Barley
carb ingredient
What is it?
Barley is a carbohydrate (starch/filler) ingredient. Graded medium: nutritionally adequate and nothing to worry about, but not a standout ingredient either way.
Other names on labels: hordeum vulgare
At a glance
- Base score
- 0.5 (from −1 to 1; higher is better)
- Found in
- 353 products
Products containing barley
Results reflect the latest label we hold for each product, not a live check of today's recipe. Open a product to see its source and last-checked date.
Common questions about barley
Is Barley good for dogs?
We grade it medium: nutritionally adequate, but not a standout either way. The overall recipe matters more than any single ingredient.
Is barley better than wheat in dog food?
Barley is a slower-digesting grain with a gentler effect on blood sugar than wheat, and it brings useful soluble fibre. It is still a carbohydrate filler rather than a nutritional highlight, but among cereal grains it is one of the better choices.
How many UK dog foods contain barley?
353 UK products list barley as an ingredient in our database. The full list is shown above, sorted by rating.
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What else is barley called on labels?
Manufacturers can also list it as hordeum vulgare. We match this to the same glossary entry when we read a label.
How does Open Dog Food grade barley?
We grade it medium: nutritionally adequate, but nothing special either way. Every ingredient is converted to its dry-matter share and scored from our glossary before a recipe gets its 1-100 rating; the full method is on our methodology page.