Sources & standards
Nothing in the method rests on 'trust us'. Every scoring rule and every flag cites an entry from this registry; the registry ships inside the engine's configuration and is versioned with it. This page is that file, rendered whole.
25 entries — the complete registry, nothing held back. When a source is added or retired, this page changes in the same commit as the rule that cites it.
Nutrient standards
The profiles and requirements the nutrition pillar measures every recipe against.
- AAFCO Dog & Cat Food Nutrient Profiles (2016)www.aafco.org
- AAFCO large-size-dog growth calcium provisionswww.aafco.org
- FEDIAF Nutritional Guidelines (2024)europeanpetfood.org
- NRC Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats (2006)nap.nationalacademies.org
Regulators & safety authorities
Official actions and assessments — the basis for additive flags and recall handling.
- EFSA — titanium dioxide (E171) no longer considered safe as a food additivewww.efsa.europa.eu
- FDA — xylitol and dogs (paws off, it's dangerous)www.fda.gov
- FDA animal & veterinary recallswww.fda.gov
- FDA CPG Sec. 690.200 — propylene glycol prohibited in cat foodwww.fda.gov
- FDA CVM — ethoxyquin in animal feedwww.fda.gov
- FDA investigation: potential link between diet and canine DCM (2019 update)www.fda.gov
- NTP Report on Carcinogens — butylated hydroxyanisolentp.niehs.nih.gov
Veterinary organizations & clinical references
Practice guidance from the veterinary profession — what the engine's judgment calls defer to.
- ACVN — by-products explainedacvn.org
- ACVN — omega-3 fatty acids in joint supportacvn.org
- ACVN — preservative systems in pet foodacvn.org
- ACVN — probiotics in commercial dietsacvn.org
- ACVN — taurine essentiality in catsacvn.org
- IRIS — chronic kidney disease staging & nutritionwww.iris-kidney.com
- MSD Veterinary Manual — dietary management of GI diseasewww.msdvetmanual.com
- MSD Veterinary Manual — feline lower urinary tract diseasewww.msdvetmanual.com
- MSD Veterinary Manual — food allergy in dogs and catswww.msdvetmanual.com
- MSD Veterinary Manual — food hazards (toxicology)www.msdvetmanual.com
- WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee — Selecting a pet foodwsava.org
- WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee — weight management toolkitwsava.org
Independent research & reviews
Published research behind the narrower flags, cited where the evidence actually lives.
- CSPI — Food Dyes: A Rainbow of Riskswww.cspinet.org
- Review literature on degraded carrageenan and GI inflammationpubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Every rule in the engine cites its source — AAFCO and FEDIAF nutrient profiles, FDA actions, veterinary-organization guidance, published research. The full citation registry is public and ships with the engine's config, versioned with it.
Read the methodology