The Lowest-Rated Dog Foods on KibbleIQ
These are the foods that scored the worst in our ingredient analysis. Every score is based on the same rubric we apply to every brand — protein quality, filler content, preservative safety, and ingredient transparency. The ingredient facts speak for themselves.
Kibbles ’n Bits — F (15/100)
Artificial colors (Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 2), BHA preservative, corn syrup, and meat by-products as a primary protein source. One of only two dog foods to score below 20 on KibbleIQ. The artificial colors serve no nutritional purpose — dogs don’t care what color their food is. They exist purely to make the product look appealing to the human buying it. Read our full Kibbles ’n Bits review →
Alpo — D (37/100)
Ground yellow corn as the first ingredient, generic meat and bone meal as the primary protein source, and three artificial colors (Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 2). Alpo’s recent reformulation swapped BHA/BHT for mixed tocopherols — a genuine preservative upgrade that moved it out of F territory — but the corn-first, unnamed-rendered-protein foundation still puts it near the bottom of our database. The lack of a named animal species in “meat and bone meal” means the source can vary from batch to batch. Read our full Alpo review →
Pedigree — D (37/100)
Ground whole corn as the first ingredient — not protein, corn. Add in generic meat and bone meal, soybean meal, animal fat preserved with BHA, and artificial colors further down, and you have a food that prioritizes shelf cost over nutrition. Pedigree is one of the most-fed dog foods in America, which makes its ingredient quality all the more concerning. Millions of dogs are eating a food where the primary ingredient is a cheap grain filler with limited nutritional value for canines. Read our full Pedigree review →
Ol’ Roy — F (20/100)
Walmart’s house brand and one of the cheapest dog foods available. Meat and bone meal, corn, artificial colors, and BHA. The low price comes at the cost of ingredient quality. Ol’ Roy is manufactured by Doane Pet Care, and its ingredient list reads like a cost-optimization exercise — every choice favors the cheapest possible input. At roughly $0.50 per pound, it’s among the least expensive dog foods on the market, but the gap between its price and a decent B-grade food is smaller than most people think. Read our full Ol’ Roy review →
Purina Dog Chow — D (39/100)
Whole grain corn as the first ingredient, meat by-products, and artificial colors. A legacy brand that hasn’t kept up with modern ingredient standards. Dog Chow has been on shelves for decades, and its formula reflects an era when corn was considered perfectly adequate as a primary dog food ingredient. Nutritional science has moved on considerably since then, but Dog Chow’s ingredient list largely has not. Read our full Purina Dog Chow review →
Purina Puppy Chow — D (39/100)
Same issues as Dog Chow but marketed for puppies. Puppies especially need quality protein for growth — starting them on by-products and corn is a poor nutritional foundation during the most critical development window of a dog’s life. The first year sets the stage for bone density, muscle development, immune function, and organ health. A food built on corn and unnamed by-products is not giving a growing puppy what it needs during that window. Read our full Purina Puppy Chow review →
What Makes These Foods So Bad?
The brands above share a set of common problems that drag their scores down. Artificial colors like Red 40, Yellow 5, and Blue 2 have been linked to behavioral issues in some human studies and serve zero nutritional purpose in dog food — they exist only to make the kibble look more appealing in the bag. BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) is a chemical preservative that the National Institutes of Health lists as “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen,” yet it remains legal in pet food. Higher-quality brands have long since moved to natural preservatives like mixed tocopherols (vitamin E) and rosemary extract, proving that BHA is a choice, not a necessity.
When corn, wheat, or soy appears as the first ingredient, it means the food contains more filler grain by weight than actual meat. Meat by-products — the scraps left after quality cuts are removed for human consumption — are the cheapest available animal-derived protein, and when the label says “meat by-products” rather than “chicken by-products” or “beef by-products,” it means the specific animal source can change between batches. Corn syrup and added sugars have no place in dog food whatsoever. They’re included to improve palatability of otherwise unappealing ingredients — essentially masking the low quality of the base formula. A food that needs sugar to get a dog to eat it is telling you something about the food, not the dog.
What to Buy Instead (Without Breaking the Bank)
Switching away from an F- or D-grade food doesn’t mean jumping to a $90 bag of premium kibble. These three brands all score in the B range on KibbleIQ and are available at reasonable prices — often just a few dollars more per month than the worst-rated options.
Diamond Naturals — B (78/100)
Real meat first, no artificial colors, no by-products — at roughly $1/lb. Proof that quality doesn’t require a premium price. Diamond Naturals is manufactured in the U.S. and includes probiotics, superfoods, and named animal proteins in every formula. It’s the most accessible upgrade from budget-tier food. Read our full Diamond Naturals review → · Shop on Amazon →
Taste of the Wild — B (78/100)
Novel proteins like bison and roasted venison, grain-free formulas, and no artificial anything. Widely available at pet stores, farm supply stores, and online retailers. Taste of the Wild delivers a clean ingredient list with genuine protein variety, and its price point sits comfortably in the mid-range — far more affordable than ultra-premium brands while being worlds apart from the F-grade foods above. Read our full Taste of the Wild review → · Shop on Amazon →
Kirkland Signature — B (78/100)
Costco’s hidden gem. Manufactured in the same Diamond Pet Foods facilities as Diamond Naturals, Kirkland Signature delivers comparable ingredient quality at warehouse-club prices. If you have a Costco membership, this is one of the best values in dog food — a B-grade formula at a price that competes with D- and F-grade brands. The catch is availability: you need a Costco membership and your local store needs to carry it. Read our full Kirkland Signature review → · Shop on Amazon →
Bottom Line
The worst dog foods share the same problems — corn as a primary ingredient, unnamed meat by-products, artificial colors, and controversial preservatives like BHA. These aren’t subjective opinions; they’re ingredient facts that anyone can verify by reading the label. Switching from an F-grade to a B-grade food costs only slightly more per day and can make a real difference in your dog’s energy, coat quality, digestive health, and long-term wellbeing.
You don’t need to buy the most expensive food on the shelf. You just need to avoid the ones that treat your dog’s nutrition as an afterthought.