Methodology
A score you can't audit is just an opinion. The BiteRated rubric is a documented set of weights, thresholds, and penalties that converts a product's ingredients and nutrient data into a 0–100 score. It is grounded in peer-reviewed canine nutrition science, AAFCO nutrient profiles, and NRC recommended allowances.
AAFCO (the Association of American Feed Control Officials) is a body that publishes the nutrient profiles a pet food must meet to be labeled complete and balanced. NRC (the National Research Council) is a scientific organization whose recommended allowances define the reference nutrient levels for dogs.
The two-axis architecture is a scoring design that separates two things most rating systems blur together: how good a product appears to be, and how much evidence supports that appearance. Collapsing both into a single number hides that distinction, so BiteRated keeps them on separate axes.
The quality scoreis a 0–100 rating that measures a dog food product's nutritional quality based on the available data. The evidence confidence rating is a separate measure that reflects how complete and reliable that data is. Because the two are independent, a product with limited disclosure can never quietly earn a top score.
| Score range | Interpretation |
|---|---|
| 90–100 | Outstanding — named proteins, full disclosure, strong evidence base |
| 75–89 | Excellent — minor deductions, solid nutritional foundation |
| 60–74 | Acceptable — meets standards but carries documented compromises |
| 40–59 | Below standard — multiple penalties for fillers or vague sourcing |
| 0–39 | Poor — significant nutritional or transparency concerns |
No brand pays for a score — not to improve it, expedite it, or remove it. Scores are updated when formulations change, and every revision is logged. If we make a mistake, we correct it publicly and document the change.
“We publish the whole rubric because a score you can't check is just an opinion in a lab coat. If a nutritionist wants to argue with a weight we chose, good — that's the whole point.”