The Nosh Project Dog Food Review

WebsiteThe Nosh Project
Available fromDelivery or click and collect from Petbarn.

The Nosh Project is a big hit with people who shop at Petbarn, especially with all the hype around human grade raw dog foods.

Truth be told, The Nosh Project is one of your best options if this is where you shop, with numerous benefits over some of the biscuits on the neighbouring shelves.

In Australia we really suffer from lack of standards in pet foods, and I lose count of the number of terrible brands of kibble we have. Choosing a human grade dog food, such as The Nosh Project, gives you assurances many pet foods don’t.

However, it has to be said this food isn’t as good as others in the human grade raw dog food category, but it doesn’t cost as much either.

If you’re looking for a more affordable “human grade” dog food, or you’re a die hard Petbarn fan, then The Nosh Project could be for you (or more correctly, your dog).

Let’s take a more in-depth look:

The Nosh Project Reviewed!

What the marketing says

You know I love to be cynical when it comes to pet food marketing, so lets get the grilling out of the way.

When you search Google for “The Nosh Project” this is what you’ll read:

The Nosh Project - Human Grade Dog Food

Those few words really hit the spot in terms of marketing, and many Aussie dog owners will be instantly convinced it’s a great product, right?

Of course, because that’s what marketing is there for. But what does this really mean?

  • Human grade dog food – This is a plus in my book. There’s a lot of controversy in Australia about “pet grade” ingredients, and a lot of dubious questions with the Australian standards in that respect. We’ve seen some horrible episodes with pet grade meats over the years, such as the horse meat scandal in 2021 where Maffra Knackery and other retailers in VIC were selling toxic horse meat, the ABC 7.30 report in 2018 where we helped expose the truth about the Australian pet food industry, plastic ear-tags in pet food, and a few years prior I recall issues with excessive sulphite preservatives in pet mince. These events have led to Australian consumers, such as you and I, to favour “Human Grade” pet food products. However, more on the “human grade” ingredients in The Nosh Project later.
  • Aussie ingredients – I lived in the UK half of my life, and Australia the other half (not counting a brief stint in the middle of the frozen Gobi desert). One thing which can be said for us Aussies is we’re very proud of who we are, and we love to support Australian products and produce. Aussie ingredients is such a big selling point when it comes to making a choice for our dogs. On many occasions people tell me they’ll only feed an Australian pet food for that very reason.
  • Developed by pet nutritionists – This really sounds impressive, and we implicitly trust professionals in the field to formulate the food which will keep our dogs active and healthy for years to come. You may be surprised, however, that I became a certified pet nutritionist (CPD Accredited) in less than a day. According to The Nosh Project website, the food is also “backed by science”.

That covers the main aspects of the marketing, so let’s take a look at the ingredients. It’s the ingredients which tell the real story about a pet food.

What the ingredients really say

I’ll start by saying there are valid reasons why you may choose The Nosh Project for your dog. It’s a better dog food than many, you may find it more affordable than others, and there’s reinsurance with it being human grade.

That puts The Nosh Project ahead of most of the competition.

The Nosh Project Dog Food Review

When writing a review such as this, with the aim of exposing the real truth about a dog food, it can sometimes come across as negative. Keep in mind, compared to most dry dog foods, any human grade raw has clear benefits.

What is the key point you must know about the ingredients in The Nosh Project dog foods?

All of The Nosh Project recipes (or bowls) have a similar formulation. With each on you’ll find meat as the first ingredient. Note I say first ingredient rather than main ingredient. This ticks our box of meat is good for our dogs, as we all think of them as meat eaters. We often read the first ingredient and believe it’s the main ingredient, which isn’t true.

The next ingredients matter as they can be in the exact same amount, and in The Nosh Project these are rice and potato. It’s possible (and likely) these outweigh the meat ingredient 2 to 1, and later in the “Analysis” section I’ll back this up with some boring maths (if you’re interested).

This may make you wonder why you’re paying such a high price per kilo?

At the time of writing this food is more expensive per kilo than Salmon fillet steaks, which you’ll know to be more expensive than rice and potato, although there’s some merit as you’re buying a complete and balanced dog food with all required nutrients to support your dog’s health.

I consider rice and potato fine in moderation, but when fed in excess on a daily basis may not be the best for your meat-loving dog. Carbs aren’t overly natural for a dog to eat, especially in significant amounts. Keep that in mind if you’re feeding The Nosh Product daily to your dog.

Personally, if it were me and my dog, I would feed this as part of the diet alongside some other foods (why not some fresh meat, organs, and raw meaty bones for good measure?)

The Nosh Project Dog Food Review

We read earlier The Nosh Project is formulated by pet nutritionists, but for what reason?

We must not forget products are designed to make a profit, which is the primary aim for all pet foods.

Some formulas favour the dog (often with a higher price tag) and some are designed to appeal to consumers for the price they can afford (which often means cheaper ingredients to target that price point).

Meat ingredients are expensive, and potato and rice are cheap. For your dog you want meat more than rice and potato. Petbarn know their consumers, and know they can be priced out of the market if they sold a food 100% raw meat, organs, and bone, with a whopping price tag. Hence the compromise.

Right, I think I’ve driven that point home enough. Lets focus on the benefits.

Let’s take stock and remember this dog food is human grade, which is a plus. We also find broccoli, carrots, and spinach, which are beneficial to your dog. It’s also great to see chicken liver which is excellent for dogs, and sadly not in many dog foods. Consider that a big plus.

Included are 27 vitamins, minerals, and DHA (an omega 3 fatty acid). These are all good, and also required to make The Nosh Project a “complete and balanced” dog food as per AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) requirements for adult maintenance or growth.

There are no added colours, preservatives, or flavourings, which is a really good point to end on.

Overall The Nosh Project as a human grade food should provide your dog with a safe and reliable meal. Keep in mind the formula more likely favours rice and potato over meat, but the benefit here is the price will more likely suit your budget. If that’s the case, consider feeding some fresh meats, organs, and tasty raw meaty bones alongside this dog food, which will serve to add nutrition and keep the costs affordable.

Where to buy

You can order The Nosh Project directly from Petbarn and have it delivered or click-and-collect.


If this review of The Nosh Project has helped, please help by sharing it – this helps spread the truth, the stuff marketing departments don’t tell you.

Other questions about The Nosh Project

What about Nourish 27 Balance?

The Nourish 27 essential meal balancer can be bought as a supplement, designed to be added to a fresh food recipe (available on The Nosh Project website). This is the “Nourish 27” component found in The Nosh Project dog food bowls. It’s an interesting concept, being the vitamin and mineral premix found in almost all dog foods, but sold as a separate product. This may be an option for you if you want to ensure you cover the essential nutrients when feeding a home made raw or fresh diet to your dog.

Who owns The Nosh Project?

The Nosh Project is a pet food brand exclusive to Petbarn and Greencross Vets, an integrated pet-focused company inclusive of over 130 veterinary practices and 200 retail outlets in Australasia.

Ingredients

The ingredients of The Nosh Project dog food (Slow Cooked Chicken Bowl for Dogs):

Chicken breast, rice, potato, broccoli, carrots, spinach, chicken liver, Nourish 27 (vitamins, minerals & DHA), vegetable oil, psyllium husk and salt.

Analysis

To gain an idea of carbohydrates in The Nosh Project dog food we can use our method of calculation. Using the figures stated below we can assume composition after moisture and ash is removed will be 28.5% (100% – 70% moisture – 1.5% ash). Of this 8% (min) will be crude protein, 2.8% (min) will be crude fat, which would leave 17.7% carbohydrates (or perhaps a little less when we account for protein and fat as minimum percentages).

That may not sound a great deal of carbohydrates compared to dry foods, but we’re dealing with wet percentages here (a lot of moisture). Consider it another way, and the carbohydrates would be double that of protein, which further justifies our assumption the rice and potato outweigh the meat 2 to 1.

These are the analysis figures for The Nosh Project dog food (Slow Cooked Chicken Bowl for Dogs), listed as composition (average as fed):

Protein8% (min)
Fat2.8% (min)
Crude Fibre0.5% (max)
Carbohydrates *Estimated 17.7% (wet, accounting for 70% moisture and 1.5% ash)

* May be estimated. Read how to calculate carbohydrates in a pet food.

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8.6 Total Score
The Nosh Project Dog Food Review

When it comes to human grade or raw dog foods The Nosh Project isn't as good as others, but it isn't as expensive either. But if you're looking for a decent base diet for your dog which comes with much more assurances in quality and safety than the many "pet grade" offerings then this might be a good choice for you (sorry, your dog, not you).

PROS
  • Human grade
  • Inclusion of liver
  • No added preservatives, colours, or flavours.
CONS
  • Keep in mind The Nosh Project formulas are one meat to two non-meat ingredients, rice and potato.
David D'Angelo

David D'Angelo has worked as a scientist since graduating with a BSc (Hons) in 2000. In addition, David holds a CPD accredited Diploma in Pet Nutrition as well as being CPD accredited VSA (Veterinary Support Assistant). However, his experience and involvement in the pet food industry for 15+ years has given true insight into pet food, formulations, science, research, and pet food marketing. Facebook | LinkedIn | Instagram | Pinterest

7 Comments
  1. It’s better than kibble, but not very good quality compared to other options on the market- very high in carbs & hard to digest for dogs.

  2. You have suggested using the meal balancer vitamins and mineral supplement with your own food, but how would you know how to balance it?

  3. Hi. Tried Nosh for my senior dog. She hated it. It smelt awful and looked gross. She took a mouthful and spat it out.

  4. When you look at the vitamin content of the nourish balance puppy powder the values are so low eg 800 mg per 300 g tub . It’s laughable. It’s basically a expensive tub of fillers .
    Other brands such as vit i5 have 15 g calcium per 100 g powder.

  5. Rescue female boxer, not highly food motivated and shes underweight.
    Trying hard to make her eat her daily allowance is difficult.
    We are feeding her organ meats/mix and also premium air dried food.
    When she finishes her “main meal” we give her a treat, and thats the Nosh stuff.
    I actually got it half price as an experiment, she licks the bowl clean. Whatever is in this stuff, she loves it.

  6. Thank you for reviewing the nosh project. We have been big fans of Lyka for the past 2/3 years but with the cost of living at the moment we have had to reconsider. Purchasing the nosh food would still be too dear, but the option of cooking their recipes and buying the Nourish 27 powder offers some reassurance that I’m not skipping any important minerals/vitamins. Now that I’ve read your review, I’m thinking of adding in a few extra chicken breast/liver pieces to increase the protein component.

    • For a while now I have been cooking home cooked dog food for my lab’s dinner as our male lab needs to do number 2’s overnight if he has kibble for dinner, but not with home cooked food. I will start adding in the Nourish 27 powder too I think. I had a look at the recipes on the Nosh Project website and the protein amount is very slim (7-8% in the recipes) with a high amount of carbs, so keep that in mind if you start making home cooked dog food. Lentils are high in fibre and protein and could be used instead of potato, although I’d reduce the amount as the recipe is high in carbs. I’d also reduce the amount of rice by half. Also, the fat content is low in these recipes. I like to add a few eggs at the end for a bit of extra fat. That’s just how I make our dogs food.

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