Every responsible dog owner wants to ensure their pet enjoys a healthy and nutritional diet.
One option would be to search for a pet food supplier who has committed to making products designed to be as natural as possible. If you choose a natural dog food such as Orijen, for instance, their product offers biologically appropriate recipes that help you give your dog the most nutritional diet possible.
The emphasis of these types of products is to offer natural ingredients. What does that mean and what sort of things should you look for when choosing a suitable food product for your dog?
Understanding what natural means in the world of pet food products
A good place to start would be to take a look at what natural actually means when you see the word used on the labels of various dog food products.
It would be an obvious assumption that when you see contents described as natural this means the ingredients are sourced from nature and no chemicals or synthetic process has been involved in producing the product.
Does this mean that in order to use the “natural” term on their labeling the manufacturer has to adhere to certain regulations?
How the FDA regulates dog food
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not currently have a clear definition of what natural actually means in the context of pet food products.
In general terms, it only stipulates that the labeling should be truthful and not misleading. They expect the food to be safe to eat and to have been produced under sanitary conditions and not contain any harmful substances.
What you will find is that the FDA relies heavily on guidance from the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). This is a voluntary organization that provides guidelines designed to help local and state federal agencies decide what constitutes a natural product.
The bottom line is that AAFCO considers a natural ingredient to have been derived solely from either plant, mineral, or animal sources. If you look for products that have had the least amount of processing and minimal additives that can often prove to be a good guide as to how natural it really is.
Understanding the labeling
You will usually see labels claiming that the dog food product is natural, organic, or holistic.
What natural means has already been outlined above? For a product to be described as organic it must contain a minimum of 95% organic ingredients. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) will verify these claims before issuing a seal that is used on the packaging.
Holistic dog food is really a term that is used for marketing purposes and is not separately regulated by either the FDA, USDA, or AAFCO.
Giving your dog the best diet
If you can have a dog food product that has been subjected to minimal processing and contains a low level of additives that would be a good place to start when trying to give your dog a natural and balanced diet.
Take time to read the labeling and try to choose a product that helps your dog get the best diet possible and helps promote a healthy profile and lifestyle.
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