EvaVendor portal

Brand standards

Version 1.0. 12 hard requirements with 57 deny tokens, 8 excluded categories, 11 conditional ingredients, and 113 standards in all. Every decline names the rule that gated it.

Hard requirements

Checked before anything else. Any failure is a decline and no score is computed.

  1. Every animal-derived ingredient names its species. Generic protein terms and rendered by-product meals are declined.
  2. Xylitol is declined in any concentration, in any product class.
  3. No synthetic antioxidant preservatives.
  4. No synthetic colorants or colorant-purpose caramel.
  5. No propylene glycol as a humectant or carrier.
  6. No added sugars or sugar alcohols used as palatants.
  7. No formaldehyde-releasing preservatives.
  8. No parabens, phthalates, isothiazolinones, or sulfate primary surfactants.
  9. Country of origin is disclosed for every animal-derived ingredient, and the manufacturing facility is named at the brand level.
  10. Any product positioned as a complete diet carries a current AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement naming the life stage.
  11. No packaging or listing copy stating that the product treats, cures, prevents, or diagnoses a disease.
  12. No unresolved Class I recall in the trailing 24 months. A resolved recall with a documented corrective action is reviewed rather than declined.

Excluded products

  • Rawhide chews, domestic and imported
  • Cooked or smoked weight-bearing bones
  • Antlers, hooves, and hard nylon chews above enamel hardness
  • Jerky treats without full ingredient-level country of origin
  • Prong collars, choke chains, and electronic shock collars
  • Supplements marketed for rapid weight loss or appetite suppression
  • CBD and hemp-derived ingestibles (reviewed case by case)
  • Raw diets without validated pathogen control (reviewed case by case)

Conditional ingredients

Allowed only when the condition is met; the buyer confirms it.

  • Titanium dioxide: allowed when present only as a capsule or tablet coating or opacifier in a supplement, at a disclosed level. Declined as a colorant in food, treats, chews, or any topical.
  • Dextrose: allowed when present only as a carrier in a vitamin or mineral premix at a disclosed trace level. Declined when used as a palatant or listed in the first half of the ingredient panel.
  • Corn and corn derivatives: allowed when certified organic or verified non-GMO
  • Soy and soy derivatives: allowed when certified organic or verified non-GMO
  • Canola and rapeseed oil: allowed when certified organic or verified non-GMO
  • Natural flavors and digests: allowed when source species or plant is stated and approved by the buyer
  • Maltodextrin: allowed when verified non-GMO and present as a carrier rather than a filler
  • Yeast extract: allowed when certified organic or verified non-GMO
  • Menadione sodium bisulfite complex (vitamin K3): allowed when present solely to meet an AAFCO minimum, with the level disclosed
  • Fragrance, parfum, and undisclosed scent blends: allowed when full fragrance composition is disclosed, or the scent is a named essential oil or botanical blend, or the supplier provides an allergen declaration covering the blend
  • Carrageenan: allowed when food-grade only, with degraded poligeenan excluded by certificate of analysis

How applications are scored

Seven dimensions, each scored 0 to 4. The weighted total normalises to 100 and sets the carry tier. Scores order the queue; buyers decide.

Ingredient quality (25%)
- 0: Meets the floor and nothing more
- 2: Whole-food ingredient panel, no conditional ingredients invoked
- 4: Organic or regeneratively sourced throughout, panel short enough to read on shelf

Sourcing transparency (20%)
- 0: Origin disclosed only where required
- 2: Country of origin for all ingredients
- 4: Traceable to farm or fishery, independently verifiable

Manufacturing control (15%)
- 0: Undisclosed co-packer
- 2: Named co-packer with current third-party audit
- 4: Owned facility with published testing protocol and batch-level results

Brand independence (15%)
- 0: Division of a large conglomerate
- 2: Minority strategic investment
- 4: Founder owned and independently operated

Third-party validation (10%)
- 0: No external certification
- 2: Organic or non-GMO verified across the line
- 4: Full certification set plus independent heavy metal and pathogen panels per batch

Formulation evidence (10%)
- 0: No stated formulation basis
- 2: Formulated by a credentialed animal nutritionist
- 4: Feeding trial or peer-reviewed evidence specific to the formulation

Brand and presentation fit (5%)
- 0: Presentation conflicts with the shelf
- 2: Coherent identity, photographs well
- 4: Category-defining presentation, draws customers on its own

Carry tiers
- Hero (85 and above): Front of category, eligible for exclusive and collaboration work
- Core (70 and above): Standard assortment, full listing and content support
- Trial (55 and above): Limited listing, reassessed after two quarters of sell-through
- Decline (0 and above): Not carried. Feedback sent to the vendor naming the gating dimension.

Carry tiers

  • Hero (85 and above): Front of category, eligible for exclusive and collaboration work
  • Core (70 and above): Standard assortment, full listing and content support
  • Trial (55 and above): Limited listing, reassessed after two quarters of sell-through
  • Decline (0 and above): Not carried. Feedback sent to the vendor naming the gating dimension.

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