20th Jul 2009
Holistic Pet Foods - Revisited
You are trying to keep your pet healthy by providing her with the best food you can find. On your search you certainly have come across so-called ‘holistic pet foods.’ The term ‘holistic’ is derived from the Greek word ”holos,’ which means ‘all,’ ‘entire,’ or ‘total.’ It implies that the sum properties of a system (e.g., a body, the universe, the environment, etc.) can only be explained adequately if all its parts are considered in unity instead of on an individual basis. Or, as Aristotle summarized it, ‘The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.’
This does sound great, but do holistic pet foods live up to this expectation? Pet foods that are truly holistic not only not do no harm, but actually support the body’s endeavor to remain fully functional, and in doing so, support the animal’s overall wellbeing and happiness.
The reality is that the term holistic is not regulated or enforced in the pet food industry. Although most ”holistic” pet food companies don’t include the most obvious toxic ingredients, many of the ‘holistic’ pet foods are a far cry from healthy (which alone makes them definitely non-holistic).
Some of the unealthy ingredients that you can find on pet food products which are marketed as holistic are:
- Refined ingredients such as flours or honey which may be tasty but are implicated in our pets’ obesity epidemic (it is estimated that between 25 and 50% of dogs in the US are obese).
- For convenience and cost reasons, egg products and meat meals are used.
- Lower-grade feed-grade ingredients are used because these ingredients are cheaper than human-grade ingredients.
- Potential allergenic ingredients are included as cheap protein sources.
- Instead of using real food ingredients, processed ingredients are made palatable and their nutrient levels are adjusted to reach the AAFCO recommended levels with isolated flavors and separated fats as well as a concoction of synthetic mineral vitamin premixes. Unfortunately, most pet owners have been conditioned that ”balanced” or ”complete” diets are better than real foods for our pets.
- For cost reasons, conventional ingredients are used instead of certified organic ones which would be safer (they verifiably contain no pesticide residues, GMOs, hormones, or antibiotics, and are fully traceable) and healthier (more nutrient-dense).
Additionally, heat processing and big batch mass production are used to increase ‘throughput’ (profit) although nutrient qualities are destroyed or impaired by heat or during extended storage times.
These are just some examples of ingredients and processes that are clearly not signs of a holistic pet food.
Holistic pet foods would consider the whole body of an individual pet. As we all know, not all pets are the same, even if littermates are raised in the same household. Even one single animal’s needs vary during its lifetime. Holistic food would consider these individual needs and requirements, which can best be addressed by intelligently home-prepared pet foods (ideally under the guidance of a veterinarian) which reflect the varying needs of the animal.
But if you don’t have the time to prepare foods for your pet, you will need some commercial convenience foods that come as close to being as holistic as possible.
The unsurpassed holistic commercial pet food choices are those that contain certified organic, human-grade ingredients, and are not heat-treated (fresh-frozen or gently dehydrated products are generally the best options). Avoidance of excessive refined grains and other potential allergens, combined with a confidence in the quality of ingredients to keep supplementation with isolated nutrients down to the absolute required minimum, would make for the best truly holistic commercial pet food available today. Of course, such a food has yet to be created . . . but please stay tuned for developments at www.onestaorganics.com!
We at Onesta Organics believe that both your pet and you should be protected by regulation and enforcement of marketing terms which are used to describe pet food products.
Currently, there are several of such terms (premium, natural, holistic, and *non-certified* organic) in use although there is no way to verify these claims by an unbiased party which could guarantee the promises made by pet food manufacturers and retailers.
Until definitions and regulations of such terms are available, our recommendation to the FDA would be to eliminate these undefined and unregulated marketing terms altogether to keep pet food marketing realistic.
