Quality control from ingredients to shipping Safety and Quality of Our Dog Food
Updated 11 November 2026 · CoCo Gourmet editorial team
When people look for a safe, healthy dog food, "made in Japan", "human-grade" and "no additives" come up a lot, but the words alone do not tell you much. This page sets out exactly what they mean for CoCo Gourmet: which additives are not used, where the ingredients come from, where and how the food is cooked, and which checks every pack goes through before it is shipped to Hong Kong.
In short
CoCo Gourmet is fresh dog food made in Japan. The five main frozen recipes use meat, fish and vegetables from Japan, and are cooked in a Japanese factory that makes food for people, under hygiene control based on Japan's Food Sanitation Act and HACCP. They contain no antioxidants, colour fixatives, pH adjusters, preservatives, colourings, flavourings or seasonings, and no wheat, rice or corn. Every product goes through five checks (X-ray, metal detection, sensory, visual and microbial) before shipping. The recipes are supervised by a vet and two other animal nutrition specialists and are complete and balanced to AAFCO 2016 standards.
01 Six facts at a glance
What "made in Japan" covers at CoCo Gourmet
"Made in Japan" can mean only that the last step of production happened there. For the five main frozen recipes of CoCo Gourmet it covers the ingredients, the cooking and the checks.
CoCo Gourmet main recipes (frozen packs)
- Ingredients
- Meat, fish and vegetables from Japan, of the quality sold as food for people
- Factory
- A food factory in Japan that makes meals for people, not a pet food plant
- Additives
- No antioxidants, colour fixatives, pH adjusters, preservatives, colourings, flavourings or seasonings
- Grains
- No wheat, barley or rye, and no rice or corn
- Checks
- X-ray, metal detection, sensory, visual and microbial checks on every product
- Nutrition
- Complete and balanced to AAFCO 2016 standards; supervised by a vet, a U.S. L.V.T. / pet nutritionist and an emeritus professor of Hokkaido University
These points apply to the five main frozen recipes (Chicken & Vegetables, Pork & Broccoli, Fish & Pumpkin, Venison & Beets, Beef & Sweet Potato). For shelf-stable packs, the Care range, dry food and treats, please check the ingredient list of each product.
02 The 7 additives we leave out
"No additives" means these seven are not used
"Additive-free" has no single definition, so it only means something when a brand says which additives it leaves out. The frozen packs of CoCo Gourmet use none of the following seven.
| Not used | What it is generally added for |
|---|---|
| Antioxidants | To slow down the oxidation of fats |
| Colour fixatives | To keep meat looking red |
| pH adjusters | To adjust acidity so food keeps longer |
| Preservatives | To hold back bacteria and mould |
| Colourings | To make the colour look even |
| Flavourings | To add or strengthen smell |
| Seasonings | To add or strengthen taste |
Why are vitamins and minerals on the ingredient list?
CoCo Gourmet is a complete food: with CoCo Gourmet and water, a dog gets the nutrients it needs each day. Meat and vegetables alone do not reach every level in the AAFCO 2016 profile, so the nutrients that fall short are added as vitamins and minerals (calcium, phosphorus, sodium, zinc, iron and others). They are listed after the slash at the end of the ingredient list.
How does it keep without preservatives?
The food is cooked at low temperature and then frozen quickly, so it is the freezer that keeps it, not a preservative. Unopened frozen packs keep for about 18 months at -18°C or below. Once thawed or opened, keep them in the fridge (10°C or below) and use them within 48 hours.
03 Ingredients and where they come from
Meat, fish and vegetables from Japan, with the main origins published
CoCo Gourmet does not use feed-grade raw materials. The meat, fish and vegetables are the kind sold as food for people, and the main production areas of the key ingredients are published.
| Ingredient | Main production areas in Japan |
|---|---|
| Chicken | Miyazaki, Iwate, Nagano, Kagoshima and others |
| Pork | Nagano, Chiba and others |
| Venison | Hokkaido, Mie, Gifu, Nagasaki and others |
| Pollock (cod) | Hokkaido and others |
| Tuna | Shizuoka, Nagasaki and others |
| Sweet potato | Chiba and others |
| Pumpkin | Hokkaido and others |
| Carrot | Hokkaido, Chiba, Ibaraki and others |
| Komatsuna | Ibaraki, Chiba and others |
| Broccoli | Kagoshima, Miyazaki and others |
| Beetroot | Nagano and others |
| Mushrooms | Nagano and others |
Production areas can change with the season and the harvest. The full ingredient list of each recipe, in order of weight, is on the recipe pages.
Each recipe uses several cuts of meat rather than a single one. Chicken & Vegetables, for example, uses breast, tenderloin, liver, heart and skin, so that the nutrients come from the ingredients themselves as far as possible.
Ingredients and quality Compare the 5 recipes
Full ingredient list of each recipe
04 Grain-free and gluten-free
The five main recipes use no wheat, rice or corn
With dogs that have food allergies in mind, the five main recipes are gluten-free (no wheat, barley or rye) and grain-free (no rice, corn or other cereals). The carbohydrates come from sweet potato, pumpkin and other vegetables.
Grain-free does not mean allergy-free. A dog can be allergic to a particular meat or vegetable, and each recipe uses several of them (the venison recipe also contains pork, for example). If your dog has a known allergy, check the full ingredient list and talk to your vet before choosing.
Some products outside the five main recipes contain grains: part of the Care range uses rice flour, and the dry food uses barley, brown rice flour and corn starch.
05 How it is made
Four steps, from recipe to your freezer
- 1Recipe design
- Ingredients are chosen for quality and origin, and the recipes are designed so that nutrients and flavour come from the ingredients rather than from additives. A vet with expertise in nutrition, a U.S. L.V.T. / pet nutritionist and an emeritus professor of Hokkaido University supervise the nutritional balance.
- 2Cooking
- The food is cooked in a factory in Japan that makes ready meals for people, under hygiene control based on Japan's Food Sanitation Act and HACCP (hazard analysis and critical control points). Time and temperature are controlled at each step; the food is cooked at low temperature, then frozen quickly. Sinew is trimmed from the meat and the pieces are cut to a size that small dogs can eat easily.
- 3Checks
- Every product goes through X-ray inspection, metal detection, sensory, visual and microbial checks before it leaves the factory (see the next section).
- 4Storage and delivery
- Frozen packs are stored and delivered frozen. Delivery is free to every district in Hong Kong and normally takes 3–5 working days. Put the packs in the freezer (-18°C or below) as soon as they arrive.
In Japan, pet food is not legally classed as food. CoCo Gourmet is made to the hygiene standards of food for people because it is what a member of the family eats every day.
06 Five checks before shipping
The five checks on every product
| Check | What it looks for |
|---|---|
| X-ray inspection | Hard foreign matter inside the pack, such as bone fragments |
| Metal detection | Metal fragments |
| Sensory check | Whether the smell and appearance are as they should be |
| Visual check | Anything unusual in the look of the pack and its contents |
| Microbial testing | Whether microbial counts are within the standard |
The factory also controls temperature at each step and applies a second sterilisation step.
07 How to judge a dog food
Five things to check on any dog food, Japanese or not
Words such as "natural", "healthy" or "made in Japan" on the front of a pack do not have fixed meanings. These five points on the back of the pack and the brand's website tell you more.
- 1What comes first on the ingredient list?
- Ingredients are normally listed in order of weight. Check whether a named meat or fish comes first, rather than "meat meal" or "by-products" with no species given.
- 2Which additives are left out?
- If a pack only says "no additives", look for the list of what is not used: preservatives, colourings, flavourings, antioxidants and so on.
- 3Where is it made, and in what kind of factory?
- The country of the final step is not the whole story. Look for where the ingredients come from and whether the factory makes pet food or food for people.
- 4Is it a complete food?
- A complete and balanced food (to AAFCO standards, for example) can be fed as the only food with water. Toppers and treats cannot.
- 5What checks does it go through, and how do you store it?
- Look for the checks a brand does before shipping, the best-before date, and how to store the food after opening.
CoCo Gourmet on these five points
A named meat or fish comes first on the ingredient list of every main recipe; seven kinds of additive are not used in the frozen packs; the food is cooked in a factory in Japan that makes food for people; the five main recipes are complete and balanced to AAFCO 2016 standards for all life stages; and every product goes through five checks. Unopened frozen packs keep for about 18 months.
What is fresh dog food? Products and prices Customer reviews
08 FAQs
Safety and quality FAQs
- What does "no additives" mean for CoCo Gourmet?
- The frozen packs of CoCo Gourmet contain no antioxidants, colour fixatives, pH adjusters, preservatives, colourings, flavourings or seasonings. For shelf-stable packs, the Care range, dry food and treats, please check the ingredient list of each product.
- Is CoCo Gourmet really made in Japan?
- Yes. The main recipes use meat, fish and vegetables from Japan and are cooked in a food factory in Japan that makes meals for people. The main production areas of the key ingredients, such as chicken from Miyazaki, Iwate, Nagano and Kagoshima, are published.
- What does "human-grade" mean?
- It means the ingredients are of the quality sold as food for people, and the food is made in a factory for human food to the same hygiene standards. It describes how the food is made; CoCo Gourmet is a dog food formulated for dogs and is not sold as food for people.
- Why are vitamins and minerals listed if there are no additives?
- They are nutrients added to meet the AAFCO 2016 profile for a complete food, because meat and vegetables alone do not reach every level. They are listed after the slash at the end of the ingredient list.
- How long does it keep without preservatives?
- The food is cooked and then frozen quickly. Unopened frozen packs keep for about 18 months at -18°C or below. Once thawed or opened, keep them in the fridge (10°C or below) and use them within 48 hours.
- Is CoCo Gourmet grain-free?
- The five main frozen recipes contain no wheat, barley or rye and no rice or corn. Part of the Care range and the dry food do contain grains, so check the ingredient list of each product.
- What checks does the food go through?
- Every product goes through five checks before shipping: X-ray inspection, metal detection, a sensory check, a visual check and microbial testing. The factory works under hygiene control based on Japan's Food Sanitation Act and HACCP.
- Will my dog eat food with no flavourings or seasonings?
- Low-temperature cooking and quick freezing keep the smell and taste of the ingredients. Warming the food to about body temperature brings out the smell. When switching from dry food, mix in a small amount first and increase it over about 10 days.
- Can puppies and senior dogs eat it?
- Yes. The five main recipes meet the AAFCO 2016 profile for all life stages, so weaned puppies (from about 2 months old) and senior dogs can eat them. The amount depends on age and weight, so check the feeding calculator.
About CoCo Gourmet
CoCo Gourmet is fresh dog food from Japan. The five main recipes are vet-supervised, complete and balanced to AAFCO 2016 standards and made in a human-food factory in Japan, then delivered in 100 g packs with free delivery to every district in Hong Kong.
Start a subscription (7-day money-back) How to try (4-pack and first box) Feeding calculator
![[First-time offer] Trial box](https://hk.coco-gourmet.com/images/globals/hk/common/en/footer_sp_eat_27.png)
12-pack subscription
50%OFF
$14~/meal
