What I look for in a kibble.
1. It must be made in their own facility, by the actual dog food company. This in my opinion is the first step to a reputable company.
2. Ingredients list must read out well with no corn, wheat, gmo's, bha, bht, ethoxiquin, by-products and minimal to no sythentic vitamins. If the food has grains in it, have they been split? Are they in whole form? If it is grain free, is it loaded with potatoes or pea fiber?
3. Food MUST HAVE a FULL nutrient analysis. This helps in determining the amount of each ingredient listed in the ingredients list. Any company that cannot provide a full NA, is either hiding something or lazy....or really has no idea what they are doing in the pet food business. Protein %, Fat % and K/cals per cup, need to make sense. 32% protein, 16% fat and only 360 k/cals per cup, doesn't make sense. 32% protein, 16% fat and 425 or more k/cals per cup, makes sense.
Most (99%) of pet owners have no idea what to look for on an NA, and pet food companies know this.
4. Price must make sense compared to the ingredients list. A 30lb bag of grain free food costing $40 doesn't make sense when all other grain free 30 pounders cost $55 and higher. Something is missing. You get what you pay for.
There are tons of kibble foods on the market...Enough to make your head spin. My favorite kibble...Orijen. I've used in the past: Evo, Canine Caviar, Acana, Merrick, Wellness and Iams (before I knew). Have fun choosing. You will find a wealth of information on this site.