pea starch

What it is

Pea starch is the nearly pure carbohydrate stream of pea fractionation — what remains when the protein and fiber are drawn off. Extruded kibble needs starch to hold together, and grain-free recipes need it from somewhere that isn't grain.

Why it's in pet food

It is functional: kibble structure, not nutrition strategy. Its presence usually means the recipe also carries pea protein — the fractions travel together, which is exactly what the splitting rule watches for.

How Bowlmark scores it

Scores are deterministic math over the printed label — the rules below apply to every product identically, and nothing estimates or fills in a blank.

Pea starch counts as a pea fraction for the splitting rule: three or more pea-word ingredients in the top eight is a single 12-point deduction on the ingredient-quality pillar. It also counts toward the zero-point legume-rich grain-free informational flag (FDA DCM-inquiry context).

Read the full methodology

Foods that list pea starch

Ranked by score where scores exist. Placement here is never sold.

• Purina Pro Plan Vital Systems Chicken & Egg Formula90
• Rachael Ray Nutrish Large Breed Real Beef, Pea & Brown Rice Recipe89
• ACANA Light & Fit Recipe88
• ACANA Classics, Salmon and Barley Recipe87
• ACANA Free-Run Poultry Recipe87
• ACANA Puppy Recipe87
• ACANA Red Meat Recipe87
• Blue Buffalo Wilderness Adult Dog Grain-Free Chicken Recipe87

Sources

• WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee — Selecting a pet food
• FDA investigation: potential link between diet and canine DCM (2019 update)

Related ingredients

• pea fiber
• pea flour
• pea protein
• peanut butter
• peanut flour
• peanut hulls

Further reading

• Grain-free, legumes and the DCM question
• How to read a pet food label