The Vital Essentials Promise
Our Commitment to Your Family
At Vital Essentials, safety isn’t just a promise- it’s built into everything we do. As pet parents ourselves who feed Vital Essentials to our own dogs and cats, we’ve created one of the industry’s most comprehensive safety systems to protect your pets.
TRACEABLE INGREDIENTS
Every ingredient begins its journey through our rigorous safety system with careful selection:
Animal proteins sourced exclusively from USDA-inspected suppliers certified by Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI).
Required Letter of Guarantee and HACCP control documentation for select ingredients to ensure all specifications are met.
Our Trusted Process
We are proudly America’s largest freeze-drying operations for pet food:
Implements strict Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs).
Follows comprehensive Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Plans and FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Preventative Controls for Animal Food.
Holds multiple third party certifications including GFSI and EU.
Features advanced sanitation protocols to prevent cross-contamination.
Industry-Leading Safety
Our commitment to safety continues through final production:
Implements comprehensive Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOP).
Adheres to FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine's Zero Tolerance guidelines.
Conducts continuous quality control sampling throughout production.
Ensures all specifications are met before release.
Decades of Pet Food Expertise
Our leadership team boasts over 100 years of experience in pet food over many successful brands and goes to great lengths to bring talented, highly qualified individuals to create the best food for your pet.
OUR TEAM OF PET FOOD EXPERTS
Meet the dynamic team of pet food experts behind Vital Essentials’ products.
Our Research & Development/Nutrition team includes a number of nutrition and product quality experts devoted to the freeze-dried pet food space.
Our Operations and Manufacturing teams are comprised of many food safety, quality, and manufacturing professionals. This team's leaders hold multiple degrees and independent certifications in food science, nutrition, quality assurance, and safe manufacturing practices.
Nothing is more important to us than the safety and quality of our products. All of our teams work together to ensure the nutritional soundness and the safety and quality of our products, because we believe your pets deserve the best.
HEATHER GOVEA
Chief Executive Officer
Bachelor of Science - Animal Science
LINDSAY MEYERS
Vice President of Technical Services
NHVTA member from 2006-2024
HACCP & PCQI - Animal Foods
BRETT SIMMONS
Vice President of Operations
20+ years in pet food operations at Carnivore Meat Company
STEVEN JAKEMAN
Director of Research & Development
Bachelor of Science - Food Science
Master of Science - Food Science
ASHLYN LANE
Consumer Experience Manager
Bachelor of Science - Animal Science
BRENT TURNER
Director of Food Safety & Quality Assurance
HACCP & FSPCA- Human and Animal Foods
SURESH D. PILLAI PhD
Safety Advisory Council Member
Professor of Microbiology and Food Safety at Texas A&M
Director of the National Center for Electron Beam Research (NCEBR)
SHIVA GARIMELLA
Safety Advisory Council Member
PhD food scientist and pet nutrition professional with 15+ years across food and companion animal industries