Bug Bakes

Bug Bakes Grain Free review

Name: Bug Bakes Grain Free
Brand: Bug Bakes

63.4/100Good

Cold pressedPuppyAdult

A cold-pressed food built on insect, which makes it one of the genuinely different labels on the shelf. Low-temperature pressing keeps the pellets soft enough to crumble in water. It sits in our Good band, and the starch from potato is what holds it there.

Where to buy: coming soon

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Our view

Likely to suit

Dogs who cannot get on with the common meats
Owners after a lighter-footprint protein in a complete food
Fast eaters. Pressed pellets break down in water where baked kibble swells
A puppy and an adult in the same house, as one bag is labelled for both
Grain-free plans, with potato and sweet potato in place of cereals

Worth watching

Starch above the middle of the cold-pressed field
Glucosamine, which is usually made from shellfish
Insect named only as insect, and no second protein to fall back on if your dog refuses it

Written by our editorial team. Independent guidance, not veterinary advice.

How this scores

How we score

63.4/100Good

Protein and processingGood

Nutritional balanceAverage

TransparencyOutstanding

ValueGood

The details

Dog fit

Listed for puppies and adults of every size. Pellets are denser than kibble, so weigh the first few meals while you get your eye in.

Food type

Cold pressed

Life stage

Puppy, Adult

Breed size

Toy, Small, Medium, Large, Giant

The score, in context

Bug Bakes Grain Free 63.4

All one Good. Typical dry food: Good.

Starch keeps it nearer the middle of its band, while the novel protein and a well-percentaged list hold it comfortably there.

What's in it

Insect (meal and oil)33%28% meal, 5% oil, and the only animal source in the bag. The species is not named.
Potato27%Carries the bulk of the starch.
Sweet potato8%
Peas5%A little plant protein and fibre.
Apple, carrot4% each
Linseed, beet pulp4% eachOmega 3 from the linseed, gentle fibre from the beet pulp.
Vegetable gravy, minerals, vitamins4%The 4% is the gravy.
Brewers yeast, seaweed1% each
Blueberry, prebiotic MOS, chicory root extractMOS and chicory feed the gut bacteria.
Glucosamine, chondroitin400mg/kg, 200mg/kgA printed figure for the joint pair. Glucosamine is generally made from shellfish.

Vitamins A, D and E with chelated copper, iron, zinc and manganese, the more available form, plus yeast-grown selenium.

No moisture figure on the panel, so the dry matter readings rest on the standard assumption for a pressed food.

Named ingredients

Insect 33% (28% meal, 5% oil), Potato 27%, Sweet Potato 8%, Peas 5%, Apple 4%, Carrot 4%, Linseed 4%, Beet Pulp 4%, Vegetable Gravy 4%, Minerals, Vitamins, Brewers Yeast 1%, Seaweed 1%, Blueberry, Prebiotic MOS, Chicory Root Extract, Glucosamine 400mg/kg, Chondroitin 200mg/kg. Insect Protein, Carrots, Apples, Joint Care, Linseed, Blueberries, Seaweed.

Against the range

Insect is the only animal protein in the bag, at 33% as meal and oil. Potato and sweet potato carry the starch in place of cereals, and nearly every entry on the list carries a percentage.

Nutritional analysis

Declared analysis

Energy

354 kcal/100g

Protein

25%

Fat

11%

Fibre

Ash

Dry weight

Protein

27.2%

Fat

12%

Fibre

5.4%

Ash

7.6%

Carbs

47.8%

As-fed composition

Estimated breakdown of the finished product by ingredient category, from the declared ingredient list and ingoing weights. These are estimates, not measurements.

Meat

33.3%

Added water

Carbs

44%

Veg

9.5%

Other

9.2%

Pricing & size