The denomination Grain Free indicates that a product has been formulated without including cereals in its composition. In these foods, alternative carbohydrate sources are used such as tubers (potato, sweet potato, cassava), legumes (peas, lentils) or some pseudocereal grains (chia, quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth). The origin of the Grain Free concept is based on an approximation of the type of ingredients used in the manufacture of food for dogs and cats to those that would constitute their natural diets based on predation of other animals with occasional consumption of plants, seeds and fruits (Bosch et al., 2015; Plantinga et al., 2011).
In the last decade, these types of products have been widely accepted: they represent more than 40% of the food for dogs and cats available in the US market (Plantz, 2017) and, more than a trend or fashion, they have been consolidated as a category of products with which to feed dogs and cats.
