Dr. Marty Goldstein revives debate over pet food processing
Bottom line
Dr. Marty Goldstein, DVM, used a live interview on dvm360’s Vet Blast Podcast, recorded at Fetch Nashville and published July 16, 2026, to make a familiar but still influential case for minimally processed, freeze-dried pet food. In the sponsored episode, Goldstein said his company’s food “simulates nature,” highlighted freeze-drying and high-pressure processing, and argued that heating food with carbohydrates creates advanced glycation end products, or AGEs, that he believes will become a bigger focus in veterinary nutrition research. The episode was sponsored by Dr. Marty Pets, a brand within Golden Pet Brands, which says it markets freeze-dried raw diets and operates its own Wisconsin manufacturing facility. (dvm360.com)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the interview is less about a new clinical finding than about the nutrition messages pet parents are hearing directly from veterinarian-founded brands. Goldstein’s comments touch on several pressure points in practice conversations: raw versus processed diets, carbohydrate skepticism, home-prepared feeding, and whether “AAFCO-compliant” language signals nutritional adequacy or broader endorsement. AAFCO notes that it does not approve or endorse pet foods, while FDA and AAFCO both emphasize looking for a nutritional adequacy statement supporting “complete and balanced” claims. At the same time, WSAVA’s nutrition resources say there’s no evidence raw meat-based diets are healthier than balanced commercial or homemade diets, and FDA continues to warn that raw pet food carries higher bacterial risk than processed food. Research on AGEs in dogs is emerging, but current evidence supports association with processing differences, not a settled clinical consensus on disease outcomes in practice. (aafco.org)
What to watch: Expect continued debate over processing, carbohydrate disclosure, and AGEs, especially as more pet food brands use veterinarian-led education to shape what pet parents ask for in the exam room. (dvm360.com)
A new dvm360 Vet Blast Podcast episode put Dr. Marty Goldstein, DVM, back in the middle of one of companion animal medicine’s most durable debates: what counts as biologically appropriate nutrition, and who gets to define it. In the interview, recorded live at Fetch Nashville and published July 16, 2026, Goldstein described his freeze-dried food as a way to “simulate nature,” criticized both traditional processed diets and many home-cooked approaches, and argued that advanced glycation end products, or AGEs, should become a bigger focus in veterinary nutrition science. The episode was sponsored by Dr. Marty Pets. (dvm360.com)
That framing matters because Goldstein has long been a visible figure in integrative veterinary medicine, and his comments now sit within a larger commercial platform. Golden Pet Brands, the parent company behind Dr. Marty Pets, said in a 2026 executive announcement that its portfolio includes veterinarian-linked, minimally processed pet food brands and that it owns a Wisconsin manufacturing facility with a BRC AA+ food safety rating. In that same release, the company described Dr. Marty Pets as offering freeze-dried raw recipes for dogs and cats. (prnewswire.com)
In the podcast, Goldstein said the food passes AAFCO regulations, contains no additives, is shelf-stable for up to two years, and uses high-pressure processing to reduce pathogens while preserving a raw-style format. He also pointed to AGEs as a key concern, saying they form when food is heated in the presence of carbohydrates and suggesting that avoiding both heat and carbohydrates makes the product preferable. He further said research through the American Holistic Veterinary Foundation is aimed at creating an index to detect and rank AGEs in food. (dvm360.com)
Some of those claims intersect with established regulatory and clinical distinctions that are easy for pet parents to blur. AAFCO says it does not regulate, approve, certify, or endorse pet food, even though state laws often rely on AAFCO model regulations. FDA and AAFCO both emphasize that the more meaningful label signal for clinicians and consumers is the nutritional adequacy statement, which indicates whether a food is intended to be complete and balanced for a given life stage based on nutrient profiles or feeding trials. In other words, saying a product “passed AAFCO” is not the same as saying it has been broadly endorsed by a regulator or independently validated beyond its adequacy claim. (aafco.org)
On AGEs, Goldstein is speaking into a real but still developing evidence base. A 2024 paper indexed in PubMed found that differently processed diets were associated with different plasma and urine AGE measures in healthy dogs, suggesting processing method can influence AGE exposure. Earlier review literature has also described higher Maillard reaction products and AGE amounts in some processed pet foods, particularly canned diets, compared with other formats. But those data don’t yet settle the bigger clinical question many practitioners will care about most: whether selecting a lower-AGE commercial diet improves long-term outcomes in typical patients across disease states. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
Industry and expert guidance remains more cautious than the rhetoric often heard in brand-led nutrition education. WSAVA’s nutrition toolkit says there is no evidence raw meat-based diets provide health benefits over balanced commercial or homemade diets, and it positions veterinary teams as the primary source of nutrition advice for pet parents. FDA likewise says raw pet food is more likely than processed pet food to contain harmful bacteria such as Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes, and advises against feeding raw diets because of risks to both animals and people. Goldstein’s emphasis on high-pressure processing is therefore notable: it reflects how raw-adjacent brands are trying to answer longstanding pathogen concerns without abandoning minimally processed positioning. (wsava.org)
Why it matters: For practicing veterinarians, this story is really about client communication. Goldstein’s interview is a clear example of the messages pet parents are absorbing from trusted veterinary personalities, conference media, and direct-to-consumer brands: that carbohydrates are suspect, that heat processing is inherently harmful, and that “natural” or freeze-dried formats are closer to optimal. Some of those messages draw on legitimate scientific questions, especially around processing effects, but they can also oversimplify formulation quality, microbial safety, life-stage adequacy, digestibility, and evidence hierarchy. Practices should be ready to explain what adequacy statements do and don’t mean, how to evaluate raw or freeze-dried products, and where emerging science ends and marketing begins. (dvm360.com)
What to watch: Watch for whether the AGE-focused research Goldstein referenced leads to published methods, comparative product benchmarking, or broader industry pressure around carbohydrate disclosure and processing claims, and expect those themes to keep surfacing as veterinarian-founded nutrition brands expand their media presence. (dvm360.com)
Common questions
What did Dr. Marty Goldstein say about his freeze-dried food?
He said it is meant to “simulate nature,” and he described it as minimally processed, shelf-stable for up to two years, and using high-pressure processing to reduce pathogens while keeping a raw-style format.What did he say about AAFCO compliance?
He said the food passes AAFCO regulations, but AAFCO says it does not regulate, approve, certify, or endorse pet food. FDA and AAFCO both emphasize looking for a nutritional adequacy statement for complete and balanced claims.Why are AGEs part of the discussion?
Goldstein said advanced glycation end products, or AGEs, form when food is heated in the presence of carbohydrates, and he argued they should be a bigger focus in veterinary nutrition science.What do current guidance and evidence say about raw diets?
WSAVA says there is no evidence raw meat-based diets are healthier than balanced commercial or homemade diets, and FDA warns raw pet food is more likely than processed food to contain harmful bacteria such as Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes.