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Copenhagen, Denmark Suitable for all breeds of dogs
Click here for more info.
In general, unless your dog has health issues, you probably won't have to worry about these figures. Click here for more information
Mixing bowl composition
This is the ingredients list as printed on the packaging or manufacturer's website.
Think of the 'mixing bowl' composition like a recipe - all the ingredients you would need to put in a 'mixing bowl' in order to make the food.
Ingredients have to be listed in descending order of their weight so the higher it appears, the more there is.
Highlighted ingredients
Ingredients that we believe to be controversial or inferior are highlighted in yellow with particularly low grade, highly contentious or excessively vague ingredients in red.
As fed composition
While the 'mixing bowl' composition is useful for knowing what went into the food, it doesn't always reflect what your dog is actually eating. This is because the processes that turn the ingredients into the finished pet food can significantly alter the relative weights of the ingredients.
For this reason we've calculated the approximate 'as fed' percentages for the main ingredient categories in the finished product.
Please note that these figures are very approximate. They are estimates based on the information provided by the manufacturer in the ingredients list so the clearer the terminology and the more percentages they provide, the more accurate our estimates will be. Wherever information is lacking, we always assume the worst.
Ingredient categories
◉ Meat ingredients: includes all meat and fish ingredients except isolated fats/oils.
◉Added oils and fats: includes all isolated oil and fat ingredients.
◉ Carb-rich ingredients: includes all ingredients derived from grains, pseudo-grains, potatoes and other starchy root vegetables, sweet potato and legumes (except whole peas which are categorised under fruit and veg) except for isolated protein and extracted oils. Also includes fibre supplements.
◉ Fruit and veg: includes all whole vegetables and fruits.
◉ Other: all other ingredients. Mostly made up by nutritional supplements and additives.
For more information on any ingredient, please take a look at our Dog Food Ingredient Glossary
The dry matter level of a nutrient is the percentage there would be in the food if all of the water was removed.
With water taken out of the equation, these figures allow the nutrient levels of foods of different types (like wet and dry) to be compared on an even playing field.
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77 out of 100 - Good
Our unique product ratings are calculated based on a number of characteristics including the quality and quantity of the stated ingredients, certain nutritional and technological additives and the processing methods used to create the food. They are designed to indicate how beneficial we think a food is likely to be for the majority of dogs when fed on a daily basis for an extended period. Click here for more information
Country of origin: United Kingdom
A technological additive is any substance added to a pet food "for a technological purpose and which favourably affects the characteristics of feed".
The most common categories of technological additives include preservatives and antioxidants, gelling agents and thickeners and probiotics.
While the primary effects of technoloical additives are certainly 'favourable' (increased shelf life in the case of preservatives & antioxidants, better food texture and consistency in the case of gelling agents and thickeners etc.) some have been linked to health problems in pets and should be treated with caution.
Unfortunately, many technological additives do not have to be declared by the manufacturer so just because they do not appear on the label does not necessarily mean they are not in the food. If in doubt, ask the manufacturer directly exactly what technological additives their foods contain.
arst06d• 7 months ago
I've been using Essential Nautical Living for several years now. I always check the rating on this site - and it has now dropped to below 80%.
Perhaps AADF could show the progression of the ratings per product as it re-tests periodically, and provide the reasons for the change up or down?
Robbie Londoner• 11 months ago
Our Dog has been on essential food from a puppy, we always get comments on about how shiny her coat is and how fit and toned she looks, even our Vet asked what are we feeding her. I would highly recommend Essential. If you work out the amount of feed your dog should get a day (Essential guide) the price works out very reasonable.
LucyL1234• one year ago
Could I please ask. I have heard alot about grain free foods using legumes instead but this can give heart problems apparently. Is there alot of legumes in this product
Paws galore • one year ago
My dogs were on Essential for years, despite the £10 PER BAG price increase this year I still carried on as it’s such a good food however 3 times this year alone, my dogs were without food because of their diabolical delivery system or ingredients were out of stock but they don’t tell you they’re out of stock, you only know when you contact them saying where’s my delivery?! They blame it on couriers/they’ve updated couriers/it’s only a recent thing but it’s not it happens nearly everytime an order is placed. Their food might be too notch but my dogs running out of food is not acceptable. After years of being on this food I changed them all onto Akela, the main attraction of this diet is that it’s based in the UK but it’s quicker to get food from Canada!
Julie Campbell• 2 years ago
I wonder if you could clarify: I’ve always assumed that Essentials is a British product, but recently noticed that it’s HQ is in Denmark… am I buying (and paying more , perhaps?) a British or a European product?
All About Dog Food
Julie Campbell• 2 years ago
Hi Julie. Essential Foods is a Danish company but they have their dry foods made in a factory in Lancashire, UK. I hope that helps.
Julie Campbell
All About Dog Food• 2 years ago
Thank you!
Frank Middleton• 2 years ago
My springer poodle cross moved to this at 12 months in the hope the fish content would head off any future digestive problems. Five years on and she now eats the large kibble with no digestive problems for this active dog. Buying off the website gets a following day delivery.
It a good product for us.
Tilly• 2 years ago
Nautical is a very good food . I bought the large kibble by mistake but my jack Russells and chihuahua managed to eat it . No problems at all ☺️ I bought the fish
Amy Sue• 3 years ago
Switched my 20 month old GSD from AVA large breed junior to Essential foods a couple of weeks ago as I found the quality of the AVA large breed adult dropped in quality. So far she is loving it, licking the bowl clean with enthusiasm. Her fur is looking super shiny which i'm sure is the new food. The kibble actually smells nice, like real meat and a bit fruity. My only gripe is that the kibble size is tiny but I did buy the small taster bags to try out. The quality of the food and ingredients are excellent for the price. It's not cheap but not crazy expensive and I know I am feeding a good quality diet so it's worth it. currently i mix the essential with a good quality complete meat tray, such as Forthglade. I also add an egg once a week, and some tinned fish in olive oil such as mackerel, sardine or salmon. She hasn't tried her bag of nautical living just yet, but she loves fish so I'm sure it will be a winner
Dad• 4 years ago
In 2020 the web site is undergoing change and offers a smaller product range. This product in large pellet is not currently offered but the small pellet is. This may change as time goes on. The product is also OOS at Amazon at this time.
Sarah Palmer• 5 years ago
This product contains rosemary, although their website does not state it on the ingredients it is pictured as an ingredient on the back of the packaging. I ordered it and then noticed the image and a salesperson confirmed the presence of rosemary. Had to cancel my order - hoping I get a refund.
Eddie Harkin
Sarah Palmer• 3 years ago
What is wrong with Rosemary?