Rice Flour
Our ingredient score: 1 / 5 · Starch or refined grain · How We Score
Brewers rice is the small pieces of rice that break off during milling; the name comes from its traditional use by brewers. Rice flour is a similar refined starch. With the bran and germ removed, most of the fiber and vitamins are gone, and what remains is mainly starch for energy. It is common in sensitive stomach foods because it is easy to digest. The larger its share in the food, the less room is left for meat and fat.
Common Questions
Is rice flour safe for cats?
Rice flour is ground rice, usually white rice with the bran and germ removed, so it is mostly starch. Tufts veterinary nutritionists say cats can digest and metabolize properly cooked carbohydrates but have no specific dietary requirement for them as adults. If your cat has a medical condition, your veterinarian can advise on whether its food fits.
Source: sites.tufts.edu
Why is rice flour in cat food?
Rice flour adds starch for energy and helps the kibble dough bind into pieces that hold their shape. Pettings notes that it is common in sensitive-stomach foods because it is easy to digest. Since the bran and germ are removed, it brings little fiber or vitamin content. Its fine texture mixes evenly with other dry ingredients.
Is rice flour the same as brewers rice flour?
Close, but they start from different rice. Rice flour is made by grinding rice, usually white kernels. Brewers rice flour is made by grinding brewers rice, the broken fragments left over from milling. Nutritionally the two are very similar refined starches, and Pettings scores both 1 out of 5.
Can cats be allergic to rice?
Rice allergy in cats appears to be uncommon. The Merck Veterinary Manual lists beef, fish and chicken as common food allergen sources in cats, and wheat, corn, dairy products and lamb as less common ones, without naming rice. A cat can still react to any ingredient. A veterinarian-guided elimination diet trial is the standard way to identify a food allergy.
Source: merckvetmanual.com
How does Pettings score rice flour?
Pettings scores rice flour 1 out of 5 and lists it as a starch or refined grain. We found it on 5 of the 149 dry cat foods in our list. The ingredient score is separate from a food's overall score, which you can see on each food's page.
How Foods With Rice Flour Compare
Rice Flour is on the label of 5 of the 149 dry cat foods we list.