Normalisation
From a noisy label to a stable score
Raw ingredient declarations are messy. We normalise every panel against a common reference distribution before a single point is awarded, so a 0–100 score means the same thing on every product.
3,600+ products scored across 222+ brands
Know exactly what's in your dog's bowl
Snifos analyzes every ingredient in every commercial dog food product and produces a transparent, citation-backed quality score from 0 to 100. Grounded in peer-reviewed canine nutrition science. No brand pays for a score.
92
Example score3,600+Products scored
222+Brands analyzed
0–100Transparent scale
100%Publicly auditable rubric
The Snifos engine
Watch a label become a score
Every product in our database goes through the same pipeline: the full ingredient deck is parsed, each ingredient is matched against our evidence library, penalties and weights are applied from the published rubric, and a final 0–100 score is produced with its evidence confidence rating.
Analyzing product
Adult Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe
- Deboned chicken94/100
Named animal protein, first ingredient
- Chicken meal86/100
Concentrated named protein source
- Brown rice72/100
Digestible whole grain carbohydrate
- Dried beet pulp64/100
Moderate-value fibre source
- Natural flavour38/100
Unspecified — transparency penalty applied
Illustrative example. Real scores weigh 60+ documented factors including protein sourcing, processing intensity, additive safety, and recall history.
87Quality score
Nutritional quality: Excellent (Band A)
Evidence confidence: High — 23 citations
Independence: Brand paid nothing for this score
How scoring works
A published methodology, not a marketing badge
Every ingredient, decoded
We parse the full ingredient panel of every product — named meats, by-products, fillers, additives, and preservatives — and evaluate each against peer-reviewed canine nutrition research.
Scored against published standards
Nutrient profiles are checked against AAFCO and NRC regulatory standards. Every weight, threshold, and penalty in our rubric is documented and publicly auditable.
Two axes, one honest number
Our two-axis architecture separates nutritional quality from evidence confidence, so you always know how strong the science is behind each score.
The 0–100 scale
Every score lands in a band you can interpret at a glance
A Snifos score is not a vibe — it is the sum of documented weights and penalties. The same number always means the same thing, whether the product is a premium air-dried recipe or a supermarket kibble.
0255075100
90–100
Outstanding
Named animal proteins lead the deck, full nutrient transparency, no high-risk additives, and strong manufacturing track record.
75–89
Excellent
High-quality formulation with minor deductions — for example a single unspecified flavouring or a moderate carbohydrate load.
60–74
Acceptable
Meets AAFCO/NRC adequacy but carries meaningful penalties: generic meals, heavy fillers, or limited sourcing disclosure.
40–59
Below standard
Multiple red flags such as unnamed by-products, artificial preservatives with documented risk, or repeated recalls.
0–39
Poor
Serious formulation or safety concerns. We document every penalty so you can verify each deduction against the rubric.
Inside the methodology
The science behind every number
Snifos is built on published, peer-reviewed canine nutrition science. Here is how a printed ingredient list becomes a transparent, citation-backed quality score — step by step.
Two-axis model
Quality and confidence, kept separate
Nutritional quality lives on one axis; the strength of the supporting evidence lives on another. A great recipe with thin data and a proven recipe with deep data are never quietly averaged together.
Evidence graph
Every score traces back to citations
Peer-reviewed canine nutrition studies feed each scoring node. The more independent, high-quality sources converge on a finding, the more confidence the final number carries.
Penalty rubric
Documented deductions, not vibes
Vague meat meals, undisclosed additives, and unnamed by-products each carry a published, fixed penalty. You can see exactly how much every red flag costs a product.
Regulatory floor
Measured against AAFCO & NRC
Each formula is checked against AAFCO nutrient profiles and NRC requirements. Falling below a regulatory threshold is treated as a hard signal, not a rounding error.
Scoring pipeline
One transparent, auditable path
Label parsing, weighting, and aggregation run through the same published pipeline for all 3,600+ products. Every weight and threshold is public — and no brand can pay to change it.
Sample scores
One honest number for every product
Each score is built from the full ingredient panel and nutrient analysis — and every deduction links back to the published rubric.
94
Pasture-Raised Lamb & Oats
Dry food — Adult
Named animal protein first, full nutrient disclosure, third-party feeding trials.
86
Salmon & Sweet Potato Recipe
Dry food — All life stages
Strong omega-3 profile; minor deduction for unnamed fish meal in position six.
71
Classic Beef Dinner Pâté
Wet food — Adult
AAFCO-complete but relies on by-product meal and added carrageenan.
43
Budget Crunchy Bites
Dry food — Adult
Corn-first formula, unnamed animal fat, artificial preservative penalties applied.
Illustrative examples. Create a free account to browse all 3,600+ scored products.
What lowers a score
We penalize what the label tries to hide
The dog food aisle is built to be confusing. Glossy bags, invented superlatives, and ingredient decks engineered to read better than they are. Snifos cuts through it with a penalty system where every deduction — its size, its trigger, and its scientific justification — is published and auditable.
Unnamed ingredients
"Meat meal", "animal fat", and "natural flavour" hide what your dog actually eats. Every unspecified ingredient triggers a documented transparency penalty.
High-risk additives
Preservatives and colourants with peer-reviewed safety concerns — BHA, BHT, ethoxyquin — carry some of the heaviest penalties in the rubric.
Filler-heavy formulation
When low-value carbohydrates crowd out animal protein, the nutritional-quality axis drops. We model ingredient order and inclusion thresholds.
Recall history
A brand with repeated regulatory recalls earns a manufacturing penalty that decays only as years of clean history accumulate.
Marketing over substance
"Holistic", "premium", and "human-grade" have no regulatory definition. Our score ignores label marketing entirely — only the deck and the data count.
Nutrient adequacy gaps
Products that fail to substantiate AAFCO or NRC adequacy for their stated life stage are flagged and capped — no exceptions.
Built on the world's most transparent nutrition data
Every Snifos score is reproducible from public evidence. These are the numbers behind the platform — and not one of them is influenced by a brand's budget.
Why we are different
What makes Snifos stand out
Most pet food ratings are opinions, sponsorships, or affiliate funnels. Snifos is built on transparency you can verify line by line.
No brand pays for a score
Our revenue never comes from the companies we evaluate. No brand can buy, boost, or bury its rating — independence is the whole product.
Grounded in nutrition science
Every weight and threshold traces back to peer-reviewed canine nutrition research, AAFCO nutrient profiles, and NRC requirements.
Two-axis architecture
We separate nutritional quality from evidence confidence, so a score never overstates how much we actually know about a product.
Publicly auditable rubric
Every penalty, bonus, and cutoff in the scoring rubric is documented and open for anyone to inspect and challenge at any time.
Citation-backed results
Each score links to the studies and regulatory standards behind it — an average of more than twenty citations per product.
One consistent standard
All 3,600+ products across 222+ brands run through the exact same methodology. No favorites, no exceptions, no marketing spin.
Why trust Snifos
Independence is the whole point
The pet food industry is full of marketing claims. Snifos exists to replace them with evidence.
- No pay-for-score
- Brands cannot pay to improve, suppress, or fast-track a score. Our revenue never comes from the companies we evaluate.
- Citation-backed
- Every claim traces back to peer-reviewed canine nutrition research, AAFCO nutrient profiles, or NRC requirements.
- Publicly auditable
- Every weight, threshold, and penalty in the rubric is documented and open for inspection by anyone, at any time.
- Evidence confidence
- A separate confidence axis tells you how complete the underlying data is, so a score never overstates what we know.
Your dog can't read an ingredient label. We can.
Join thousands of dog owners using transparent, science-backed scores to choose better food — free, forever, with no brand influence.