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Dog food brand shakes up sector with ‘human-quality’ meat

UK pet food startup Years designs its premium meals based on a dog’s breed, life stage, and health, using wholefood recipes and clear plastic packaging.

“Years started with loss,” Tom O’Mara, online marketing manager at Years, told Ingredients Network. When Darren, the brand’s founder, lost his dog, Bracken, he reflected and realised he had never questioned what was in her bowl. He had trusted the big brands, trusted the marketing and not looked beyond the label.

“The deeper he dug into the pet food industry, the worse it got,” O’Mara said.

The inspiration behind Years came after Darren saw how fresh and raw brands were charging premium prices for low-grade ingredients.

“Labels like ‘chicken mince’ designed to sound good while hiding the truth,” said O’Mara. “Most of the industry was built around marketing, not nutrition.”

That frustration became the startup’s mission: to provide an alternative to dog food buyers and their pets. Darren teamed up with Ivan, and together they brought in Luke, a chef who had developed food for brands like household names M&S and Charlie Bigham's, along with a canine nutritionist.

“The brief was simple: create food that genuinely puts dogs' health first. Real, wholefood ingredients. No cheap fillers. No misleading claims,” said O’Mara.

Increasingly, pet owners want foods that support their pets’ health, and consider the nutritional profile of the products available. Protein is a popular pet food product claim, with pet owners prioritising functional health in their purchases.

According to Innova Market Insights, gut health is the leading claim, followed by microbiome health. Between 2024 and 2025, brands launched 63 pet food patents for gut health.

Using ‘human quality’ meat for dogs

Years’ recipes are made with fresh wholefood ingredients and named, ‘human quality meat’ such as salmon fillet or forequarter steak. Describing its recipes as “nutritionally-complete”, O’Mara added these are “ingredients you would eat yourself”. The ingredients do not contain derivatives or vague ‘animal protein’, and there are no preservatives or additives.

The recipes also contain vegetables, chosen for specific functional benefits. The brand formulates with fibre for digestion, vitamins for coat health and seek to provide natural energy support. Each ingredient is listed on Years’ meals, along with the percentages it contains, in an effort to provide full transparency to consumers.

“Everything is formulated to be complete and balanced, so owners can save money without needing supplements,” said O’Mara. Years’ meals are freshly steamed inside of the tray, as a way to lock in all of the nutrients. This approach means consumers can open the pack and see exactly what their dog is eating.

Years is built for dog owners who care about what goes into their dog's bowl. “People who read labels, question ingredients and refuse to settle for heavily processed food just because that's what the pet aisle has always offered,” said O’Mara.

The brand aims to give those owners fresh, premium dog food made with named ingredients, and pre-portioned meals to give their dog exactly what they need. “Good nutrition that's easy to access and easy to trust,” O’Mara added.

Factoring in footprint

Sustainability is a consideration at Years and features in its operations. “Years is one step closer to being carbon-free with over 300 solar panels helping power the creation of dog’s meals,” O’Mara said.

As it matures as a business, the brand is taking further sustainable steps, relating to responsible sourcing, tight production to minimise waste and packaging designed to do its job – protecting freshness and shelf life – without unnecessary excess.

“Packaging hasn't been solved overnight, but the business is actively working on more sustainable solutions as materials and technology improve,” O’Mara added.