Natural and organic pet food: What’s the difference, and is it the right choice for you?

More and more people are giving careful consideration to what they’re putting into their own bodies and in doing so, beginning to account for what they feed their pet. Natural and organic pet food is becoming an increasingly widespread choice for pet owners who just want to take out the worry of what may or may not be in commercial dog and cat food. In light of recent pet food recalls, pets that were sickened from poor quality control at processing plants and even some reported pet food deaths, it is wise to do your research on what pet food is right for you and your family.

According to petfoodindustry.com, the leading online community for pet food professionals, pet owners spent roughly $67 million on organic pet food and $1 billion dollars on natural pet food last year alone.

Amid all of the hype surrounding these green pet food diets, it’s easy to get confused about the difference in the marketing buzzwords. There is and important difference between “natural pet food” and “organic pet food” when it is applied to dog and cat food labels.

“Natural pet food” means that it contains no chemicals. The term “natural” refers to pet food that is made only from plant and animal sources. There are two parts to this. Firstly, it means that pet food labeled this way should not contain any chemically synthetic additives like preservatives, artificial coloring or artificial flavoring. It also means that the food has not been chemically processed, and instead uses natural preservatives like derivatives of vitamin c and vitamin e.

Secondly, natural pet foods are made up of whole ingredients like beef, chicken, fruits and vegetables instead of ground skeletal meats or “meals”, organs, and connective tissue. By products like livers and hearts are also not usually found in natural dog and cat food (although these are generally not unhealthy for your pet, according to most vets).

“Organic pet food” means that it contains no chemicals and the ingredients are raised without chemicals. Organic pets foods are less about the ingredient list, and more about how those ingredients were raised or grown.  According to the Organic Trade Association (OTA), the ingredients in organic food have been raised or grown without the use of synthetic hormones, antibiotics, toxic fertilizer or pesticides. Additionally, these pet foods are very minimally processed without using artificial preservatives, ingredients, or irradiation. Rather than using chemicals, ingredients in organic dog and cat foods are raised and grown with natural biological methods – using mulch to prevent weeds instead of an herbicide, or compost instead of chemical fertilizer, for example.

An organic pet food product must meet certain standards set by the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) in order to receive one of four organic labels; “100 % organic, “organic”, “made with organic” and “made with organic ingredients”.

I’ll include a breakdown with definitions of all of these labels in a future post as well as the glossary section of the site. Also, be on the lookout for a follow up on why or even if,  you should consider switching your pet’s food to natural or organic and which one is right for you.

If you’ve already decided to switch your current dog and/or cat food to natural or organic, and just need an incentive or recommendation – a really good online retailer who offers free shipping and 10% off is Only Natural Pet Store. Here is the link with a coupon code: Free Shipping on Orders Starting at $49 – Only Natural Pet Store