Natural Pet Foods

Enlarge Image Image Gallery Explore better chow choices for Fido and Fluffy. WALTER CHANDOHA

June/July 2006

By Umut Newbury

We are what we eat. Now, many who have joined the Real Food Revival to find fresh, quality foods for themselves are beginning to apply that same standard to their pets. The result: More and more people are buying natural and organic foods for their companion animals, especially cats and dogs. According to the Organic Trade Association, organic pet food sales are growing at nearly three times the rate of organic human food.

Pet owners also are finding an increasing number of options — more than a dozen brands of natural and organic cat and dog food are now available, as well as some foods for smaller animals such as birds and ferrets. You can expect to pay up to twice as much for these premium foods compared to conventional options, but you (and your pets) get what you pay for.

Natural pet foods generally are minimally processed and are preserved with natural substances, such as vitamins C and E. Whereas “natural” is an undefined and unregulated distinction, “certified organic” pet foods must meet strict standards set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that spell out how ingredients are produced and processed. These standards do not allow the use of pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, preservatives, artificial ingredients or genetically engineered ingredients.

Phil Brown, a veterinarian who helped develop the formulas for Newman’s Own Organics pet foods, says “natural” has come to mean that the food is free of chemical preservatives and artificial colors, but does not guarantee that the food is free of pesticides, herbicides or antibiotics.

“Natural pet foods can be good foods, but just how good is up to the company,” he says. “I like organic because it has defined parameters.”

Better Ingredients Make Better Food

Besides pesticides and hormones, natural and organic pet foods are free of other undesirable ingredients such as hair, blood, waste and “meal,” which come from the rendered carcasses of livestock animals. All of those are acceptable ingredients for commercial dog and cat food, according to the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), which regulates the U.S. pet food industry.

Dr. Andrew Weil, a longtime advocate of holistic medicine, helped start Pet Promise, a line of dry and canned foods for cats and dogs. He decided to get involved in the pet food industry because he wanted “really good food” for his two Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Jambo and Daisy.