that 96% of the ingredients in Ziwi Air-Dried and 85% in Steamed & Dried recipes are animal-based.

So often we see dog food brands add pea protein and other plant-based ingredients to up the protein while saving money (let's face it, meat is expensive!) Ziwi prioritizes real animal products without sneaky tactics like splitting ingredients and adding plant-based proteins to inflate protein percentages. 

Ziwi takes animal welfare seriously and only sources from farms and suppliers that abide by the freedom principles of animal welfare. Likewise, all their animal products come from free-range animals, grass-fed and finished beef, and sustainably caught wild seafood. For this reason, we awarded Ziwi an extra half-paw in our rating!

Ziwi uses chelated minerals in the recipe vitamin premixes. These minerals are combined with amino acids through chelation, making them more easily absorbed than minerals in their natural state. Only the best pet foods on the market add chelated minerals to their formulas. 

Ziwi assures customers that it has stringent safety measures in place to safeguard against tainted products reaching the market. The company states on its website that It batch tests recipes to ensure they are pathogen-free before shipping.

Since the air-dried recipes are technically raw, they are inherently at a higher risk for contamination with foodborne pathogens like Salmonella and E. coli. These pathogens can infect both the pets that eat the food and the humans who handle it. 

Ziwi assures its customers that it thoroughly tests its products for these pathogens. It's worth noting Ziwi has never had a recall associated with pathogens commonly found in raw dog foods. 

Unlike ultra-processed kibble, Ziwi's dry products will not stay fresh for months on end and should be tossed after 8 weeks of being opened. Ziwi recommends that customers place opened products into an air-tight storage system to keep it fresh and bacteria-free. (However, the Ziwi website warns against storing the products in plastic containers or bags, although they don't specify why.) 

As for the canned food, it should be placed in an air-tight container (or covered), refrigerated, and used within a week of opening. Due to the nature of raw food and the lack of preservatives, Ziwi recommends tossing any uneaten air-dried food after few hours.

Some of Ziwi's dog foods, like its Air Dried Beef recipe, are slightly high in fat. While this isn't an issue for most dogs, you might want to opt for an alternative diet for inactive pups and dogs with weight gain issues. Carefully read the guaranteed analysis on each dog food label when picking a Ziwi product. 

"We use these as treats. They're great because they're small in size and plenty in the bag. The one thing that's a little annoying is that it dries out pretty quickly if you leave it in your treat pouch, too long and out of bag. When it dries out, it gets really crumbly and falls apart easily."

"Even though it is expensive, I feel my dogs get high-quality air-dried beef that is grain-free, hormone-free, grass-fed and this way the organ meat should have fewer toxins and no pesticides that one would get in normal beef."

Read more reviews on Chewy.

The history of Ziwi Pet Foods dates back more than two decades, in the heart of Mount Maunganui, Tauranga, New Zealand. Free-range deer farmer, Peter Mitchell founded Ziwi back in 2002. 

Ziwi's original aim was to combine raw foods' nutritional benefits with kibbles' safety and ease. Its recipes use no fillers, opting only for ingredients with high nutritional value. 

In 2022, a Chinese Equity Firm called FountainVest Partners purchased the brand, which is New Zealand's most successful global pet food brand, for an estimated billion dollars. Ziwi is sold all across the world and is available in 20 different countries. Ziwi manufactures all of its dog foods at state-of-the-art kitchens in New Zealand. 

There have been no recalls or voluntary withdrawals of Ziwi dog food as of April 2025.