Holistic, organic or all-natural diets

Natural diets myths and facts

Myth #1 : Holistic, organic or all-natural foods contain premium quality sources of animal protein.

Fact : The quality of the ingredients present in these foods can not be garanteed because no studies exist to confirm this statement.

 

Myth #2 : Holistic, organic or all-natural foods are free of allergenic cereals like corn, soja and wheat.

Fact : In Canada, beef, dairy products, wheat, lamb, chicken egg, chicken, and soy are the most common food allergens in dogs.

In cats, it is beef, chicken, eggs, dairy products and fish that are the most frequent dietary allergens.

These ingredients are much more frequently implicated in allergic reactions than are cereals.

 

Myth #3 : Holistic, organic or all-natural foods do not contain any artificial preservatives like BHA or BHT which are found in traditional commercial foods.

Fact : BHA and BHT are synthetic antioxydants that are approved by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (an agency mandated by Health Canada) as preservatives when they are used at recommended levels.

They are also used to preserve certains foods intended for human consumption like bread, cheese, margarine, chips, meat and frozen dried fruits.

 

Myth #4 : Holistic, organic or all-natural foods are made out of real chicken and real meat contrary to traditional commercial foods that are made of chicken or meat by-products.

Fact : Traditional high quality commercial foods' sources of protein indeed come from real chicken, real meat and real fish.

When producing pet foods, manufacturers use, as a source of animal protein, everything from the carcass that is not destined for human consumption, that means everything except muscles and a few organs.

These « by-products » that are used for domestic animals are as « real » as the muscles and the organs used to feed humans. They become meat meal and meat and bone meal after they have been submitted to a thermal treatment called rendering, which separates the fat from the bones and from lean parts.

Consequently, it really is real chicken, real meat and real fish that are used to make high quality commercial pet foods.

Also, no matter the food, « holistic » or not, no « nice animal body parts » such as chicken breasts and legs, pork loins nor sirloin steak are used in their fabrication.

 

The term « organic » refers to the handling and processing of the ingredients present in a food. To be able to write this term on the packaging of their products, pet food manufacturers must comply with the USDA's National Organic Program (NOP) regulations. These regulations include ingredient sourcing and handling, manufacturing, and the labeling and certification of products using the term « organic » on the product label.

When the term « natural » appears on the label then that means that the food must not include any ingredients chemically synthetized. If it is written « natural with added vitamins and minerals » then that means that the vitamins and the minerals may be chemically synthetized.

« Holistic », « organic », « human grade », « premium », and « gourmet » are purely marketing terms that have no legal definition nor are they synonyms of quality.

What does organic or natural diet mean?

The term « organic » refers to the handling and processing of the ingredients present in a food. To be able to write this term on the packaging of their products, pet food manufacturers must comply with the USDA's National Organic Program (NOP) regulations. These regulations include ingredient sourcing and handling, manufacturing, and the labeling and certification of products using the term « organic » on the product label.

When the term « natural » appears on the label then that means that the food must not include any ingredients chemically synthetized. If it is written « natural with added vitamins and minerals » then that means that the vitamins and the minerals may be chemically synthetized.

« Holistic », « organic », « human grade », « premium », and « gourmet » are purely marketing terms that have no legal definition nor are they synonyms of quality.