This year’s April Blogging from A to Z Challenge is winding down. This week is the last week of the challenge! As much as I love blogging, I have to admit that I’m starting to feel burnt out. This time of the year is always especially busy for me. Today I’m feeling especially unmotivated, especially thanks to the fact that I was having a hard time finding a dog food ingredient that starts with today’s letter, “U”. So today I’m going to cut myself a bit of slack and break from the formula I’ve been using in my other challenge posts. Today I’m going to write about what it means for dog food to be USDA certified organic.
This post is part of our 2023 April blogging from A to Z Challenge! Join us this month as we go through the alphabet, A to Z, learning more about some of the ingredients that are commonly (or not so commonly, in some cases) found in our dog’s food!
What Does it Mean for Dog Food to Be USDA Organic?
Have you ever purchased food for your dog and noticed the USDA organic seal on the bag? Maybe you bought the food for other reasons, and it just happens to be organic. Or maybe you specifically selected it because it was certified organic. But what does it actually mean for dog food to be certified organic?
Interestingly, the USDA does not currently have specific standards for labeling pet foods as organic. Instead, to be certified as USDA organic, pet foods must meet the same standards of certification that organic foods for humans are subjected to. So if your dog’s food has the USDA organic seal, it means that it meets the same requirements set forth by the USDA for organic human foods.
For dog food to be labeled as organic, at least 95% of the ingredients used to make it must be organic. The pet food company creating the food must also be overseen by an authorized certifying agent, and they cannot use prohibited methods to create their products, such as genetic engineering, synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, or antibiotics and hormones for livestock.
When it Comes to Organic, It Doesn’t Have to Be All or Nothing
Some pet foods can contain organic ingredients without meeting the standards for the food itself to be certified as organic. In that case, you won’t see the USDA Organic seal on the dog food bag, but the labeling might mention that the food contains organic ingredients.
Is Organic Dog Food Better?
There are not a ton of dog foods that have been certified USDA Organic. If your dog’s food is not organic, but it works well for him/her, then that’s perfectly fine. Generally, organic foods are thought to contain less potentially harmful chemicals. However, lots of dog foods have been studied and found to be safe and fully balanced for dogs. Organic dog foods are often priced higher than other brands, which can understandably be a concern. At the end of the day you have to find the dog food that’s right for your dog, your budget, and your situation. That may or may not be an organic dog food, and that’s ok.
- USDA Labeling Guidelines for Organic Products
- Why I Don’t Generally Recommend Specific Dog Foods
- Selecting the Best Dog Food Based on Your Dog’s Individual Needs
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