How Our Health Score Works
Every commercial pet food in the app receives a Health Score from 1 to 100. The score is relative — it shows how a food ranks compared to every other food in the database based on nutritional quality. A score of 100 means this food scores the highest in the database today; 1 is reserved for products containing toxic ingredients.
Two-Step Process
- Raw score — each food is individually evaluated against eleven nutritional and quality factors. Missing fields are treated as a neutral midpoint instead of a penalty.
- Relative normalization — all raw scores are scaled so the best food in the database always equals 100 and the worst always equals 1. A score of 1 is reserved for products with toxic ingredients.
Important: any food containing a hazardous or toxic ingredient (see below) receives a raw score of 0 before normalization, regardless of all other factors. High protein or a premium price cannot offset a toxic ingredient.
Because scores are relative, they can shift slightly as new foods are added to the database.
Scoring Factors
Eleven factors make up the raw score. Each has a maximum point contribution and a clear rationale.
| # | Factor | Max pts | How it's scored |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Protein | 25 | Linear scale; ≥ 30% crude protein earns the full 25 points. |
| 2 | Fat | 12 | Bell curve peaking at ~12% fat; score decays above or below. |
| 3 | Fiber | 8 | Lower is better for carnivores; ≤ 3% earns full points, decays above. |
| 4 | Moisture | 10 | Scored against the ideal moisture for that food's own category, not one fixed target — e.g. dry food is judged against ~10% (its normal range) and canned food against ~78% (its normal range), so a well-formulated dry food isn't penalized just for being dry. |
| 5 | Calories | 5 | Ideal 300–400 kcal/100 g; score decays outside that window. |
| 6 | First ingredient | 15 | Whole named meat (15 pts) → named meal (11) → named by-product (7) → generic protein (7) → other (5) → grain-first (3). |
| 7 | Ingredient count | 5 | ≤ 15 items (5 pts), ≤ 25 (3.5), ≤ 40 (2), > 40 (1). |
| 8 | Artificial additives | −8 max | −2 per artificial preservative (BHA, BHT, ethoxyquin, etc.); −1 per artificial colour. |
| 9 | Hazardous ingredients | Score → 0 | Any match from the hazard list sets the raw score to 0 immediately — no other factor can compensate. Covers: onion, xylitol, grapes/raisins, chocolate/cocoa, macadamia, caffeine, alcohol, avocado, nutmeg, and more. |
| 9b | Allium caution | −8 to −15 | Garlic-derived ingredients are toxic in large doses but dose-dependent. Garlic powder or plain garlic: −15 pts. Diluted forms (garlic oil, extract, flavor): −8 pts. Onion, leek, and chive remain hard hazards (score → 0). |
| 10 | Food category | 8 | Fresh / freeze-dried score highest; treats and supplements score lowest. |
| 11 | Pricing tier | 5 | Premium (5 pts), mid-range (3.25), budget (1.75). |
Food Category Scores
| Category | Reason |
|---|---|
| Fresh food | Minimally processed, highest bio-availability. |
| Freeze-dried | Preserves nutrients without heat. |
| Raw food | Whole ingredients, no cooking. |
| Canned food | High moisture, moderate processing. |
| Dry food | Convenient; lower moisture; more processing. |
| Topper / Supplement | Supplementary only — not a complete diet. |
| Treats | Supplementary; often high in simple carbohydrates. |
Score Tiers
Good70 – 100High-quality nutrition; strong nutrient profile.
Fair40 – 69Acceptable quality; some room for improvement.
Low1Reserved for products containing toxic or hazardous ingredients. These should never appear in the database.
Important Caveats
- The score is a comparative tool, not an absolute nutritional standard. Always consult your veterinarian for diet recommendations specific to your pet's age, breed, and health condition.
- Scores are based on publicly available label data. Incomplete label data (e.g. missing guaranteed analysis) is treated as a neutral midpoint, not a penalty.
- As new foods are added to the database, all scores are re-normalized and individual scores may shift slightly.
