The Nosh Project Dog Food Review: Tested & Evaluated 2024
Written By Eloisa Thomas | Canine Coach, Double M.A in Anthropology.
Edited & Fact Checked By Renae Soppe | B.A Journalism & Science.
Last Updated: 9th January 2024
If you shop at PetBarn, you’ve probably seen this brand a few times. Is it good enough to try? I tested it out for today’s The Nosh Project dog food review, so you have all the info to decide whether it is a good option for your pooch. Here are the basics:
Related: The Best Dog Food Australia.
Related: How To Choose The Right Dog Food?
Related: How Is Australia’s Dog Food Industry Regulated?
Related: What is AAFCO? The Association of American Feed Control Officials.
Related: What Is the Pet Food Industry Association of Australia (PFIAA)?
Related: AAFCO vs PFIAA: Dog Food Standards Comparison Australia.
Related: Understanding Guaranteed Analysis Levels in Dog Food.
Related: Real Meat vs Meat Meal.
Quick Pick - Our Best Rated Dog Food
Our Number 1 Pick -
Petzyo Dog Food
- Ethically sourced Kangaroo, Chicken or Salmon, sweet potato & superfood extras
- Iron-rich & low fat proteins
- Three Omega 3 and 6 rich oils with a well balanced 11% fat content
- Made in Australia
Australia's Nosh Project Dog Food Reviewed
The Nosh Project - 3.75 Star Rating
- Ingredients: Slow cooked chicken recipe: Chicken breast, rice, potato, broccoli, carrots, spinach, chicken liver, vegetable oil, Dog Nourish²⁷ Balance (vitamins, minerals & DHA), psyllium husk.
- Named Protein First: Yes (in most recipes)
- Dog Food Type: Cooked
- Recipe Range: Full balanced meals and meal balancers (vitamin and mineral premix)
- Suitable For: Adult dogs and puppies
- Cost: $$$
- Australian Owned: Yes.
The Nosh Project Dog Food Review | |
|---|---|
Taste | |
Ingredients | |
Protein content | |
Additives | |
Variety | |
Price | |
Taste 5/5
Our testers really liked this food. The Nosh project is similar to what a cooked homemade diet would look like: it has muscle meat, starches, some veggies and some oil. While none of the ingredients are mind-blowing, dogs like them and it shows.
These recipes have no artificial flavourings or preservatives, which is a huge plus in my book. The Australian pet food industry is notoriously unregulated, and there have been past issues with sulphite preservatives in dog food [1]. I loved that The Nosh Project dog food specifically mentions all ingredients are human-grade, since pet-grade ingredients have bare-minimum standards [2].
This food does well in the taste department, so I’m giving it a 5 out of 5.
Ingredients 4/5
The Nosh Project’s ingredient list sounds good. Taking the chicken recipe as a main sample: the first ingredient is chicken breast, followed by rice and potatoes. These three ingredients are the bulk of the food. The rest of the ingredient list is completed by veggies, chicken liver, a vitamin & mineral mix and a few extras.
The overall composition of the food is OK, but there’s nothing particularly amazing about it either. The carb-to-protein ratio is skewed towards carbs, considering two out of the first three main ingredients are starchy. I’d like to see chicken liver higher up the list, to add a bit more animal protein and micronutrients.
That said, this recipe is miles ahead of dry kibble brands that mostly use cheap wheat and corn to fill up your dog. I also appreciate the addition of liver, which unfortunately is still an exception rather than the rule.
I liked the overall composition of the food. However, it’s worth noting this is still a cooked food and it doesn’t offer the same nutritional value as raw or freeze-dried dog food. The chicken recipe is also relatively high in simple carbs (rice & potatoes), so I’d personally recommend adding a homemade meaty topper.
All in all, this is a good option if you’re looking for high-quality ingredients and a base you can tweak. I’m giving The Nosh Project 4 out of 5 in the ingredients category.
Protein content 3/5
Protein-wise, The Nosh Project does OK. Per 100 g, this brand has between 6% and 8% minimum crude protein, with around 2.8% minimum crude fat.
The typical analysis in this food can be complicated to read, especially if you’re comparing dry and wet dog food. This brand specifies a minimum of 8% crude protein. However, since this is a wet food, you can’t compare this percentage with foods of a lower moisture content. To compare with dry dog food, you need to calculate that percentage on a dry matter basis. To do this, we need to divide the protein content (8%) by the dry matter (in this case, 30%). After these calculations, this brand features a respectable 26.6% crude protein. This is well above minimum AAFCO recommendations (18%) and significantly better than most cheap grain-filled kibble.
Related: Understanding Dry Matter In Dog Food.
Some of the recipes also include a moderate amount of chicken liver, which adds a variety of micronutrients and better replicates how your dog would eat “in the wild”.
On another positive note, all protein is also human-grade, which is a nice plus. Pet-grade meats have had a history of containing dangerous levels of sulphites [1], which can cause serious health issues.
Overall, this food is good enough. It would have been better to see innards higher up in the ingredients list. Beware that while most recipes have meat as the first ingredient, some use rice as the main ingredient. I wouldn’t feed those to my dog!
We’re giving this brand 3 out of 5 in this category.
Additives 3/5
Besides the three main ingredients, this brand has added a few extras:
Given that there is a nice mix of additives, we are giving it 3 stars for this category.
Variety 3/5
This brand features several different recipes: chicken, salmon, beef and kangaroo, as well as several specialty recipes for different conditions. Specialty recipes include support for allergies, digestion, weight management and joint pain.
Despite the apparent variety, the actual recipes are quite similar. Protein, rice and potatoes are almost always the bulk of the food, and the vegetable add-ons remain constant across recipes. Only the “extras”, such as glucosamine, “algal oil” and other minimal additions change from one recipe to another.
Since the variety is minimal, we’re taking off 2 stars.
Price 3/5
This food is firmly in the mid-range category. It’s definitely cheaper than the high-end raw dog food brands, but slightly costlier than typical kibble. Considering all ingredients are human-grade, I found the price reasonable. However, I would personally add a protein-rich homemade topper, like extra chicken liver or other innards. When these are factored into the total cost, the price hikes up to the upper mid-range category.
Because of these shortcomings, I’m taking off 2 stars.
Do Not Buy If…
While The Nosh Project can be a good option for many, skip this one if you:
Final Verdict
If you’re buying at Petbarn anyway and are interested in dog food that resembles home-cooked recipes, these are an OK choice. I’d recommend adding a homemade protein as a topper to round up the nutrition and rotate this brand with others to keep your dog nutritionally balanced.
References
- “Are preservatives in dog food a concern?”. RSPCA Knowledge base. Retrieved September 22, 2023. https://kb.rspca.org.au/knowledge-base/are-preservatives-in-pet-food-products-a-concern/
- “How is the pet food industry regulated in Australia?”. RSPCA Knowledge base. Retrieved September 22, 2023. https://kb.rspca.org.au/knowledge-base/how-is-the-pet-food-industry-regulated-in-australia/
