Dog food changes, and so do our grades. Every time we update a brand's score or data, we log it here with the date and reasoning. No quiet edits.
May 21, 2026
Corrected pricing across all weight tiers. New monthly costs: $31 (25 lb), $51 (50 lb), $70 (75 lb), $87 (100 lb), $102 (125 lb), $117 (150 lb). Previous figures used the wrong MER multiplier (~1.6 instead of the 1.3 published in our methodology), which overstated monthly cost by roughly 19%.
May 9, 2026
Our original review missed several food safety investments Viva Raw has made. After a full re-audit, we confirmed: HPP (high pressure processing) validated through an academic partnership with IFSH (Institute for Food Safety and Health at Illinois Tech), X-ray foreign object detection, heavy metal testing on supplement ingredients, and a hold-and-release pathogen testing protocol. We also corrected two scoring errors. Recalls were being double-counted across categories, and their optional Pure line (which requires supplementation) was unfairly penalized when their flagship line is complete and balanced. No board-certified veterinary nutritionist and no completed feeding trials keep them from a higher grade.
April 17, 2026
JFFD meets every A-grade requirement: board-certified veterinary nutritionists on staff, completed AAFCO feeding trials, adult-specific formulas, and owns its own manufacturing. We previously docked points for mildly fear-adjacent marketing, but on review the science and transparency back it up. The marketing alone isn't enough to hold a brand out of the top tier.
We previously believed Freshpet only offered All Life Stages formulas without an adult-specific option, which capped them at B. On review, Freshpet does sell adult-specific recipes. Combined with completed feeding trials, board-certified veterinary nutritionists, and ISO 22000 (global food safety management) certified manufacturing, Freshpet meets every A-grade requirement. Some vague health claims remain, but the core science and testing are strong across the board.
April 16, 2026
Updated pricing data across all weight tiers. New monthly costs: $140 (25 lb), $230 (50 lb), $310 (75 lb), $380 (100 lb), $440 (125 lb), $500 (150 lb). Previous pricing was outdated.