High riskHeavily penalizedDogs and cats
Blue 2
Also labeled as
indigo carmineindigotine
Why it matters
Artificial dye with no nutritional function and some contested animal study findings. A marker of marketing-driven formulation.
How PawScore treats it
Foods containing Blue 2 are heavily penalized when we grade the label. We don't publish the exact numeric weights so scores stay honest as the rubric evolves.