By Grier Holliday

PetFriendlySites.com Teams With Global Leader In Natural Pet Products

Considering Natural Food for Your Pet?
by Temple, Courtney

Most likely you have heard of the term “natural” recently when referring to either pet or human food–but do you actually know what it means? Does natural pet food and organic pet food even mean the same thing? The answer to these questions and more are just ahead.

What is natural pet food?

According to the Pet Food Committee of the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), natural is defined as “A feed or ingredient derived solely from plant, animal or mined sources, either in its unprocessed state or having been subjected to physical processing, heat processing, rendering, purification extraction, hydrolysis, enzymolysis or fermentation, but not having been produced by or chemically synthetic except in amounts as might occur unavoidably in good manufacturing practices.”

The AAFCO also provides suggested guidelines for pet food manufacturers to follow when referring to a natural product. These guidelines state that the term natural should only be applied when all of the ingredients and components meet the complete definition provided by the AAFCO. For example, the term “natural” does not apply if there are any chemically synthesized ingredients present in the pet food. This includes propylene glycol and butylated hydroxyanisole found in some pet foods. Under certain circumstances synthetic vitamins or mineral additives may be added to a natural product with the exception of being used as a dietary supplement.What is the difference between natural vs. organic food?

The terms natural and organic are often used interchangeably. However, there are many recognizable differences between natural and organic pet foods. Organic pet food must abide by stricter guidelines than natural pet food. Unlike natural food, organic food is regulated by the United State Department of Agriculture (USDA) to guarantee there is no use of …read more

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