Taurine in dog and cat food
Short answer
An essential amino acid for cats (heart & eye health). Its presence is a good sign, especially in cat food.
How it appears on a label
Pet-food labels vary by market and language, and Open Pet Food Facts carries ingredient tags in several languages at once. This class is matched on taurine, with accents folded so an Italian or French label resolves to the same flag.
How it affects the score
Taurine is a positive finding. It never deducts from a score — it helps floor a clean formula at 50 or above. Open Pet Food Facts has sparse nutrition coverage, so pet scoring is driven by the ingredient list rather than by a nutrition table.
This is not veterinary advice
The flags here are class-level and precautionary. If an animal has eaten something on the toxic list, call a vet or a pet poison-control line — not an app.
Source: AAFCO nutrient profiles
Other pet food ingredients we flag
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