How Altie scores dog food

Altie gives each food a score out of 100. Ingredients count for 60% of the score. Additives count for 40%. Recalls take points off. The score is Altie's opinion, and this page shows how it works.

What counts the most?

The ingredients count the most. They make up 60% of the score. Each one gets a color. Green means good. Yellow means it is worth a look. Red means Altie flags it.

Ingredients near the top of the list count more. A dog food label lists ingredients by weight, from most to least. So the first few make up most of the food.

How do additives change the score?

Additives are the extra things added to a food, like preservatives (things that stop food from going bad) and colors. They make up 40% of the score. A food loses points for each additive Altie flags.

What about recalls?

A recall is when a food is pulled from stores. Recalls and FDA warning letters take points off. They can take off 30 points at most. Old recalls count less. The points taken off drop by half every 5 years.

Can my score be different from a friend's?

Yes. In the app, you can tell Altie what you want to avoid, like fillers. Then foods with those things score lower for you.

Who pays for Altie?

People who use the app do. Altie takes no money from pet food companies, runs no ads and uses no affiliate links. That keeps the scores honest.

Scoring method version 2.2.0.