Go Raw earns B Corp certification for Steve’s Real Food parent
Bottom line
Go Raw, the parent company of Steve’s Real Food, has achieved Certified B Corporation status, adding a third-party sustainability and governance credential to a raw pet food brand already positioning itself around responsible sourcing and environmental stewardship. B Lab’s directory shows Go Raw earned an overall B Impact Score of 89.2, above the 80-point certification threshold, with scoring across governance, workers, community, environment, and customers. On its own site, Steve’s Real Food says the certification validates practices tied to ingredient sourcing, employee benefits, retailer and community support, and nonprofit work through Beyond the Bark. (bcorporation.net)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the announcement is less about a nutrition claim than about how pet food companies are trying to differentiate on transparency, sourcing, and corporate responsibility. That may resonate with pet parents who increasingly ask not just what’s in a diet, but how it’s made and by whom. At the same time, Steve’s Real Food operates in the raw category, where clinical conversations remain complicated by safety concerns. AAHA says it does not endorse feeding raw or dehydrated nonsterilized animal-origin foods, and the FDA, CDC, and AVMA all warn about pathogen and other safety risks associated with raw or undercooked animal-source diets. Go Raw also expanded a voluntary recall in June 2026 involving low thiamine levels in one Steve’s Real Food freeze-dried chicken lot, after earlier Quest cat food recalls, underscoring that ESG credentials and food safety performance are separate issues veterinarians may need to discuss with clients. (aaha.org)
What to watch: Watch for how Go Raw uses the certification in retailer education and pet parent marketing, and whether it pairs that message with stronger food safety reassurance after its 2026 recall activity. (stevesrealfood.com)
Go Raw, parent company of Steve’s Real Food, has become a Certified B Corporation, giving the raw pet food maker a recognized third-party credential tied to social and environmental performance, governance, and transparency. According to B Lab’s company profile, Go Raw posted an overall B Impact Score of 89.2, clearing the 80-point threshold required for certification. (bcorporation.net)
The designation fits a longer-running brand narrative from Steve’s Real Food, which has emphasized raw nutrition, responsible sourcing, and lower-impact packaging. On its website, the company says it uses human-quality, non-GMO ingredients, sources fish from Marine Stewardship Council-certified fisheries, manufactures under USDA and HACCP guidelines in Oregon, and uses recyclable packaging. A separate company page had previously said it was working toward B Corp certification, suggesting this was a planned milestone rather than a sudden strategic pivot. (stevesrealfood.com)
The new certification adds outside validation to those claims. Steve’s Real Food says B Corp status reflects how it supports employees, including mental health resources, pet food-related benefits, and paid volunteer time. The company also points to community-facing education for retailers and pet parents, plus continued buildout in 2026 of Beyond the Bark, its nonprofit focused on the human-animal bond. In B Lab’s scoring breakdown, Go Raw showed strength across worker, community, environment, and customer categories, with a notable “mission locked” governance component. (stevesrealfood.com)
In the broader pet food market, B Corp certification remains relatively uncommon, which helps explain why brands use it as a differentiator. Industry coverage over the past several years has highlighted only a limited number of pet food companies achieving the designation, including Only Natural Pet, Guardian Pet Food, and more recently New Zealand-based Natural Pet Food Group. That gives Go Raw a potentially useful credential with specialty retailers and values-driven pet parents who are looking beyond formulation claims alone. (petfoodindustry.com)
Still, the certification arrives in a category that remains under unusually close veterinary and regulatory scrutiny. Steve’s Real Food is a raw diet brand, and mainstream veterinary bodies continue to caution against raw feeding. AAHA says it does not advocate or endorse raw or dehydrated nonsterilized animal-origin foods, while the CDC says raw pet food can make pets sick and does not recommend feeding it. The FDA has also continued to spotlight raw pet food safety, including recent H5N1-related updates requiring some cat and dog food manufacturers using uncooked poultry or cattle materials to reassess food safety plans. (aaha.org)
That context matters even more because Go Raw has faced recent recall activity. On June 8, 2026, the FDA posted Go Raw’s expanded voluntary recall for one lot of Steve’s Real Food Freeze-Dried Chicken Recipe due to potentially low thiamine levels. The notice said the expansion followed the company’s February 17, 2026 recall and noted that cats are especially susceptible to thiamine deficiency. FDA outbreak and advisory pages also reference a March 13, 2026 advisory involving Quest Cat Food lots tied to extremely low thiamine levels. (fda.gov)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, this story is a reminder that corporate responsibility signals are becoming more influential in pet parent decision-making, especially in premium and specialty channels. B Corp status may increase trust among clients who equate sustainability, employee practices, and sourcing transparency with overall product quality. But in exam-room conversations, those signals don’t replace the need to discuss nutritional adequacy, pathogen risk, recall history, and the evidence base behind raw feeding. In other words, the certification may shape brand perception, while veterinarians still have to help pet parents separate ethical business practices from diet safety and clinical suitability. (bcorporation.net)
What to watch: The next question is whether Go Raw can translate the B Corp milestone into stronger retailer momentum and pet parent loyalty without intensifying concerns around raw diet safety. Watch for updated food safety messaging, any additional regulatory developments tied to recalls or raw diet oversight, and whether the company leans into certification as a trust marker while the veterinary community continues to press for caution around raw feeding. (stevesrealfood.com)
Common questions
What B Corp score did Go Raw earn?
Go Raw earned an overall B Impact Score of 89.2, above the 80-point certification threshold.What does Steve’s Real Food say the certification validates?
The company says it validates ingredient sourcing, employee benefits, retailer and community support, and nonprofit work through Beyond the Bark.Why does this certification not change raw feeding safety concerns?
The article says AAHA does not endorse raw or dehydrated nonsterilized animal-origin foods, and the FDA, CDC, and AVMA warn about pathogen and other safety risks with raw or undercooked animal-source diets.Has Go Raw had any recent recall activity?
Yes. The article says Go Raw expanded a voluntary recall in June 2026 for one Steve’s Real Food freeze-dried chicken lot because of potentially low thiamine levels.