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Essential Foods · dry

Essential Older review

DryAdultSeniorGrain freeNaturalJoint careFussy eatersDigestion
Very good

A genuinely strong dry food. 34% declared meat content is respectable, and the label tells you exactly what is inside. Feeding it costs about £1.57 a day for a typical adult dog - the breakdown below shows exactly what that buys.

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Top 25%scores higher than 75% of rated foodsacross all 3530 foods we've scored
Very goodscore bandthe dot marks where it sits among every food we've rated
£1.57 approx.per day for a 15 kg dogcheaper than 6% of dry foods
34%declared meat content
345kcal per 100 g

Where the points went

The full breakdown, exactly as the algorithm scored it. How our rating works

Ingredient quality
Weighted ingredient quality 71/100 across 34 ingredients (declared percentages used for 5, position estimates for the rest).
28.5 / 40
Label clarity
Every ingredient individually named (+5); percentages cover 78% of the recipe (+4.7); meat sources named (+2); recipe reads as a fixed formula (+2).
13.7 / 15
Additives
No artificial colours, flavours, controversial preservatives or added sugars found.
10 / 10
Red flags
No red-flag ingredients.
0 / 0
Meat content
Meat content ~77.8% fresh-equivalent (added up from every named meat on the label; dried meats counted at their fresh weight).
15 / 15
Nutritional balance
Estimated carbohydrate 33% dry matter (moderate); fat 15.3% DM in the healthy band; fibre 4.9% DM (+2); ash 8.7% DM - sensible mineral load (+1.5); functional extras: omega-3 source, pre/probiotics, joint support, named botanicals (+2).
9.1 / 10
Processing
Assumed extruded kibble (standard high-heat process).
6 / 10
ODF Score
Algorithm v1.4.0 · scored July 28, 2026 · full methodology public
82 / 100

Our analysis

Breaking the 82 down: the biggest single loss is ingredient quality, where it takes 28.5 of a possible 40. Its strongest showing is declared meat content at 15 of 15.

The label declares 34% meat, which is a real number, which already puts it ahead of the many that print none, and the ingredient list names things individually rather than hiding them in catch-all categories.

At about £1.57 a day to feed a 15kg dog, the question is not whether it is cheap but whether the label justifies the price - and on our scoring, it broadly does.

Ingredients

Straight from the label, grouped by role - every ingredient is coloured by our published classification and links to its full page.

Meat & fish

Fresh Chicken and Duck 34%Dried Chicken and Duck 32%Fresh Salmon and Trout 7%Chicken Liver Gravy 2%

Fruit & veg

Sweet PotatoPotatoPeasLucerne SproutPea FibreCranberryAcaiBlueberryMulberryAppleTomatoOrangePearCarrotSpinachCauliflowerSeaweed

Supplements & extras

Fresh Whole Egg 3%LinseedVitaminsMineralsMOSFOSGlucosamineChondroitinMSMMarigoldGinsengGreen TeaGinger
Good qualityAcceptable / watch the amountRed flagGeneric / neutralOutlined = first five on the label

Feeding & cost

What a bag actually costs to feed - worked out per dog, not per pack.

Pack sizeRRPPer kg
10 kg£75.00£7.50

How heavy is your dog?

A typical 15 kg adult dog needs about 210 g a day = £1.58 / day, £48.03 / month.

How we work this out
  1. Energy: an adult dog at rest needs about 95 × weight0.75 kcal a day (the FEDIAF maintenance formula - a 15 kg dog works out near 725 kcal).
  2. Portion: divide that by this food's energy density, 345 kcal/100g, to get the grams above - a denser food needs fewer grams.
  3. Cost: multiply the grams by this food's price, £7.50 / kg, for the daily cost, then by 30.4 days for the month.

Estimates scale to your dog's weight and the food's calorie density - a denser food needs fewer grams. A rough guide; always follow the pack. Try the full feeding calculator

Nutrition

Declared analysis converted to a dry-matter basis, so wet and dry foods compare fairly.

Protein

38.3 % DM
Directory average: 28.2

Fat

15.3 % DM
Directory average: 14.9

Est. carbs

32.8 % DM
Directory average: 45.1

Fibre

4.9 % DM
Directory average: 3.7

Ash

8.7 % DM
Directory average: 7.9

Energy

345 kcal/100g
Directory average: 374

Carbohydrates are estimated: 100% minus protein, fat, fibre, ash and moisture.

Similar foods that score higher

Same type and life stage, better ODF Score, comparable price per day.

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This is label analysis, not veterinary advice - if your dog has a health condition, talk to your vet before switching foods.

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