Standard 2.2 (draft): scores for this category will appear once its release checks are complete. Any scores shown above this section were calculated under an earlier version of the Standard and will be replaced.
Pet food: how the Throne Standard is calculated
Pack: Pet Food 2.1.0 · Standard 2.2.0 (draft) · Engine: Declaration · Status: Experimental, scores not yet published
Pet food is scored on whether its declaration is complete, uses named ingredients, avoids listed additives and suits the species.
The calculation
Product value = 100 if every declared ingredient passes the list; 0 if any ingredient fails; otherwise unresolved
- Animal and plant ingredients both earn credit. Generic terms such as "meat and animal derivatives" fail the specificity check, and an undeclared vitamin or mineral premix leaves the product unresolved.
- The full declaration for the exact product is read and each name is normalised (case, synonyms, Latin names, footnote marks, bracketed common names, "may contain" lists).
- A name that is not on the list leaves the product unresolved. An unread or incomplete declaration is a gap, never a fail.
- The share of individual ingredients that pass is shown beside each product as an unscored detail, so a near miss is visible.
- For complete foods, the first ingredient must suit the species read from the product (for example animal protein first for cats and dogs).
Bands (the same in every category)| Value | Band |
|---|
| 100 | 5/5 |
|---|
| 90 to below 100 | 4/5 |
|---|
| 60 to below 90 | 3/5 |
|---|
| 40 to below 60 | 2/5 |
|---|
| 0 to below 40 | 1/5 |
|---|
All arithmetic is exact (fractions, never rounded floating point). Nothing is rounded before the band test, and each band includes its lower bound. Values are shown cut to two decimals, never rounded up, so 89.996 shows as 89.99 and is 3/5.
Worked example: a real declaration, today's result
Organic Adult dry dog food with chicken, Yarrah| Step | Result |
|---|
| Declared ingredients | 18% chicken meal, 17% oats, corn, wheat, chicken fat, rice protein, soybean expeller, 4% peas, herring meal, hydrolysed protein, baobab, sunflower seed expeller, brewer's yeast, minerals, 0.5% fish oil |
|---|
| Species and lead | dog; lead ingredient chicken meal is animal protein, so the lead check passes |
|---|
| List decisions | 12 names are not yet on the versioned list, and "minerals" is not itemised |
|---|
| Product value | unresolved until the list is complete and the mineral sources are declared |
|---|
From products to a brand result
- Each parent product counts once. Sizes add no votes; variants with different complete declarations each count once and the parent takes their mean.
- The brand value is the plain mean of the unrounded product values, never weighted by price or sales. One result per category; never one overall brand score.
- A headline band needs at least 70% of eligible products assessed. Below that the result is shown as Partial, with no badge.
- Only a verified complete catalogue (a Census) can reach 5/5. Partial and sample results are capped at 4/5, and a Partial result shows its possible range, from every unresolved item at 0 to every unresolved item at 100.
- Unknown is never a fail. A missing, unread or conflicting record lowers coverage and is shown as a gap.
Evidence we use
The analytical and ingredient declaration for the exact product. Every record keeps its source address, exact locator, capture date and a SHA-256 hash of what we read. Evidence older than two years is re-checked before it supports a high level.
Why scores are not shown yet
Before any score in this category is published, the complete, versioned ingredient list this category depends on is not finished; no verified product has yet been confirmed at 5/5 with published evidence; the calibration run has not been reviewed and signed off; we have not yet shown that scores separate stronger from weaker products. Until then we show the evidence we have found, not a score.