High riskHeavily penalizedDogs and cats
Meat meal
Why it matters
Rendered protein from unspecified mammal sources. The species can change batch to batch, making allergen control impossible and quality untraceable. Named meals such as chicken meal are the transparent alternative.
How PawScore treats it
Foods containing Meat meal are heavily penalized when we grade the label. We don't publish the exact numeric weights so scores stay honest as the rubric evolves.