Why do ingredient-rating sites grade popular brands poorly while reviewers love them?

This is the central tension in the category. Sites like cats.com and catfoodadvisor.com grade on ingredient quality and species-appropriateness and gave several mass-market dry foods C and D grades, while verified-purchase reviewers and many vets prioritize digestibility, consistency, and feeding-trial backing. We weight both, which is why a D-graded budget pick can still rank on real-world performance.