The short answer: it’s not really raw. While raw meat is usually contaminated with pathogens like salmonella, e. coli, and campylobacter, good raw food companies use pasteurizing techniques like high-pressure processing, which ruptures the cell walls of single-celled pathogens but leaves the molecular structure of compounds like proteins, enzymes, vitamins, and minerals intact, unlike cooking. “Cooking kills some of the natural vitamins and antioxidants and changes the structure of the proteins,” says Susan Wynn, DVM, a nutritionist for BluePearl Georgia Veterinary Specialists who also consults for Nature’s Variety pet food company. Wynn says another nutritional benefit of avoiding traditionally processed food is that it won’t be contaminated by acrylamides and other toxins that form on cooking surfaces like grills and Teflon pans and hide out in cooked kibble.
