While by-products can contribute to the overall protein content, they are considered lower quality sources compared to whole meats. By-products often include internal organs and intestines, and their exact composition and quality control can be questionable. This scoring system penalizes the use of by-products to encourage the use of higher-quality, whole meat sources.
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The actual calculation of the score is based on sophisticated and advanced algorithm that takes into account multiple parameters.
To simplify the explanation, the calculation is based on three main criteria:
(1) Amount of protein (more is better)
(2) Amount of carbohydrates (less is better)
(3) Quality and source of ingredients.
Based on that 3 main criteria, 9 score calculation rules are used to compare the different foods.
One major assumption is that the closer an ingredient is to the top of the ingredient list, the greater its relative weight and contribution to the food.
In general, cat food is composed of protein, fats, carbohydrates, fibers, vitamins, and minerals.
Protein is the most important component in a cat’s diet, and cats primarily get their protein from animal meat.
Fat is a primary source of energy and essential fatty acids.
Carbohydrates are controversial in a cat’s diet, as cats are obligate carnivores and typically consume very few carbohydrates.
Fibers play an important role in digestion and food absorption, and vitamins and minerals are essential for different organism functions.
Dry matter values are used to compare the amount of nutrients in different cat foods.
This means that moisture is excluded from the equation to provide a more accurate comparison.
Putting all of these and more into a formula results in a product score.
The maximum score a cat food can receive is 100.
Points are added or removed based on the score calculation rules.