Starch
Also appears on labels as: corn starch, modified corn starch, modified food starch, modified tapioca starch, modified rice starch, rice starch
The carbohydrate refined out of corn, rice, tapioca or another plant. “Modified” means it was treated with heat, enzymes or food-grade chemicals so it thickens and holds up better; it has nothing to do with genetic modification. Maltodextrin is starch that has been partly broken down.
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- Where it comes from
- Starch refineries, from wet-milled grain or roots.
- Why it's in the product
- Thickens gravy and loaf textures and binds kibble and treats together.
- Safety and toxicity
- Safe as used. It adds calories and little else, and a line such as “modified food starch” does not say which plant it came from.
General reference, not veterinary advice. Dose, breed, and existing conditions change the answer, so talk to your vet before changing what your pet eats. Think we got this wrong? Tell us and we log it publicly.
Found in 29 scored products
Lowest scores first. Its presence here is not what drove those scores.
5 more scored products list this ingredient. Showing the 24 lowest-scoring.