Natural Pet Food vs Organic Pet Food?

Many people have heard of natural pet food, organic pet food, and even actively seek out these foods, but what is natural and organic? Is natural pet food the same as organic pet food?

The definition of natural pet food is actually different in different countries. According to the American AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) standard, if a food is to be labeled as natural, the ingredients in the food must come from plants, animals and natural minerals. These ingredients may be completely untreated or subjected to physical, refining, heating, hydrolysis, enzymatic hydrolysis, and fermentation treatment. However, it cannot be synthesized by artificial chemistry unless the trace components produced cannot be avoided in a good production process. But AAFCO allows foods to contain artificial vitamins and minerals. Since pet foods are usually cooked under high temperature and high pressure, some vitamins or minerals are lost, and food manufacturers add vitamins and minerals to supplement the loss of nutrients. However, the extraction of vitamins and minerals from natural foods is expensive, so the vitamin and mineral supplements on the market are mainly synthetic. 

However, some countries have stricter definition of natural pet food. If the ingredients are chemically treated, they cannot be called natural. 

Simply put, the ingredients of natural pet food (except vitamins and minerals) should come from natural sources, such as plants, animals and minerals, without artificial colors, artificial flavors, synthetic preservatives, or other chemically synthesized ingredients.  Natural pet food is a healthier choice for our dogs and cats. 

But natural is not the same as organic, some pet owners with strict requirements may want to go further and search for natural organic food.  So what is organic food?

In organic farming, pesticides and fertilizers should not used to grow crops, and the land should be free of chemical fertilizers and pesticides for at least several years (usually three years or more). There is certain requirement for raising livestock as well such as not using antibiotics or growth hormone. The animals and plants used in organic farming cannot be genetic modified. Sewage is not allowed for irrigation, and environmental pollution has to be tightly controlled. Food cannot be irradiated, and the whole production process needs to be reviewed and tracked. Organic food requires a certification body to issue a certificate before an organic seal can be placed on the product. There are different organic certification bodies in the world. For example, the organic certification in the United States is regulated by the US Department of Agriculture. The USDA Organic label indicates that the foods contain more than 95% organic ingredients.

Many of the pet food claim to be organic foods on the market.  Some are quite tricky as they put “organic” in the brand name, however, it does not mean that they are organic.  Organic food should have organic seal on the product and the organic seal should come from reputable certification bodies.  Some pet food claim to be organic foods, but only some of the ingredients are organic.  For example, some pet foods may contain organic grains and organic vegetables which are more affordable, but the main ingredients (meat) are not organic.  Consumers should be more careful when choosing organic pet products. First of all, check to see if there is an organic seal (preferably from USDA, EU). Then, take a look at the list of ingredients and see if the first few ingredients are organic (because the first few ingredients account for the largest proportion of food, they are the most important).

Therefore, natural pet food does not necessarily mean organic pet food.  Organic certification has strict requirement, just having “organic” in the brand name and/or product name does not mean they are truly organic.  Consumers should be careful when choosing natural pet food and organic pet food.

Wise Pet sells only natural dog food and natural cat food, some are organic with USDA organic certification, such as Organix.