[weezerweeks]

I was just going through the selection of foods and I don’t understand why some of them can be on this list when they or ranked 3 and 3.5. For example fresh pet

[Tina]

That’s exactly what I was thinking, why is the brand Authority or Nutro Max on the list when they both have had recalls and aren’t very good?

[InkedMarie]

Neither Authority nor NutroMax is on the Editors Choice list.

[InkedMarie]

Ah ha. They’re on the budget friendly list of foods, not the editors choice.

[crazy4cats]

Fresh Pet Select is rated 5 stars.

[aquariangt]

All the freshpets are highly rated, haven’t had recalls, and are widely available, which is why they made it on the editor’s choice list.

I believe that the budget friendly is just a list of 4-5 stars that are less expensive than the usual 4-5 stars, as a helpful tool. If they were the best of the best, they’d be under the editor’s choice review section. That’s my take on it at least

[Lynn J]

I was confused too. I was thinking that the Budget Friendly and non-GMO foods were subsets of the Editor’s Choice selections, as opposed as being from the entire list of reviewed foods.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Just to clear up some confusion –

The Editor’s Choice list is comprised of companies, not of foods. We chose to take a holistic view of the companies themselves when determining who made the list and who didn’t – obviously the quality of their products factors in. It’s very possible that a company could have a few formulas that have received slightly lower ratings – such as 3 or 3.5 stars – and still make the list. In fact, there are very few companies out there they don’t have a least a formula or two that have received lower ratings. If you take any 5 star food from the review section and look at all of the formulas the company produces, 9 times out of 10 there will be at least one or two that have received less than 4 stars. Concerning FreshPet specifically – the vast majority of FreshPet’s formulas have received very high ratings and we found them to be a great company, the fact that they have a couple formulas rated 3 or 3.5 stars shouldn’t eliminate them from the running.

Authority and Nutromax are not on the Editor’s Choice list. On the budget friendly list, the foods that are both budget friendly and on the Editor’s Choice list are clearly labeled. The list at the top says “Budget-Friendly Dog Foods That Are Also Editor’s Choice Brands” and the list at the bottom says “Other Budget Friendly Dog Foods.”

If you would like more information on how the companies were selected, visit this article:

/choosing-dog-food/brand-guidelines/

• This reply was modified 10 years, 10 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[Jade X]

I’m on my second bag of Orijen puppy dry food, however, the kibbles from second bag looks very different from the first bag. First bag’s kibble is dryer, second bag looks more moist and darker color. Has anyone experience this? Is this normal?

[crazy4cats]

HDM-I’m assuming that the foods on the non editor’s choice budget friendly list still had to meet a certain criteria, didn’t they? Thank you.

[Mike Sagman]

Budget-friendly dog foods are special. They can indeed be Editor’s Choice companies. However, they may also have a few minor flaws that may prevent them from qualifying for the EC list. Yet still allow them to be considered above average quality and good value. That’s why we divided the list into two sections.

The fact a company has recalls does not ever preclude them from any list of quality products. We avoid companies that hide recall-like events from consumers or have a history of making recalls recalls a habit.

Example: Natura, the makers of Innova, California Natural, EVO and others is still a great pet food company. Until last year, they had a history of zero recalls. The fact they’re owned by a larger company can be a good thing. Larger companies typically maintain better quality control, on premises labs, access to pretested raw materials, etc. They are still under consideration for Editor’s Choice.

By the way, 3 star products are still recommended dog foods. Another example, when it comes to feeding large breed puppies, some of the most scientifically based and tested products are only rated 3-stars and come from very large producers.

Hope this makes sense.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Crazy4Cats –

Yes – certain criteria were considered when creating the “Non-Editor’s Choice” Budget Friendly list. The criteria just wasn’t as stringent as that of the Editor’s Choice list. Several of the companies featured on the Non-Editor’s Choice Budget were actually very close to making the Editor’s Choice list and some, perhaps, may even be included as Editor’s Choice selections in the future. In short, while we may not have found the Non-EC Budget Friendly foods worthy of EC status at this point in time, they are formulas we feel comfortable recommending to our readers that are looking for a quality food at a reasonable price. Hope that answers your question!

• This reply was modified 10 years, 10 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[crazy4cats]

HDM-
Thank you for the detailed explanation, that clears it up!

[Lynn J]

Yes, thank you, it does clarify how those lists are put together.

[Author]

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