Big Changes to the All About Dog Food Ratings (Again!)

July 15, 2025   |   By David Jackson

As you may have spotted, a lot of our product ratings have recently changed, so in this post, we’re going to take a look at what’s changed and, more importantly, why.

What are the AADF ratings?

One of the cornerstones of All About Dog Food is our unique nutritional rating system. It’s through these scores that we cut through all of the marketing noise and give you an honest, independent idea of how good a food really is for your dog.

Our ratings estimate how beneficial a food is likely to be for the majority of dogs.

We take these ratings very seriously and we’re absolutely committed to keeping them as accurate, meaningful and up-to-date as possible.

That’s why every product on the site goes through the exact same data-driven scoring algorithm, no bias, no favours, just the facts. So why change them?

Canine nutrition is always evolving. New research is published, ingredient standards shift, processing techniques improve (or worsen), and labelling practices change.

Although we make small adjustments all the time behind the scenes, every few years we carry out a full, top-to-bottom review of the entire system to make sure it still reflects the latest science and understanding of dog food.

This is one of those times and we think it’s a meaningful step forward.

What has changed?

1. Transparency Transparency Transparency

We’ve always rewarded transparency over ambiguity but now we’re stepping things up with vague terms and undeclared ingredient percentages receiving even bigger penalties.

We're also cracking down on so-called 'vanity ingredients' - these are great sounding ingredients that are included in minuscule amounts just so they can be mentioned on the label without actually delivering any benefit to the dog. Of course without a lab at your disposal, it's impossible to 100% confirm that any ingredient is a vanity ingredient but there are tell-tale signs (long lists of great sounding ingredients without percentages at the end of the ingredient list, for example) and where we have given manufacturers the benefit of the doubt in the past, that is now over. From now on, if a manufacturer wants to receive credit for including beneficial ingredients in their foods, they will have to state the percentage.

Together, these two updates have led to widespread changes in food ratings — including some of the most noticeable downgrades. We know no one likes to see their dog’s food score drop, but pushing the industry to be more transparent is a vital part of our mission to raise the standard of dog food across Britain.

2. More scrutiny on meat ingredient quality

Not all meat ingredients are created equal.

While we've always scored meats based on quality and definition, we've now sharpened that further. Foods that use clearly defined meat cuts or verified high-grade minces will now receive a greater boost to reflect their richer nutrient profile and digestibility [1]. On the flip side, foods that contain vague or generic meat terms (especially where the source or quality is unclear) will be penalised more than before.

3. Re-scoring of certain carbs and veg

Some specific plant-based ingredients have also come under the spotlight.

For example:

Brown rice has been re-scored slightly to reflect the potential for heavy metal contamination. Brown rice often contains trace amounts of arsenic and other heavy metals and while the amounts are generally very small, they can build up in a dog's system over time [2]. In brown rice-rich complete foods which are intended to be fed every day, the risk is amplified so we thought it only right to factor it into our scoring.

Many veg and carb-based ingredients can be highly beneficial for dogs but accessing their valuable nutrients can be harder when the ingredients are raw [3]. For this reason, lightly cooked veg and carbs now score slightly higher than their uncooked forms. Highly processed veg and carbs still score lower than both uncooked and lightly cooked forms.

4. A closer look at processing

Processing has long been a key factor in our scoring system. The more a food (or its ingredients) are processed, the greater the potential nutrient loss and the lower the score [4].

But for the last few months we've been quizzing manufacturers and scouring research sites to really get to the bottom of how the different processing methods affect nutrient retention and availability and have recalibrated our scoring accordingly - I'll put together a deep dive article on all our findings asap so watch this space.

Furthermore, it's become clear that the category 'fresh foods' actually encompasses two fairly distinct sub-groups of foods that we will now be calling 'chilled fresh' (these are foods that have been cooked at around 90 celsius and have to be stored frozen or refrigerated) and 'shelf fresh' (these are cooked at around 120 degrees which allows them to be stored at room temperature before opening).

5. Less leniency for watered-down wet foods

In the past, some wet foods have managed to score relatively well despite being heavily watered down, giving the impression of generous meat or veg content when, in reality, much of it was just added moisture.

That leniency is now gone. Foods with excessive added water will see their scores drop accordingly.

Other tweaks

As always, alongside the major updates, we’ve made a whole host of smaller improvements: minor recalibrations here and there, and the addition of some newly emerging ingredients (like restharrow root, oyster shell and birch bark – yes, really).

We’ve also raised the bar across the board, meaning pet foods now have to work harder to get our top scores. But we firmly believe that pet foods can and should keep improving and we hope this updated scoring system continues to push the industry in the right direction.

Why has my dog food’s score dropped?

Most ratings have gone down, and some have dropped more than others.

That’s not because the food itself has changed but because the way we score foods has changed, as outlined above. The biggest drops will generally be for foods that:

• fail to declare clear ingredient percentages
• contain a lot of likely 'vanity ingredients',
• or contain a large proportion of brown rice or added water.

If your dog is doing well on a particular food and you’re happy with it, there’s no need to change. But if you’re comparing options or thinking about switching, the new ratings will give you an even more accurate guide.

What’s next?

For now, these changes only apply to complete dog foods, but the same updates will soon be rolled out to treats and complementary products.

As a rule, over the weeks and months following a big update like this, a lot of manufacturers make very positive steps to improve their labelling and bring their scores back up a little, which is really encouraging to see. So if you notice any scores springing back up in the near future, it's again probably nothing to do with the food itself, only that the manufacturer has decided to disclose a bit more information on its composition. If in doubt, always feel free to get in touch.

In the meantime, make sure you drop by the Dog Food Directory to see how your favourite foods stack up and, as always, let us know what you think!