Why can the same kibble score differently on different rating sites?
Why can the same kibble: Because each site applies its own scale: the criteria chosen, the weightings, the thresholds and the treatment of additives all differ (WSAVA, 2021). The same recipe can earn an excellent grade on one site and a mediocre one on another, without the product changing at all.
General documentary information. For an individual animal, a veterinarian's advice takes precedence over any online content.
Heterogeneous scales
The spread in grades comes from each site's methodological choices: the weight given to the rank of the meat, whether grains are penalised, how additives are treated, how carbohydrate is estimated (WSAVA, 2021). Two scales can reward opposite things. The illustration that lays it bare: the same food can be rated excellent by a site that penalises grains and average by one that rewards digestibility, working from the identical label.
What this divergence reveals
The variability of grades shows that none is an objective measure of quality, but the reflection of a methodological stance (Tufts Petfoodology, 2023). The FEDIAF and AAFCO nutrient profiles, by contrast, are stable references for adequacy (AAFCO, 2024). Faced with contradictory grades, it is better to return to the verifiable criteria: adequacy, the maker's expertise, quality control, which do not shift with the scoring fashion.
| Source of divergence | Effect on the grade |
|---|---|
| Criteria chosen | Opposite grades possible |
| Weightings and thresholds | Up or down |
| Treatment of additives | Variable bonus or penalty |
Petipedia explains why grades diverge and points back to stable references for adequacy, without setting up its own ranking.
Sources
WSAVA, Global Nutrition Guidelines (2021); Tufts Petfoodology (2023); AAFCO, Understanding Pet Food (2024).