Organic? Human-Grade? Or both?

When it comes to buying consumable goods for ourselves, our kids, and our pets, more and more people are making the switch to organic products. But what does the word "organic" mean? And specifically what does it mean for a product to have the word "organic" on it? Personally I try to use organic products whenever possible, but I have to remind myself now and again to stop and actually study the label before throwing something in the cart just because I see the word organic somewhere on the packaging. Why? Because, believe it or not, so-called "organic" items are not always the healthiest option.

The term "organic" simply means farming without the use of synthetic chemicals. Prior to WWII, the term was not even used because chemical-free farming was the norm. According to the Organic Consumer's Association, after the Second World War there was a movement towards "factory farming" which in turn called for the widespread use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and mass-rearing. In the midst of this agricultural industrial revolution, some pioneers of the organic movement called for a return to responsible farming. This counter movement re-defined the term "organic" to include adopting techniques that maintain soil fertility and utilize renewable resources that do not grossly pollute the environment, in addition to the absence of pesticides.

Today the use of the term "organic" is well regulated in the human food chain and food producers must meet certain criteria for it to be used on packaging. However, just because a package says "organic" it does not mean that the entire product is organic. To say that a product is "made with organic ingredients" means that it only needs to contain at least 70% organic ingredients. If the product contains 95% organic ingredients, it can say "organic" on the packaging. And to say "100% organic ingredients", each ingredient listed must be completely organic.

Organic products in the pet food industry have not received the same level of attention or regulation as the human food industry. Not long ago a manufacturer could call a pet food "organic" even if it only contained trace amounts of organic ingredients. More recently the guidelines for organic human food discussed above were applied to organic pet food. However, there is still little oversight or regulation. More stringent regulations for organic pet food are under development, but until then, there are pet foods out there claiming to be "organic" without any real federal standards being applied. For example, just because a pet food ingredient is organic, is it also human-quality? Or could it be a by-product of an organic ingredient made for the human food chain and sold off to the pet food industry at a discount?

Keep in mind also that just because a product is organic, it does not necessarily make it healthy. Walk into your local health food store and you'll see that virtually everything is available in an organic version these days. They make organic hot dogs, cookies, soda pop, and ice cream. But is it healthier for me to buy a loaf of organic white bread than it is to buy a non-organic loaf of 12-grain? Should I let my kids drink organic chocolate milk instead of non-organic carrot juice? Should I buy my dog an organic processed pellet or canned food instead of non-organic fresh, raw diet? The bottom line is that organic or not, junk food is still junk food.

Source: Sojourner Farms Newsletter, December 2007.

To learn more about Sojourner Farms human-grade, organic pet foods and treats, you can visit YipYapMeow's site or go directly to http://www.sojos.com.