krill oil

What it is

Krill oil comes from Antarctic krill — tiny crustaceans at the very bottom of the marine food chain. Its EPA and DHA arrive largely as phospholipids, and it carries astaxanthin, the natural antioxidant that makes it red.

Why it's in pet food

It is a premium omega-3 source with near-zero mercury concern and its own built-in oxidation resistance. Inclusion levels are usually supplement-sized; position on the label tells you the dose.

How Bowlmark scores it

Scores are deterministic math over the printed label — the rules below apply to every product identically, and nothing estimates or fills in a blank.

Krill oil is on the engine's whole-foods bonus list: 2 points on the ingredient-quality pillar when it appears in the top twelve ingredients, with the whole-foods class capped at 8 points total per label. No deduction applies.

Read the full methodology

Foods that list krill oil

No food on the shelf lists krill oil yet. Scan a bag that does and its label joins the catalog — versioned from the day it arrives.

Sources

• WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee — Selecting a pet food
• ACVN — omega-3 fatty acids in joint support

Related ingredients

• flaxseed
• flaxseed oil
• herring oil
• menhaden fish oil
• olive oil
• pollock oil

Further reading

• Calories on the label: kcal, ME and fair comparisons
• Storing pet food so it stays the food you bought