High riskHeavily penalizedDogs and cats
Red 40
Also labeled as
allura red
Why it matters
Artificial dye with zero nutritional purpose. Pets do not care about food color; dyes exist to appeal to owners. Flagged as a marker of marketing over nutrition.
How PawScore treats it
Foods containing Red 40 are heavily penalized when we grade the label. We don't publish the exact numeric weights so scores stay honest as the rubric evolves.