Ingredient database › Barley
Is Barley good or bad in dog food?
Barley is a carbohydrate / energy source and rates as Good in our analysis.
Good Bottom line: Barley is a good, beneficial ingredient — a positive sign wherever it appears on the label.
Whole grain, good fibre.
This is a solid, beneficial ingredient and a positive sign wherever it appears on the label.
Built on AAFCO & FDA pet-food criteria · Last updated June 2026 · How we rate
What is Barley?
Barley is a carbohydrate / energy source used in dog food. On a label it may also appear as: barley, pearled barley.
What to look for on the label
Ingredients are listed by weight, so the ones near the top make up most of the recipe. Barley near the top is a good sign. The fastest way to judge a whole product is to paste its full ingredient list into our free dog food checker, which grades it A–F and flags every ingredient like this one.
How Barley affects the WoofScore
Our grade rewards named whole proteins, vegetables, fruit and beneficial supplements, and penalises vague by-products, cheap fillers, artificial colours and controversial preservatives. Barley contributes as a good-tier item; read the full scoring methodology to see exactly how the grade is calculated.