Frequently Asked Questions
Products
Why Should You Choose An Ethical And Sustainable Pet Food Like Yora
Yora is ethical, sustainable and the most innovative pet food on the market, providing a natural, balanced and delicious food for dogs and cats of all sizes and ages. You could even say we’re the leading experts in sourcing sustainable ingredients – our grubs are one of the most digestible and nutritious forms of protein on the planet. Insect protein is hypoallergenic and great for pets with meat-related food allergies or intolerances. Yora also reduces your pet’s carbon pawprint as it’s better for the environment compared to traditional meat-based pet foods because our grubs use a lot less water, land and CO2.
What Are The Health Benefits To Feeding Yora?
Our nutritious grubs (Hermetia Illucens) have a wide range of health benefits for dogs and cats. These include: a high omega 6 fatty-acid content that nourishes skin, coat and reduces dry skin, matting and itchiness; high levels of antioxidants that aren’t found in conventional meats and help reduce damage and inflammation to joints organs and brain cells; and anti-microbial benefits to help your pet fend off harmful pathogens and sustain beneficial gut bacteria.
Is Yora's Packaging Recyclable?
Yes! Yora’s pet-food bags are recyclable and can be dropped off where you recycle your carrier bags, such as kerbside collection points, recycling centres or your local supermarket. Our treats are packaged in compostable bags and our wet food uses Tetra Pak cartons made from FSC certified paper and wood fibre.
What Is The Packaging Made From?
Yora's pet-food bags are made using a new technology that incorporates multiple layers of the same plastic, which means it’s fully recyclable. We also use a range of materials to ensure our products remain fresh and sustainable. Yora Pâté comes in environmentally friendly TetraPak packaging – this is made with renewable paper and wood fibre sources that are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), and have sustainable sugar-cane plastic caps. Learn more in this blog post.
Where Are Yora's Grubs Sourced From?
We source them from Protix, a specialist Black Soldier Fly farm in the Netherlands. Protix are world leaders in providing insect based ingredients for pet food, aqua-culture and agriculture. They operate to the highest animal welfare standards and the quality and consistency of their products are exceptional.
What Insects Do Yora Use?
We use the larvae from Hermetia Illucens, also known as the black soldier fly. They’re the world’s most ancient and nutritious sources of animal protein and use only a fraction of the world’s resources compared to traditional livestock. Our nutritious and delicious grubs are fed on an organic substrate made from leftover fruit and vegetables from the human food industry that would otherwise go to landfill. They’ve been studied for years by specialist insect farmers at Protix, who’ve refined and perfected every stage of the farming process to make it as efficient and humane as possible.
How Are The Grubs Killed?
Our grubs were chosen partly because they don’t have nociceptors, which make higher life forms feel pain. But we still take animal welfare very seriously, so we have implemented a process that’s as ethical as possible. Cold water pipes are used to lower their body temperature and send them into a hibernation state. Once asleep, they’re harvested in a fraction of a second. The Protix farming team also check regularly for stress hormones in the grubs to ensure maximum welfare standards are maintained.
What Temperature Is Your Food Cooked At?
The kibble is steamed under pressure at around 120°C for around 90 seconds and then the moisture removed at a gentle 130°C for approximately 20 minutes. Much lower temperatures than you would normally cook food in your oven. Our wet food is slow-cooked to reach a maximum temperature of 130°C, then gently cooled to room temperature. All our independent lab analysis is performed after the cooking process to ensure accurate nutritional information.
What Are The Differences Between The All Breed And Breed Specific Kibble?
Puppy and Small Breeds come in a smaller size kibble that’s 10mm long and 3mm thick, and have extra protein to give smaller dogs and puppies more energy per bite. The kibble size for All Breeds is 15mm long and 7mm thick. Small Breeds, Large Breeds and Light/Senior foods have a slightly lower protein percentage, but have added glucosamine, chondroitin and MSM to keep joints in good shape. The Puppy variety also has sustainable DHA algae for brain development. Light/Senior food has a lycopene pack which slows down the process of brain ageing.
Do You Use Animal Testing?
All our recipes are developed with highly qualified nutritionists with a minimum of an MSc in Animal Nutrition. As members of the Pet Food Manufacturers Association (PFMA) we adhere to very strict nutritional guidelines and all our recipes meet FEDIAF guidelines for the respective animal an life-stage. Yora does not test on animals or use products which have been tested on animals. Once a recipe is in its final stages of development and meets all the regulatory nutritional criteria we will typically taste test this against current recipes or even competitors foods with our own companion dogs or cats before agreeing on a final formula.
Do Vets Approve Of Insect Protein In Pet Food?
Yes! we have many vets recommending insect based pet foods to dogs with a variety of health conditions. For example: As a vet I know how important good nutrition is to pet wellbeing, and insects are an exciting new source of protein and healthy fats.
Both my dogs love Yora and I’ve noticed a big improvement in their faecal consistency, and I often recommend it to clients and colleagues.
Natalie Morris BVSc MRCVS Cert AVP
Director, Malthouse Veterinary Group.
Nutritional Information
Does The Food Contain All Of The Essential Nutrients My Pet Needs?
We follow the strict guidance of the PFMA and achieve the nutritional guidelines set out by FEDIAF for dogs and cats. This ensures all the essential nutrients, including amino acids, fatty acids and minerals are at the recommended levels. For growing puppies, kittens and adult cats, balancing these nutrients is of upmost importance, and we have taken all the necessary steps to ensure these ranges include higher levels of Taurine, L-Carnitine and other essential nutrients for growth, development and maintenance.
What Benefit Does Insect Protein Provide Over Other Meat Sources?
BSF provide lots of unique health benefits not found in traditional meats. Our insect oil contains high levels of lauric acid, a special nutrient that helps to balance and rehydrate skin, greatly improving overall skin and coat condition. Our special grubs have also evolved unique defence mechanisms to deal with the hostile environments they live in. An antimicrobial coating on their skin helps your pets to fend off pathogens and harmful bacteria entering their body. It also acts as a prebiotic, helping to promote healthy gut bacteria to improve digestion. BSF protein also has very high levels of antioxidants, not found in other meats. This slows the decay and ageing of brain cells, joint tissue and organ function, and hugely reduces inflammation.
Why Do You Use Oats And Potatoes?
The oats are highly nutritious with a low glycaemic index, contributing a slow release form of energy and helping to maintain healthier blood sugar levels. Oats are also rich in vitamins E and B. The potato we use is one of the most environmentally friendly crops. They’re rich in phytonutrients, fibre, B6 and potassium and are very digestible.
Is Yora Allergen Free?
Our food doesn’t contain any of the top 10 allergens for dogs or cats. According to recent reports 9/10 of the top 10 allergens are protein related with wheat being the only grain now highly ranked. It is truly one of the most hypoallergenic foods on the market.
Is Yora Grain Free?
Yes, we have both grain free and grain recipes available for all breed dogs. Yora contains oats and corn from the UK or EU. The reason we chose these two ingredients is for their high quality nutrition and so we can support agriculture closer to home.
Is Yora Gluten Free?
Yora is wheat, barley and rye gluten free which are the main gluten-causing allergies. There are small traces of gluten in most cereal crops, but they are very unlikely to cause allergies. Our grain free recipe contains zero gluten for those with a gluten allergy.
Where Are Glucosamine And Chondroitin From?
Glucosamine and Chondroitin are both essential ingredients for joint health and maintenance in our pets, and are a staple of any high quality food. These are animal ingredients and are sourced from marine lipids and poultry products. Whilst we try to minimise our use of animal products, nutritional quality cannot be sacrificed.
Is There Palm Oil In Yora?
None of our food or treats use Palm Oil. Instead we use Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil from a farm in Sussex called Hillfarm Oils. We have tried making our product as sustainable and nutritious possible.
Feeding guidelines
How Much Yora Should I Feed My Pet?
Check out our feeding guidelines on our product pages for information on how much to feed, the amount will depend on the age and weight of your pet. Our food is highly nutritious so always check the guidelines as the amount will likely differ from previous diets.
Can I Feed Adult All Breeds To Puppies?
Yora Adult All Breeds is not suitable for puppies as it not tailored to a growing dogs needs. Puppies need more protein, calories and calcium in their diet and will greatly benefit from more DHA for brain development. Adult All Breeds is designed for dogs 12 months+.
Can I Feed A Hedgehog Yora?
Although Yora isn’t specifically designed for hedgehogs it doesn’t contain anything that would be harmful to them and it can be fed as part of a complimentary diet. We would advise selecting our Cat or Kitten variety. Hedgehogs need a good protein, fibre and fat level in their food to thrive. With the most important factor being the calcium/phosphorus ratio. Yora Cat is within the required levels, ensuring hedgehogs get the very best nutrients. Our kibble is safe to pop straight into a bowl or scatter on the floor for your prickly friend!
Can I Feed Adult Cat To Kittens?
Our Adult and Kitten varieties are perfectly suitable for all life stages, with all the required protein, fat and nutrient content for growing kittens. However, it is essential you follow the Kitten specific feeding guidelines found on our Adult food.
Subscriptions
How Do I Set Up Repeat Delivery?
Simply browse our site, selecting your pet's favourite products. Then pick out your preferred size, quantity and delivery frequency required. Use the checkout as normal and your first order will be dispatched the same day, with your future orders dispatched to the frequency you have set.
Is Our Repeat Service Secure?
Of course, we work alongside TrustPayments, one of the world's top payment providers who keep all your data secure for all your online orders.
Is My Card Used To Charge Future Transactions?
our card details are stored with TrustPayments not ourselves, but you will only be charged the day your repeat order is due to process.
Can I Change My Card Details For My Repeat Order?
Yes, just log into your account and select 'Manage Repeat Orders'. Here you will be able to change your card to a new one.
Why Has My Repeat Order Not Been Processed?
There are a number of reasons for not being processed. The main two reasons would be that your payment has failed or an item is out of stock. You will be informed if your payment has failed and asked to re-enter your payments details, or switch to a new card. If an item is out of stock, we will endeavour to let you know so that you can select a different flavour or food.
How Do I Cancel My Repeat Order?
When you are logged in to your Yora account, click ‘My Account’ then go to ‘Manage Repeat Orders’. From there, you will have the options to either edit, delay or cancel your subscription. Once a subscription has been cancelled, this cannot be reinstated without generating a new order. Alternatively, please give us a call on 01494 775223 and we can help you with this.
Can I Change The Items Each Order?
Yes, as long as you have a repeat order active, add the products you want into your basket with the quality and frequency set and they will automatically be added to your repeat. You can also remove any items from your repeat by logging into your account.
How Do I Change The Subscription Frequency?
To change the frequency of your subscription, once you are logged in to your account, go to ‘My Account’ and then ‘Manage Repeat Orders’. You can then select the frequency in weeks for each product, you will also be able to select the next date you would like the order to process. On this page, you can also select the day you would like your order to process: on this day you will be billed and your order dispatched. DPD will endeavour to deliver your item the next working day or weekend if selected. Charges may apply to weekend delivery.
Shipping and delivery
Where Do Yora Deliver To?
We deliver throughout the United Kingdom via DPD. Orders are shipped the same day if your order is placed on a weekday before 3pm (subject to stock availability) and will ship Next Working Day delivery. Weekend delivery options are also available at the checkout. We offer free shipping 6 days a week on orders over £15.00. Please note this does exclude certain bank holidays and surcharges are applied to certain postcodes which are outlined in our terms and conditions here.
How Much Is Delivery?
Our standard next day delivery charge for orders below £42 is £4.99, for orders over £15 we offer free standard delivery. Some surcharges do apply to particular postcodes classed as ‘remote’ which will add a surcharge of up to £29.99 which is in line with the charges set out by DPD. Details of these charges and shipping times are listed here. Orders are shipped same day if your order is placed on a weekday before 5pm (subject to stock availability) and will ship Next Working Day delivery. Weekend delivery options are also available at the checkout.
Money-back guarantee
Can I Return Yora If My Pet Doesn't Like It?
We have a zero waste 100% money back guarantee, if your pet doesn’t like Yora you can keep the bag to give to a friend or animal shelter instead of returning to us. We can then refund you with no fuss!
Does Yora Have Samples?
We do not give out samples in our efforts to keep our waste as low as possible, but we do have a money-back guarantee. This enables you to try our products with no risk to your pocket.