Rye is a fairly common ingredient in human foods and beverages. The most prevalent occurrence is in crackers and breads. Be it a light American rye, a dark German rye, heavy whole-grain pumpernickel rye or a slightly bitter rye with caraway, rye gets its share of notoriety in baked goods. Of course, we cannot forget the distinctive flavor of rye in liquid form, where it is the trademark ingredient in Canadian rye whiskey.
Regardless of application, rye imparts a pleasant and distinctive taste and texture to both food and drink. However, a quick survey of petfood labels turned up only a few instances in which rye was listed as a conspicuous ingredient. In these few cases, it was a part of several ultra-premium or very high-end boutique dog products. Surprisingly, no examples of its use in cat foods or in canned foods were found.
