Methodology
How we rank dog foods
Every ranking on PetComparison is generated by a transparent formula. No human override. No commission-based weighting. The formula is published here so you can audit any recommendation we make.
The ranking formula
Each food receives a score from 0 to 100. The score is computed from four weighted inputs:
- Ingredient quality (40%) — first-five-ingredients analysis, named meat sources, protein and fat ratios, presence of named-versus-generic meat meals, controversial preservatives, and AAFCO compliance.
- Independent third-party rating (30%) — sourced from established editorial reviewers and normalized to a 0-100 scale. We do not generate this rating ourselves; we use the consensus from published sources and disclose every source per product.
- Recall history (20%) — every brand carries its full safety record from 2009 forward. The formula deducts points based on recall frequency, severity (pathogen contamination weighs heavier than mislabeling), and recency (a 2024 Salmonella recall counts more than a 2011 one).
- Manufacturing transparency (10%) — whether the brand discloses its co-packers, sources, country of origin, and nutritional testing. Brands that hide manufacturing partners get penalized.
How recall severity is weighted
Not all recalls are equal. A recall for foreign metal contamination in 315 specific bags is different from a Salmonella event affecting thousands of products across multiple states. We classify every recall into one of six severity tiers:
- Pathogen (highest impact): Salmonella, Listeria, E. coli
- Toxin: aflatoxin, mycotoxin, mold-related
- Nutritional: vitamin D or vitamin A excess, thiamine deficiency
- Physical: foreign objects (metal, plastic) found in food
- Manufacturing: FDA-cited insanitary conditions, process violations
- Labeling: mislabeled ingredients or nutritional facts
What does NOT influence our rankings
Affiliate commission rate. Brand size or marketing budget. Whether the brand has paid us for anything (none have, because we don't accept those offers). Whether the brand is a Dog Food Advisor parent-company affiliate (we surface this disclosure where relevant via a tag, but it does not change the rank).
Data freshness
Product and recall data is refreshed on a regular schedule. Every product page shows the date of its last review; every recall page shows the date the recall was added to our database. Stale data is the enemy of trust, so when a source is out of date we mark it explicitly rather than hide it.
How to audit a ranking
On every product page you'll find a "How this ranks" section breaking down the score by each of the four inputs above. If you see something that looks wrong, email contact@petcomparison.com with the URL and what you think is off. We respond to every methodology question with the raw data behind the decision.