Ingredient file // Starch
Dried Potato Products
Useful potato leftovers with an imprecise label
Dried potato products are pieces, peels and other leftovers from making potato foods. In kibble, they mainly supply carbohydrate for energy and structure. The name does not tell you how much starch or fiber a particular batch contains.
Role in the food Supporting nutrient- What it is
- Dried potato pieces, peels and rejected potatoes left over from making foods for people.
- Made from
- Potato pieces, peels and culls
- Main job
- Carbohydrate for energy
- Typical amount
- Not published
- Watch for
- Peel-heavy batches need careful screening
- Not the same as
- Potato starch
Straight answer
Is Dried Potato Products safe for dogs?
Read its position and the other potato entries
If dried potato products sits near the top, expect it to supply a meaningful share of the recipe's carbohydrate. Check whether potato starch or potato protein appears separately. Lower on the list, it contributes less. Judge the complete food and your dog's needs, not the word byproduct.
- Why it is in the food
- Carbohydrate for energy
- Watch for
- Green potato material
- How common
- Listed by 3 of the 3,204 foods we track
Our read // In our catalog
In 1 of every 1,068 foods we track
Share of foods that list it
<1%
3 of the 3,204 foods with an ingredient list on file, from 2 brands. All dry dog food.
Each square is 1% of the catalog
Where it sits on the label
Median position 9. In the top five of 0 foods, so it is usually a supporting ingredient.
Above the salt
Almost always listed before the salt, so there is more of it than a pinch.
Price per lb
Median of the cheapest bag price across 3 priced foods, 6% above the catalog. The price is the food's, not the ingredient's.
Who leans on it
67%
of the foods that list it are from Natural Balance. 2 brands use it in total.
What it is
How it is made
Plants making fries, chips, starch and other potato foods separate pieces, peels and rejected potatoes from the products they sell. Drying gives those variable leftovers a feed outlet and makes them easier to store.3,5
- 01 // Source Processing potatoes Potatoes enter food plants that make fries, chips, starch and dehydrated potato foods.
- 02 // Process Separate leftovers Peels, small pieces and rejected potatoes are collected as potato foods are prepared for sale.
- 03 // Process Dry the mix The collected material is dried; its makeup depends on which processing streams supplied it.
- 04 // Output Dried potato products A dry feed ingredient arrives at the kibble plant with a variable balance of carbohydrate, fiber and minerals.
What is in it
Composition, dry matter
44
% starch
Average starch in dehydrated potato pulp, one dried potato stream. Across 56 samples it ran from about 26 to 59%, so batches differ widely.
Why it is in the bag
Adds real starch and fiber, not empty bulk
- Main nutrition
- Supporting nutrient
- Does a job
- Mostly filler
Makers add it to supply carbohydrate and to give potato leftovers from food plants a use as feed. One dried potato stream averages about 44% starch and 19% crude fiber on a dry basis, so it is not empty bulk. Labels list ingredients by weight. Near the top, it would be a main carbohydrate. Past the first several entries, it likely supplies a smaller share of the food's energy.3,6
-
01
Supplies carbohydrate energy
Potato pieces retain carbohydrate after processing. Cooking during kibble production makes starch usable to dogs, though peels and pulp change how much energy a batch supplies.1,3
-
02
Helps form kibble
Starch contributes to kibble expansion. A trial produced expanded kibble with a potato, pea and tapioca mix, but its design cannot assign that result to potato alone.1
-
03
Gives scraps an outlet
Wet potato leftovers spoil quickly and cost processors money to handle. Drying takes work, but it creates a storable feed ingredient from a food-processing stream.3
-
04
Fits grain-free recipes
Potato provides a carbohydrate option without cereal grain. That serves a grain-free formulation; a dog trial found no general digestibility advantage for the tested grain-free mix.1,3
How much A dog trial fed separate potato fiber at 0 to 6% of the diet; those amounts do not describe this mixed ingredient.2
Our read // The claims
What the evidence supports
Strong: controlled studies in dogs agree. Some: small or mixed dog data. Thin: mechanism or lab work only. None: nothing, or the evidence points the other way.
-
Brands say
Potato leftovers supply digestible energy
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
Dehydrated potato pulp, one dried potato stream, averages 44% starch on a dry basis, ranging 26 to 59%. In a 12-dog trial, a potato, pea and tapioca diet matched a grain diet for energy digestibility, but potato was not tested alone.1,3
-
Owners say
Potatoes in dog food cause heart disease
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
FDA found peas or lentils in 93% of reported DCM diets and potatoes in a far smaller share. Case reports cannot show that potatoes caused disease or identify dried potato products as a risk.4
-
Brands say
Grain-free potato is healthier than grain
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
A 12-dog comparison found similar energy and nutrient digestibility for a potato, pea and tapioca diet and a grain diet. The grain-free group produced wetter stools. The result gives no general health advantage to potato.1
-
Critics say
Potato byproducts are empty filler
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
Dehydrated potato pulp averages 44% starch and 19% crude fiber on a dry basis, so it carries energy and fiber. The fair criticism is the vague name: the label does not say which potato stream, or how much peel, went in.3,5
Straight answers
What owners ask
-
Q01
Is it just filler?
NoIt supplies starch and fiber. Dehydrated potato pulp averages 44% starch and 19% crude fiber on a dry basis, and cooked potato flakes carry more starch. The useful criticism is that this label does not reveal which potato fractions went in.3,5
-
Q02
Is it the same as potato starch?
NoPotato starch is a separated fraction. Dried potato products can include pieces, peels and culls, giving a less predictable mix of starch, fiber and minerals. Read the two names as separate ingredients.3,5
-
Q03
Can the label tell me how much?
No exact amountIngredients appear in descending order by weight, so position gives a rough clue. The list does not state a percentage for dried potato products or reveal how much is peel rather than potato flesh.5,6
-
Q04
Should I avoid it over DCM?
Not aloneFDA examined diets reported in DCM cases, but those reports cannot show that this ingredient caused disease. If your dog has diagnosed DCM, ask the treating veterinarian to review the full recipe and feeding history.4
Who uses it
Brands, best sellers and the company it keeps
Top brands, by foods that list it
Foods that list it / all the brand's recipes we track.
Usually listed with, share of the foods that list it
- Mixed Tocopherols 100%
- Natural Flavor 100%
- Sweet Potatoes 67%
- Potato Protein 67%
- Pea Protein 67%
- Canola Oil 67%
- Dicalcium Phosphate 67%
- Salmon Oil 67%
- Lamb Meal 33%
- Rice 33%
- Barley 33%
- Oatmeal 33%
On the shelf
Foods that list Dried Potato Products
3 foods in our catalog list it, highest on the label first.
Sources
What we read
Checked October 1, 2026.
- 1 Effect of ancient grains and grain-free carbohydrate sources on extrusion parameters and nutrient utilization by dogs
- 2 Potato fiber as a dietary fiber source in dog foods
- 3 Potato (Solanum tuberosum) by-products
- 4 FDA Investigation into Potential Link between Certain Diets and Canine Dilated Cardiomyopathy
- 5 Cal. Code Regs. Tit. 3, § 2786 - Human Food By-Products
- 6 What’s in the Ingredients List?
- 7 Glycoalkaloids in potatoes: public health risks assessed