The standard
How we decide.
Our tier system, in full.
Every shop on Properly Fed has been reviewed before going live. Not every shop that applies gets listed, and not every listed shop is equal. Here's exactly what we look for, and why.
We use a three-tier system to signal the level of curation behind each listing, and we publish our criteria in full, because we think you deserve to know exactly what they are.
The tiers are Listed, Recommended, and Properly Fed Approved. Here's what each one means and how we decide.
Non-negotiable
What gets you turned away
at any tier.
These are non-negotiable. It doesn't matter how good the rest of your range is.
Rawhide
The digestive obstruction risk is real, the processing chemicals are real, and the dental health claims are false. If it's on the shelf it tells us where the line is drawn, and it's not where ours is.
Prescription diets pushed without veterinary referral
Stocking Hill's or Royal Canin isn't automatically wrong. Steering every customer with a health question toward a prescription diet without a vet's involvement is. It's not nutrition advice, it's liability management dressed as care.
Synthetic dental chews marketed as health products
Dentastix, Whimzees, processed starch sold with a dental health claim. The marketing is deliberately misleading and stocking it uncritically signals alignment with that deception.
Actively discouraging raw feeding
A shop that steers customers away from raw, not out of genuine health concern but because it doesn't suit their margin, has a fundamental conflict of interest with what Properly Fed exists to do.
Puppy farming or third-party live animal sales on premises
Non-negotiable.
Brands using natural, raw, or wholefood claims on products containing artificial preservatives, synthetic flavourings, or feed-grade protein
Greenwashing. A shop stocking these without scrutiny is complicit in the misleading.
Known food safety incidents with no demonstrated corrective action
A contamination incident that was ignored, covered up, or not properly addressed is a risk to every customer we send through the door.
The three tiers
What separates them.
Tier one
Listed
You're here because you're trying to do the right thing. You stock real food and you care about what goes in the bowl.
What we look for
Range
- Stocks a minimum of 3 raw food brands or a significant own-label raw range
- Raw and fresh food is genuinely available and visible in store, not an afterthought
- Freeze-dried, air-dried, or dehydrated options available
- Fresh or frozen raw meat available, including whole prey, mince, or complete raw
Sourcing and transparency
- Can name the primary suppliers for their raw range
- No unbranded or completely untraceable raw product on the shelf
Advice
- Staff can answer basic raw feeding questions competently
- Does not actively discourage raw feeding
What we'll overlook at this tier
Stocks dry food, wet food, or grain-based products alongside the raw range. May stock some synthetic treat lines. No formal nutrition qualifications required.
Tier two
Recommended
You're good. The raw range is serious, the advice is genuine, and your customers leave knowing more than when they walked in.
What we look for
Everything in Listed, plus:
Range
- Raw and fresh food is the primary focus of the shop, not a section within a broader offering
- Minimum 5 raw brands or a strong own-label range with clear sourcing
- Covers prey model, BARF, and complete raw, not just one feeding model
- Natural treat range is predominantly species-appropriate
- Dry food presence is limited and clearly secondary, not the first thing a customer sees
Sourcing and transparency
- Can speak to the sourcing and provenance of the core raw range
- Openly shares what they won't stock and why
Advice
- Staff confidently advise on transitions, rotation, and basic health-related feeding questions
- Offers or can refer to nutritional consultations
- Actively helps customers build feeding plans rather than just selling product
Social proof
- Minimum 5 verified customer stories on their Properly Fed profile
What we'll overlook at this tier
Small dry food range still present. No formal qualifications required but demonstrated knowledge expected.
Tier three
Properly Fed Approved
The cream. Exceptional range, genuine expertise, a philosophy lived rather than marketed. These are the shops we'd drive two hours to visit.
What we look for
Everything in Listed and Recommended, plus:
Range
- Raw, fresh, and species-appropriate food is the entire or near-entire offering
- No kibble. No grain-based dry food. No ultra-processed lines.
- Whole prey, raw meaty bones, and organ meat available as standard
- Freeze-dried and air-dried stocked as premium alternatives
- Seasonal or locally sourced proteins where possible
Sourcing and transparency
- Full traceability on core range, farm, region, or supplier named
- Sourcing is communicated to customers as part of the selling process, not just available on request
- Clear and public stance on what they won't stock and why
Expertise
- Owner or at least one staff member holds a formal qualification in animal nutrition, naturopathic nutrition, or equivalent, or can demonstrate equivalent expertise through verifiable experience
- Offers one-to-one nutritional consultations, in person or remote
- Can advise on health-condition-specific feeding: seniors, large breed puppies, kidney disease, cancer, allergies
- Actively educates customers rather than just fulfilling orders
Social proof and community
- Minimum 10 verified customer stories with demonstrable outcomes
- Responds to customer stories on their profile
- Engaged with the Properly Fed community
Annual review
Properly Fed Approved status is reviewed annually. It is not permanent. A shop that no longer meets the standard will be moved to Recommended or removed from the directory. We will always tell a shop why.
What disqualifies at this tier even if everything else is exceptional
Kibble or ultra-processed dry food in the range. Rawhide or synthetic chews. Staff unable to answer detailed nutrition questions. No consultation offering of any kind.
Think you belong here?
Start at the Listed tier. Submit your shop through the form and we'll review it against the criteria above. If we think you're operating at Recommended or Approved level, we'll tell you. If we think there are things worth working on before we can list you, we'll tell you that too.
We don't turn shops down to be difficult. We do it because the directory only means something if the standard means something.
Tiers are reviewed periodically. Properly Fed reserves the right to move or remove any listing that no longer meets the relevant standard. Shops will always be notified and given the opportunity to respond.