Grain-Free vs Grain-Included Pet Food: How the Formulations Differ

Short answer: the difference is the carbohydrate source, not the protein level

"Grain-free" and "grain-included" describe which carbohydrate sources a recipe uses — not how much meat it contains, and not whether one is better for a dog or cat. A grain-free kibble and a grain-included kibble can both be 30% protein, or both be 22%. The label tells you what the starch comes from; it does not tell you the nutritional quality of the diet.

This article explains how the two formulation families actually differ, how each behaves in production, and what buyers should ask a manufacturer before choosing one.

What "grain-free" actually means on a label

There is no single global legal definition of the term. For the purposes of its investigation into canine dilated cardiomyopathy, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration treated a product as grain-free if it "did not contain corn, soy, wheat, rice, barley or other grains."

Two things follow from that definition, and both catch buyers out:

• Grain-free is not carbohydrate-free. Removing grain removes a carbohydrate source — it does not remove carbohydrates. They are replaced with other starch sources.
• Grain-free is not legume-free. Peas, lentils, chickpeas and other pulses are legumes, not grains, so they appear freely in grain-free recipes.

What replaces the grain: the carbohydrate sources in each approach

In practice, formulators reach for different ingredient families depending on which route they take. Recipes vary by supplier, so always ask for the actual ingredient list rather than relying on the category label.

Note the asymmetry: a grain-included recipe usually names one or two cereals. A grain-free recipe often depends on several starch sources at once, because no single pulse or root starch behaves exactly like a cereal across the whole process.

Why the starch source changes the production line, not just the label

Starch is what gives kibble its structure. During extrusion and baking, starch granules absorb water and gelatinise; that gelatinised starch is what holds the piece together, sets its texture, and drives expansion. Different starch sources gelatinise at different rates, hold different amounts of water, and produce different textures.

In practical terms, moving a recipe from grain-included to grain-free is not a like-for-like swap. It usually means re-tuning:

• Water addition and preconditioning — pulse and root starches hydrate differently from cereal starches;
• Temperature and residence time — the cook profile that sets a wheat or rice recipe may over- or under-gelatinise a pea-and-potato one;
• Kibble density and expansion — the same die and knife settings give a different piece;
• Palatability and fat absorption — coating behaviour changes with surface structure.

This is why a factory that only ever runs one route cannot simply "switch" a formula on request — the process parameters are part of the recipe.

Extrusion vs baking: the same recipe behaves differently

Process route matters as much as ingredient route, and the two are independent choices. A grain-free recipe can be extruded or baked; so can a grain-included one.

Shandong Guihe Pet Food Co., Ltd. runs both routes and both ingredient approaches — the product line includes high-meat grain-free baked food, high-meat grain-free extruded food, and high-meat grain-included extruded food. That matters when a brand wants to test two positions in the same market without changing supplier.

What the FDA investigation did — and did not — establish

This is the part most supplier marketing leaves out, so it is worth stating plainly.

In July 2018 the FDA announced it had begun investigating reports of canine dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs eating certain pet foods, many labelled "grain-free", which contained a high proportion of peas, lentils, other legume seeds, and/or potatoes among the main ingredients. Between 1 January 2014 and 30 April 2019 the agency received 524 reports (515 canine, 9 feline). More than 90% of the reported products were grain-free, and 93% contained peas and/or lentils.

Those figures describe the reports. They do not establish cause — and the FDA's own product testing pointed the other way on the most obvious hypothesis. When the Veterinary Laboratory Investigation and Response Network tested both grain-free and grain-containing products, the FDA reported that average protein, fat, total taurine, cystine, methionine and resistant starch content were similar between grain-free labelled and grain-containing products.

In December 2022 the agency stated it did not intend to release further public updates until there was meaningful new scientific information, and noted that adverse event numbers by themselves "do not supply sufficient data to establish a causal relationship" with any reported product.

Our position follows from that. We do not market grain-free as healthier, and we do not market grain-included as safer. Both are legitimate formulation routes, and the choice is a product-positioning and cost decision that belongs to the brand, informed by veterinary advice for the animals concerned. A manufacturer that tells you one route is inherently superior is either guessing or selling.

How to compare the two when you are sourcing

Which route should your brand choose?

In our experience the decision usually comes down to four questions, none of which is a nutrition question:

1. What does your target market expect? In some markets grain-free is a shelf-entry requirement; in others it carries no premium at all.
2. What do your retail listings demand? Large retailers often carry both, which argues for a supplier who can produce both.
3. What is your ingredient cost ceiling? Pulse and root starches and the re-tuning they require are priced differently from cereals. Ask for a costed formulation comparison rather than an estimate.
4. What can you legally print? Label claims are constrained by destination market rules, not by what the factory can make.

None of these requires you to take a position on which diet is better for dogs — a question that, on the current evidence, the FDA has explicitly declined to settle.

Frequently asked questions

Is grain-free the same as carbohydrate-free?

No. Grain-free removes cereal grains; carbohydrates are still present and are supplied by pulses, potatoes, sweet potatoes, tapioca or similar sources.

Does grain-free also mean legume-free?

No. Peas, lentils and chickpeas are legumes rather than grains, so they are common in grain-free recipes. If you need a recipe free of both, specify that separately — it is a different brief.

Is grain-free better for dogs with food sensitivities?

That is a veterinary question, and we are not the right party to answer it for an individual animal. From a formulation standpoint, the ingredients a vet would typically want to identify are the specific protein and carbohydrate sources — not whether the recipe carries a grain-free claim. A grain-free recipe and a grain-included recipe can both contain the ingredient you are trying to avoid.

Can one manufacturer produce both grain-free and grain-included recipes?

Yes, but only if it has both the ingredient supply and the process flexibility. Shandong Guihe produces grain-free baked food, grain-free extruded food and grain-included extruded food on the same site.

Is extruded or baked better for a grain-free recipe?

Neither is inherently better. Baked pieces are denser and hold finer shapes; extruded pieces are lighter and more porous. Which suits you depends on the product you are positioning, not on the grain claim.

Will a grain-free recipe cost more?

It depends on the starch sources, the protein level and the process — which is why we quote per formulation rather than giving a category-level premium. Ask for a costed comparison of both routes for your specific brief.

Sources

• U.S. Food and Drug Administration — FDA Investigation into Potential Link between Certain Diets and Canine Dilated Cardiomyopathy
• American Kennel Club — Diet-Associated Dilated Cardiomyopathy: Update

Related reading

• Pet Food OEM vs ODM: Key Differences and How to Choose
• From Concept to Shelf: How Private Label Pet Food and Supplements Are Made
• How to Choose a Reliable Pet Food OEM Manufacturer in China

Working on a grain-free or grain-included range?

Shandong Guihe Pet Food Co., Ltd. manufactures pet compound feed and pet nutritional supplements — including grain-free baked, grain-free extruded and grain-included extruded recipes — and provides OEM and ODM development from formula through packaging and export. Send us your target market and product brief, and we will come back with a costed formulation comparison across both routes.

Further reading on this topic

• Extruded vs Baked vs Freeze-Dried Pet Food
• Pet Food Labeling by Market
• Calcium to Phosphorus Ratio in Pet Food