Academy’s Definition: Though the term “Barley” is commonly used on packaging, it means “barley seed” and not the actual plant itself. Thus, the correct definition is “the seed harvested from the Barley plant”.

Barley seed can come in many forms and it is important that you understand the difference between them:

• “Whole Grain” Barley – Like many other grains, barley has a tough outer hull (also known as the husk) that requires fermentation to adequately breakdown. This hull is inedible for species such as humans, dogs, and cats because we lack the necessary stomach-fermentation. In the consumer world, “whole grain barley” refers to barley seed that has had some, or all, or it’s hull removed.
• Pearled Barley – Unlike other grains, barley seed may undergo an additional step called “pearling”, where the outer surface of the grain (also known as the germ) has been removed. This increases the digestibility of the barley seed, and reduces cooking time, but reduces the overall nutrition of the seed as the germ contains fiber, iron, and B vitamins. Manufacturers will sometimes choose pearled barley over whole grain barley to aid in the manufacturing process.

However, this isn’t to say that whole grain barley seed is better than pearled barley seed, necessarily. It simply means that you have more options with this ingredient. Manufacturers may use pearled barley to lower the fiber content of their recipe that already contains other fibrous ingredients. Alternatively, whole barley may make the manufacturing process too long, or gum the machines. You must read the entire label to get the whole picture!

Gluten is found in barley seed, however gluten has it’s own dedicated page which can be found here.