Grain-free

Grain-free describes a food without cereal grains, where the starch often comes from legumes such as [peas](/glossary/peas), [lentils](/glossary/lentils) and [chickpea](/glossary/chickpea) or from [potato and sweet potato](/glossary/potato-sweet-potato). A frequent misconception is that grain-free means low-carbohydrate, but it does not: the starch is simply supplied by a different ingredient, so a grain-free kibble can carry as much carbohydrate as a cereal-based one. The most important context is the safety debate. An FDA investigation, opened in 2018, has examined a possible link between certain grain-free, legume-rich diets and reports of [dilated cardiomyopathy](/glossary/dcm-dilated-cardiomyopathy-grain-free-debate) in dogs; no cause-and-effect relationship has been established, and the investigation remains open and non-causal as of the FDA's December 2022 update (FDA CVM, Dec 2022). The editorial stance is evidence over alarm, and the practical advice is to consult a vet before changing diet rather than reacting to headlines. Importantly, the dogs of the world's most common cereals, such as [maize](/glossary/maize-corn) and [rice](/glossary/rice), are digestible and rarely the main allergens, so removing grain is not inherently beneficial. The marker: grain-free is a positioning choice, not a guarantee of quality or low carbohydrate, best assessed by reading what replaces the grain, as the [Petipedia glossary](/glossary) explains.

Petipedia · Editorial team

General documentary information. For an individual animal, a veterinarian's advice takes precedence over any online content.