At Pet Wants, we’re 100% committed to making the absolute best food for dogs and cats of all ages. One of the steps we’ve taken to accomplish this goal is to not put corn in our pet food. Since we receive plenty of questions about why we don’t include this common ingredient, we thought it would be helpful to use this blog post to share the list of reasons:
Corn Doesn’t Have a Low Glycemic Index
According to IBISWorld, corn farming in just the United States generates over $45 billion of revenue every year. Given that huge figure, it’s easy to understand why it’s in the best interest of the corn industry to promote this product as something that’s healthy for both people and pets. That type of promotion leads to some common but significant misconceptions.
One of those misconceptions is that corn has a low glycemic index. The glycemic index (GI) is used to measure how much a specific food will raise blood sugar. Since blood sugar spikes aren’t something that’s desirable, lower GI foods are considered some of the healthiest. As a baseline, asparagus, broccoli and cauliflower all have a GI of 15. How does corn compare? Its GI clocks in at 53, while the type of corn meal often used in pet foods comes in even higher at 69.
Corn Can Cause Allergies
Another common statement used to support corn in pet food is that of all the ingredients found in a blend, it’s one of the least likely to cause an allergic reaction. Although there is some validity to that statement, a quick online search will reveal many dog and cat owners with compelling evidence of their pet’s allergy to this ingredient. Since we want our food to be the absolute best for ALL pets, including a questionable ingredient isn’t something we’re comfortable doing.
Corn Doesn’t Have An Impressive Nutritional Completeness
Individuals or companies with an interest in promoting pet food that has corn in it may try to say that this ingredient is rich in vitamins and minerals. While corn does have some vitamins and minerals, calling it rich is a stretch. The USDA provides a Completeness Score for the total nutritional value of different foods. Corn only clocks in at a 34 on this scale. In comparison, sweet potato has a score of 55, while spinach is all the way up the scale at 91.
Although corn isn’t something that you’ll find in any Pet Wants blend, we do include plenty of healthy and natural ingredients. We encourage you to check them out for yourself by browsing through our ingredients page.
Pet Wants Cincy 
Nice pretty interesting article about why corn should not put in dog food. I have a Pomeranian puppy 4 months old what do you think you can share me to avoid eating for my dog? Thank you for sharing this article.
LikeLike
Hello,
Small breeds tend to get overweight if you’re not careful. Don’t start a habit of too many treats. Stay away from corn,wheat,soybeans, sugars, dyes and animal by products. Pet Wants makes beef jerky from scratch using inside round USDA meat from a local Butcher. And Pet Wants food is all made once a month and is purchased by the pound. Your Pommy can get the right amount of fresh food delivered to your home. PetWantsCincy.com is where you can find details.
Thanks for your inquiry.
LikeLike