The Organic Advantage Why Your Dog Deserves Natural Nutrition

Nutrition and healthy eating

Organic foods: Are they safer? More nutritious?

Discover the difference between organic foods and their traditionally grown counterparts when it comes to nutrition, safety and price.

By Mayo Clinic Staff

Once found only in health food stores, organic food is now a common feature at most grocery stores. And that's made a bit of a problem in the produce aisle.

For example, you can pick an apple grown with usual (conventional) methods. Or you can pick one that's organic. Both apples are firm, shiny and red. They both provide vitamins and fiber. And neither apple has fat, salt or cholesterol. Which should you choose? Get the facts before you shop.

What is organic farming?

The word "organic" means the way farmers grow and process farming (agricultural) products. These products include fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy products such as milk and cheese, and meat. Organic farming practices are designed to meet the following goals:

• Improve soil and water quality
• Cut pollution
• Provide safe, healthy places for farm animals (livestock) to live
• Enable natural farm animals' behavior
• Promote a self-sustaining cycle of resources on a farm

Materials or methods not allowed in organic farming include:

• Artificial (synthetic) fertilizers to add nutrients to the soil
• Sewage sludge as fertilizer
• Most synthetic pesticides for pest control
• Using radiation (irradiation) to preserve food or to get rid of disease or pests
• Using genetic technology to change the genetic makeup (genetic engineering) of crops, which can improve disease or pest resistance, or to improve crop harvests
• Antibiotics or growth hormones for farm animals (livestock)

Organic crop farming materials or practices may include:

• Plant waste left on fields (green manure), farm animals' manure or compost to improve soil quality
• Plant rotation to keep soil quality and to stop cycles of pests or disease
• Cover crops that prevent wearing away of soil (erosion) when sections of land aren't in use and to plow into soil for improving soil quality
• Mulch to control weeds
• Insects or insect traps to control pests
• Certain natural pesticides and a few synthetic pesticides approved for organic farming, used rarely and only as a last choice and coordinated with a USDA organic certifying agent

Organic farming practices for farm animals (livestock) include:

• Healthy living conditions and access to the outdoors
• Pasture feeding for at least 30% of farm animals' nutritional needs during grazing season
• Organic food for animals
• Shots to protect against disease (vaccinations)

Organic or not? Check the label

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has set up an organic certification program that requires all organic food to meet strict government standards. These standards control how such food is grown, handled and processed.

Any product labeled as organic on the product description or packaging must be USDA certified. If it's certified, the producer may also use an official USDA Organic seal.

The USDA says producers who sell less than $5,000 a year in organic food don't need to be certified. These producers must follow the guidelines for organic food production. But they don't need to go through the certification process. They can label their products as organic. But they can't use the official USDA Organic seal.

Products certified 95 percent or more organic may display this USDA seal.

The USDA guidelines describe organic foods on product labels as:

• 100% organic. This label is used on certified organic fruits, vegetables, eggs, meat or other foods that have one ingredient. It may also be used on food items with many ingredients if all the items are certified organic, except for salt and water. These may have a USDA seal.
• Organic. If a food with many ingredients is labeled organic, at least 95% of the ingredients are certified organic, except for salt and water. The items that aren't organic must be from a USDA list of approved additional ingredients. These also may have a USDA seal.
• Made with organic. If a product with many ingredients has at least 70% certified organic ingredients, it may have a "made with organic" ingredients label. For example, a breakfast cereal might be labeled "made with organic oats." The ingredient list must show what items are organic. These products can't carry a USDA seal.
• Organic ingredients. If a product has some organic ingredients but less than 70% of the ingredients are certified organic , the product can't be labeled as organic. It also can't carry a USDA seal. The ingredient list can show which ingredients are organic.

Does 'organic' mean the same thing as 'natural'?

No, "natural" and "organic" are different. Usually, "natural" on a food label means that the product has no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. "Natural" on a label doesn't have to do with the methods or materials used to grow the food ingredients.

Also be careful not to mix up other common food labels with organic labels. For example, certified organic beef guidelines include pasture access during at least 120 days of grazing season and no growth hormones. But the labels "free-range" or "hormone-free" don't mean a farmer followed all guidelines for organic certification.

Organic food: Is it safer or more nutritious?

Some data shows possible health benefits of organic foods when compared with foods grown using the usual (conventional) process. These studies have shown differences in the food. But there is limited information to prove how these differences can give potential overall health benefits.

Potential benefits include the following:

• Nutrients. Studies have shown small to moderate increases in some nutrients in organic produce. Organic produce may have more of certain antioxidants and types of flavonoids, which have antioxidant properties.
• Omega-3 fatty acids. The feeding requirements for organic farm animals (livestock) usually cause higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids. These include feeding cattle grass and alfalfa. Omega-3 fatty acids a kind of fat are more heart healthy than other fats. These higher omega-3 fatty acids are found in organic meats, dairy and eggs.
• Toxic metal. Cadmium is a toxic chemical naturally found in soils and absorbed by plants. Studies have shown much lower cadmium levels in organic grains, but not fruits and vegetables, when compared with crops grown using usual (conventional) methods. The lower cadmium levels in organic grains may be related to the ban on synthetic fertilizers in organic farming.
• Pesticide residue. Compared with produce grown using usual (conventional) methods, organically grown produce has lower levels of pesticide residue. The safety rules for the highest levels of residue allowed on conventional produce have changed. In many cases, the levels have been lowered. Organic produce may have residue because of pesticides approved for organic farming or because of airborne pesticides from conventional farms.
• Bacteria. Meats produced using usual (conventional) methods may have higher amounts of dangerous types of bacteria that may not be able to be treated with antibiotics. The overall risk of contamination of organic foods with bacteria is the same as conventional foods.

Are there downsides to buying organic?

One common concern with organic food is cost. Organic foods often cost more than similar foods grown using usual (conventional) methods. Higher prices are due, in part, to more costly ways of farming.

Food safety tips

Whether you go totally organic or choose to mix conventional and organic foods, keep these tips in mind:

• Choose a variety of foods from a mix of sources. You'll get a better variety of nutrients and lower your chance of exposure to a single pesticide.
• Buy fruits and vegetables in season when you can. To get the freshest produce, ask your grocer what is in season. Or buy food from your local farmers market.
• Read food labels carefully. Just because a product says it's organic or has organic ingredients doesn't mean it's a healthier choice. Some organic products may still be high in sugar, salt, fat or calories.
• Wash and scrub fresh fruits and vegetables well under running water. Washing helps remove dirt, germs and chemical traces from fruit and vegetable surfaces. But you can't remove all pesticide traces by washing. Throwing away the outer leaves of leafy vegetables can lessen contaminants. Peeling fruits and vegetables can remove contaminants but may also cut nutrients.

From Mayo Clinic to your inbox

Sign up for free and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips, current health topics, and expertise on managing health. Click here for an email preview.

Email

ErrorEmail field is required

ErrorInclude a valid email address

Learn more about Mayo Clinics use of data.

To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, and understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your email and website usage information with other information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, this could include protected health information. If we combine this information with your protected health information, we will treat all of that information as protected health information and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our notice of privacy practices. You may opt-out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the e-mail.

Subscribe!

Thank you for subscribing!

You'll soon start receiving the latest Mayo Clinic health information you requested in your inbox.

Sorry something went wrong with your subscription

Please, try again in a couple of minutes

Retry

April 22, 2022Show references

1. Organic production and handling standards. U.S. Department of Agriculture. https://www.ams.usda.gov/publications/content/organic-production-handling-standards. Accessed March 30, 2022.
2. Introduction to organic practices. U.S. Department of Agriculture. https://www.ams.usda.gov/publications/content/introduction-organic-practices. Accessed March 30, 2022.
3. Organic labeling at farmers markets. U.S. Department of Agriculture. https://www.ams.usda.gov/publications/content/organic-labeling-farmers-markets. Accessed March 30, 2022.
4. Labeling organic products. U.S. Department of Agriculture. https://www.ams.usda.gov/publications/content/labeling-organic-products. Accessed March 30, 2022.
5. Use of the term natural on food labeling. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. https://www.fda.gov/food/food-labeling-nutrition/use-term-natural-food-labeling. Accessed March 30, 2022.
6. Demory-Luce D, et al. Organic foods and children. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed March 30, 2022.
7. Pesticides and food: Healthy, sensible food practices. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/safepestcontrol/pesticides-and-food-healthy-sensible-food-practices. Accessed March 30, 2022.
8. Vegetable and pulses outlook: November 2021. U.S. Department of Agriculture. https://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/pub-details/?pubid=102664. Accessed March 30, 2022.
9. Changes to the nutrition facts label. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. https://www.fda.gov/food/food-labeling-nutrition/changes-nutrition-facts-label. Accessed March 30, 2022.
10. Rahman SME, et al. Consumer preference, quality and safety of organic and conventional fresh fruits, vegetables, and cereals. Foods. 2021; doi:10.3390/foods10010105.
11. Brantsaeter AL, et al. Organic food in the diet: Exposure and health implications. Annual Review of Public Health. 2017; doi:10.1146/annurev-publhealth-031816-044437.
12. Vigar V, et al. A systematic review of organic versus conventional food consumption: Is there a measurable benefit on human health? Nutrients. 2019; doi:10.3390/nu12010007.
13. Mie A, et al. Human health implications of organic food and organic agriculture: A comprehensive review. Environmental Health. 2017; doi:10.1186/s12940-017-0315-4.
14. Innes GK, et al. Contamination of retail meat samples with multidrug-resistant organisms in relation to organic and conventional production and processing: A cross-sectional analysis of data from the United States National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System, 2012-2017. Environmental Health Perspectives. 2021; doi:10.1289/EHP7327.

See more In-depth

What Is Organic Dog Food?

You might think that organic foods are top-tier and better than nonorganic food. And if organic food is better for people to eat, is it the same for dogs? What does it actually mean if a dog food is organic?

This article will help you interpret dog food labels related to organic dog food, whether its 100% organic or made with some organic ingredients.

What Makes a Dog Food Organic?

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has not yet defined organic specifically as it relates to use of ingredients in pet foods. According to the USDAs National Organic Program (NOP), pet foods claiming to be organic must meet its human food regulations.

And according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), There are no official rules governing the labeling of organic foods for pets at this time, but the USDA is developing regulations dictating what types of synthetic additives, such as vitamins and purified amino acids, may be used in pet foods labeled as organic.

However, you may see still see the term organic on pet foods that are made with ingredients that are produced using standard organic practices as these regulations for pet food develop.

What Does Organic Mean?

Organic is a term used to describe food ingredients, for human consumption or for feed for food-producing animals, including meat, produce, and multi-ingredient processed foods, that are grown, raised, or produced according to a specific set of guidelines defined by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). These federal guidelines cover a wide range of factors.

Organic Plants

For organic plants, the guidelines relate to:

• Not using certain prohibited synthetic pesticides or fertilizers

• Not using genetically modified seeds

• Preventing GMO contamination on the farm

Organic Meat-Producing Animals

For organic meat-producing animals, the guidelines include:

• Raising the animal in living conditions that accommodate its natural behaviors

• Feeding organic feed

• Not using antibiotics or hormones

• Processing the meat product prior to packaging in a certified facility to avoid contact with any prohibited substances

Organic Multi-Ingredient Processed Foods

Finally, for organic multi-ingredient processed foods, the guidelines relate to the exclusion of artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives; however, some approved nonagricultural ingredients may be included.

No, not all dog foods have the USDA organic seal.

There are a variety of different labels that you might see on a bag or can of dog food as they relate to organic ingredients. These are the three main categories that you might come across.

100% Organic

For a multi-ingredient food such as dog food to be considered 100% organic, the product must be composed of 100% USDA certified organic ingredients.

The label must include the name of the organic certifying agent (e.g., certified organic by) and may bear the USDA certified organic seal as well.

In the ingredient list, you may see the term organic preceding each organic ingredient or an asterisk following such ingredients that is referenced below the ingredient list.

Organic: 95% Organic Ingredients

Many organic dog foods fall into this category of general organic food.

In this category, at least 95% of the ingredients must be certified organic. No more than 5% of the ingredients may be nonorganic ingredients found on the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances.

These types of products must also include the name of the organic certifier on the label, and you may also see the USDA certified organic seal.

Made With Organic _______: 70% Organic

Finally, you may see a dog food product label that states, made with organic Such products must contain at least 70% organic ingredients.

In this case, the overall product cannot be labeled as organic, and as such, you will not find a USDA certified organic seal, but the name of the organic certifier must be on the label.

Only up to three ingredients or ingredient categories in the ingredient list can be labeled as organic, and similar to the above-mentioned category, any nonagricultural ingredients included must be on the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances.

What's the Difference Between Organic Dog Food and Natural Dog Food?

In contrast to the term organic, which applies to the production and handling requirements for specific ingredients in pet food, natural is an extremely broad term.

The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), defines natural as follows:

"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 subject to a chemically synthetic process and not containing any additives or processing aids that are chemically synthetic except in amounts as might occur unavoidably in good manufacturing practices.

Essentially, an unnatural ingredient is a chemically synthesized ingredient and can include things such as added:

• Vitamins

• Minerals

• Preservatives

• Artificial flavoring

Many ingredients used in pet foods, organic or not, can claim to be natural because they are derived from plant, animal, or mined sources.

Is Organic Dog Food Better?

To date, there is no convincing research in humans confirming a significant nutritional difference in foods produced conventionally or via organic farming practices, and no such studies comparing the nutritional content and potential health effects of organic dog food have been performed in dogs.

While there may be some small increases in certain nutrients such as antioxidants or fatty acids in some organic ingredients, a dog food thats formulated to be complete and balanced according to AAFCO requirements already meets your dogs minimum essential nutrient needs (and often exceeds the minimum). So, an increased amount of a specific nutrient provided by an organic ingredient is not necessarily better for health or nutrition.

Important aspects to evaluate on a label regarding a dog foods nutrient qualityinclude:

• AAFCO statements that ensure that the product meets AAFCO nutrient profiles for a specific life stage

• Whether an AAFCO feeding trial has been performed

• Whether the food is only intended for intermittent and supplemental feeding (meaning that it is not complete and balanced and cannot be fed as a regular diet)

The product should also contain the manufacturers name and contact information, so that you or your veterinarian are able to contact them if you needed to ask questions about:

When in doubt, your dogs veterinarian or a board-certified veterinary nutritionist is your best resource in choosing the right food for your dogs individual needs.

Featured image: iStock.com/YakobchukOlena