What does KibbleIQ do?
You paste a pet food's ingredient list, or search a brand, and the analyzer grades it A–F against a published, point-based rubric, then shows what the formula does well and poorly.
How is a food graded?
Every food starts at 50 points. Rules add or subtract points for what's in the ingredient list: first ingredient, additional named proteins, preservatives, colors, sweeteners, legume load and more. The total is capped at 0–98 and mapped to a grade: A 90–98, B 75–89, C 55–74, D 35–54, F 0–34.
Which rubric applies to my food?
Dry kibble uses the dry-food rubric (v15). Fresh, refrigerated, freeze-dried, raw and canned foods use the fresh-food rubric, and treats use the treats rubric. A cross-format overlay applies only when you choose to compare across formats.
Will I get the same grade every time?
Very nearly. The analyzer runs an AI model at temperature 0, which keeps results consistent but can't guarantee identical output. For products in our database we publish one stored score, and if a score changes, the page shows a dated "Corrected" note.
Where do the ingredient lists come from?
For the 254 products in our database, mostly from the manufacturer's own website, and for a few products from a major retailer's listing. Each entry records its source and the date it was checked. For other brands, the analyzer works from the AI model's own knowledge, and the result is labeled as an AI estimate. Pasting the list from the bag is the most accurate option.
Does a good grade mean the food is right for my pet?
No. A grade describes the general quality of an ingredient list. It doesn't account for your pet's age, health conditions or allergies, and it isn't a feeding test. Ask your veterinarian about medical diets.
Do recalls affect a grade?
For dry food, no. The dry rubric scores only the ingredient list, and recall history is noted separately. The fresh-food rubric deducts points for a product line's recent recalls and caps a product with an active FDA recall at D. Our recall list is at /recalls.
How does KibbleIQ use AI?
Two ways. The analyzer uses Claude (Anthropic) to apply the rubric, and our articles were drafted by Claude from analyzer output, our database and public sources. Each article says whether it has been fact-checked by a person.
Has a veterinarian reviewed your pages?
No, not unless a page names one. KibbleIQ is run by Adam Brush, who is not a veterinarian.
Do brands pay for scores or placement?
No. Brands can't buy a score or a placement, and we don't accept free products.
How does KibbleIQ make money?
Through affiliate links: some "Shop on Amazon" links earn a commission at no cost to you ("As an Amazon Associate, KibbleIQ earns from qualifying purchases"). Commissions never change a score.
Why don't prescription diets have shopping links?
They're sold only with your veterinarian's authorization, so we don't link to stores for them.
What happened to many of your articles?
In October 2026 we cut the site back to the pages we can stand behind, after an audit found errors. The pages we took out of search carry a "noindex" tag and are no longer listed on the site.
I found an error. How do I report it?
Email support@kibbleiq.com. When we correct a page, it shows a dated "Corrected" note.