Every product we carry passed a 12-point ingredient rubric. Here is the other side of that: the ingredients that disqualify a product automatically, with the science behind each rejection.
Synthetic Preservatives
BHA (Butylated Hydroxyanisole) and BHT (Butylated Hydroxytoluene): Synthetic antioxidants used to prevent fat rancidity. Classified as possible human carcinogens by the World Health Organization and the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Banned from human food in Japan and most EU countries. Still legal in US pet food. We reject any formula containing either.
Ethoxyquin: Originally developed as a pesticide and rubber stabilizer. Used as a fat preservative in some pet foods, particularly fish meal. Banned from human food in the EU. The FDA requested voluntary reductions from manufacturers in 1997. We reject it entirely.
Filler Proteins
Corn Gluten Meal: A byproduct of corn syrup and corn starch manufacturing. Contains protein but at 40-50% digestibility compared to 80% for named meat proteins. Used to inflate the guaranteed analysis protein percentage cheaply. Dogs do not thrive on plant proteins as primary sources.
Unnamed by-products: Could be any species, any part, in any condition. By-products themselves are not inherently bad liver, heart, kidney are nutrient-dense. The problem is the unnamed qualifier. Named organ meats are nutritional assets. Mystery by-products are not.
Artificial Colors
Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2: Petroleum-derived synthetic dyes with no nutritional purpose whatsoever in pet food. Dogs are dichromats they see in a limited color range and cannot perceive most of these colors as distinct. The dyes are there to make food look appealing to humans buying it, not to dogs eating it. Several are restricted or banned in the EU for use in children's food due to links with hyperactivity. We reject any formula using synthetic colors.
Sweeteners
High-Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup, Sucrose: Sometimes found in semi-moist foods and treats. Dogs do not require dietary sugar. Sweeteners are used to improve palatability of low-quality protein sources that dogs would otherwise reject. If a food needs sweeteners to be palatable, the protein quality is the problem.
Why These Standards Matter
The AAFCO minimum for complete and balanced is a survivable threshold, not an optimal one. A product can contain every ingredient on this list and still carry an AAFCO adequacy statement.
Truva's standard is higher. Not because we believe perfection is achievable, but because better is clearly possible and the brands that achieve it deserve the catalog position over those that do not.