All-Day Buffet is our everyday complete dry food. Its only animal protein is black soldier fly larvae, a protein almost no dog in the UK has eaten before, and it contains no chicken, beef, lamb, fish, dairy, wheat or soya. It suits dogs that react to the common proteins in conventional dog food. It is not the right choice for a dog that reacts to pea or potato.
This page goes through what is in it, ingredient by ingredient, what each one is there for, and who it does and doesn't suit.
What is All-Day Buffet made from?
Here is the full composition, in the order it appears on the label, with what each ingredient is there to do.
| Ingredient | Amount | Why it's there |
|---|---|---|
| Insect (black soldier fly larvae): dehydrated 15%, freshly prepared 15% | 30% | The only animal protein in the recipe |
| Sweet potato | 17.5% | Main carbohydrate source |
| Potato, potato protein | 10%, 8.9% | Carbohydrate and plant protein |
| Whole lentils, pea protein | 8.9%, 4.9% | Plant protein and fibre |
| Apple | 4% | Fruit fibre |
| Beet pulp | 3% | Fibre |
| Vegetable digest | 3% | Flavour |
| Minerals | Not stated | To make the food nutritionally complete |
| Sunflower oil | 4% | Fat and omega-6 |
| Whole linseed | 2% | Fibre and plant omega-3 |
| Superfood & Joint Blend: spinach 0.1%, broccoli, parsley 0.1%, beetroot, blueberry, pomegranate, oregano, thyme and fennel (0.05% each), MSM 0.04%, chondroitin 0.02% | Under 1% in total | Small amounts of plant ingredients, plus MSM and chondroitin (see below) |
| Seaweed meal | 0.2% | Natural source of minerals |
| Mannan-oligosaccharides (MOS) | 0.2% | Prebiotic fibre |
| Chicory root extract (FOS) | 0.1% | Prebiotic fibre |
| Yucca schidigera extract | 0.045% | Plant extract (see below) |
It is grain-free and made in the UK. Vitamins A, D3 and E and the trace elements zinc, iron, manganese, copper, iodine and selenium are added so the food is nutritionally complete.
Why black soldier fly larvae?
Because it is a protein your dog has almost certainly never eaten. Most dogs with a food allergy react to a protein they have eaten before, and the ones identified most often are beef, dairy and chicken (Mueller, Olivry & Prélaud, BMC Veterinary Research, 2016). A protein a dog has never met makes a pre-existing reaction very unlikely.
Novel is not the same as allergen-free. Any protein can cause a reaction, and our allergies page explains what that means in practice.
On digestibility, the evidence in dogs is good. In a 28-day trial of 56 adult dogs, protein digestibility on black soldier fly diets ran between 87.9% and 89.6%, no different from a control diet without insect protein (Freel, McComb & Koutsos, Journal of Animal Science, 2021). Our Knowledge Hub sets out what the research does and does not show.
What do the prebiotics, MSM and chondroitin do?
They are there for specific reasons, in amounts we would rather state than talk up.
- MOS and FOS (0.2% and 0.1%) are prebiotic fibres: carbohydrates that dogs can't digest themselves but that bacteria in the gut can use.
- MSM and chondroitin are compounds commonly used in joint supplements. At 0.04% and 0.02%, every 100g of food contains 40mg of MSM and 20mg of chondroitin. That is a small amount. All-Day Buffet is not a joint supplement, and if joint support is a priority our senior dogs and joints page explains what we add elsewhere.
- Yucca schidigera extract (0.045%) is a plant extract widely added to dog food with the aim of reducing stool odour. We have not tested that effect in this recipe.
The blueberry, pomegranate and other plant ingredients in the Superfood & Joint Blend are each present at 0.05% to 0.1%. We list them because they are in the recipe, not because amounts that small do anything we can measure.
What are the nutritional values?
| Analytical constituent | Per 100g |
|---|---|
| Crude protein | 26.5% |
| Crude fat | 9% |
| Crude fibre | 4% |
| Crude ash | 7.5% |
| Moisture | 8% |
| Calcium | 1.4% |
| Omega-3 | 1.1% |
| Omega-6 | 7.6% |
| Energy | 350 kcal |
The feeding amounts on the pack are a starting point for a dog at a healthy weight. Adjust them to keep your dog in good shape, and if your vet has set a calorie target, follow your vet.
Is All-Day Buffet hypoallergenic?
Our packaging calls it hypoallergenic, and we mean it in one defined sense: the recipe is built to leave out the ingredients dogs most commonly react to. It uses one novel animal protein and contains no chicken, beef, lamb, fish, dairy, wheat or soya.
Here is exactly what we mean by hypoallergenic: There’s no single agreed definition of “hypoallergenic” for dog food, so here’s what we mean when we use it on our packaging and product pages: the recipe is built to leave out the ingredients dogs most commonly react to. Our complete foods use one novel animal protein, black soldier fly larvae, and contain no chicken, beef, lamb, fish, dairy, wheat or soya.It describes what’s in the recipe, not a guaranteed outcome.
It describes the recipe, not a guaranteed outcome. No controlled trial has yet tested insect protein in dogs with confirmed food allergy, and any ingredient can cause a reaction in a dog that is sensitive to it. For more on what the word does and doesn't mean, see what is hypoallergenic dog food?
Who is All-Day Buffet for, and who should choose something else?
It suits dogs that have reacted to conventional proteins such as beef, dairy or chicken, and owners who want an everyday complete food built around a single novel protein.
Choose Good Gut Grub instead if your dog reacts to pea or potato. All-Day Buffet contains pea protein, potato and lentils. Good Gut Grub contains no pea or potato, using tapioca and fava bean instead, and is formulated for sensitive digestion.
Speak to your vet first if your dog is under veterinary care for a skin or gut condition, or is part-way through an elimination diet. All-Day Buffet is not a prescription diet and has not been clinically tested as a treatment for food allergy or any other condition. You can also book a free consultation with our vet.
How do I switch my dog to All-Day Buffet?
Gradually, mixing it into your dog's current food over a week or two rather than swapping overnight. Stools often change for a while after any change of diet, and that is usually the switch rather than the food. Our guide to why your dog may poop more after switching food covers what is normal and when to call your vet.
References
- Mueller, R.S., Olivry, T. and Prélaud, P. (2016). Critically appraised topic on adverse food reactions of companion animals (2): common food allergen sources in dogs and cats. BMC Veterinary Research, 12, 9. doi:10.1186/s12917-016-0633-8
- Freel, T.A., McComb, A. and Koutsos, E.A. (2021). Digestibility and safety of dry black soldier fly larvae meal and black soldier fly larvae oil in dogs. Journal of Animal Science, 99(3), skab047. doi:10.1093/jas/skab047
