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Why do we use organic ingredients in our pet foods?
Two reasons: first, organic ingredients are healthier for your pet; second, organic farming practices are sustainable and help to protect the environment. Organic ingredients contain little or no pesticide or herbicide residues, but they do contain significantly greater amounts of nutrients, including vitamins and antioxidants, when compared with their conventional counterparts.
Why do we manufacture certified organic pet food?
USDA organic certification, through an independent third-party, assures that organic ingredients are used as claimed, and that these ingredients are treated according to the standards of the National Organic Program (NOP). These standards prohibit the use of toxic chemicals (e.g., pesticides, fungicides, etc.), many of which are routinely used in conventional food manufacture..
USDA Organic certification is only granted to manufacturers that comply with NOP standards and agree to annual on-site inspections and continuous monitoring of all records, including the source and organic status of all ingredients used. Organic certification is also only applicable if a product contains at least 95% organic ingredients.
Onesta Organics pet food products contain nearly 100% USDA certified organic ingredients. We only use conventional (non-certified organic) ingredients (i.e., calcium carbonate as a preservative) when organic versions are not available. In any case, 100% of our ingredients are certified GMO-free. Unlike conventional, or non-USDA certified organic, pet foods, USDA certified organic pet foods never contain GMO ingredients. The GMO-free status of USDA certified organic pet food products is strictly enforced by the USDA and its accredited organic certifying agencies.
The NOP prohibits use of conventional (non-USDA certified organic) ingredients when USDA certified organic versions are available. This means that a USDA certified organic pet food product can never contain more than 5% conventional ingredients. The types of non-certified organic ingredients that are permitted in certified organic pet food products are determined by the NOP.
The use of the term organic is often abused by food manufacturers. However, since the unjustified use of the terms certified organic or USDA certified organic is punishable by law, these terms are almost never abused for marketing purposes.
Some pet food manufacturers claim that their non-certified organic products are free of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), antibiotics, or hormones. However, if their products are not certified organic by a USDA-accredited certifying agency, this means that none of these claims have been verified by an independent third party. Therefore, such uncorroborated claims, which are made by a number of companies, may or may not be true. In contrast, USDA organic certification absolutely prohibits the use of GMOs, hormones, and antibiotics, whether in ingredients used during production or in the final stages of manufacture of pet food products. Under these circumstances, compliance with regulations for organic status is strictly enforced by a USDA-accredited organic certifying agency. So, when a product is labeled USDA certified organic and carries the USDA organic seal, consumers can rest assured that this product is free of GMOs, hormones, or antibiotics.
How do you know a product is really certified organic?
The USDA organic seal and the name of a certifying agency are always provided on packaging and promotional materials by legitimate organic pet food manufacturers.
Why does Onesta Organics use human-grade ingredients?
Quite simply, we use human-grade ingredients to ensure that our products are of the highest possible quality.
Why does Onesta Organics use dehydration?
We use gentle dehydration to preserve nutrients and avoid high heat conditions (common in baking, cooking, and extrusion production techniques) which can destroy enzymes, denature proteins, and break down many beneficial nutrients.
Why does Onesta Organics use whole food-based ingredients?
We use whole food-based ingredients instead of isolated food fragments (such as refined ingredients, gluten, etc.) in our pet food products to avoid the potential health problems (e.g., obesity, diabetes, allergies, etc.) associated with fragmentary processed ingredients. You can find more information about this topic at https://www.onestaorganics/blog.
Why does Onesta Organics manufacture vegan treats for dogs?
Although dogs are carnivores, they need not eat exclusively animal-based products. Wild dogs enjoy a wide variety of food sources, including vegetables, fruits, as well as certain grasses and their seeds. The commonly held opinion that plant foods are of no nutritional value to dogs has been closely scrutinized by animal nutritionists and found to be questionable.
Animals raised for food are often treated inhumanely and fed with inferior feeds which results in overall poor quality meat products that negatively impact the health of consumers, both pets and humans alike. Just consider both the amounts of hormones and preventive antibiotics being administered regularly to farm animals in overcrowded feed lots and the stress hormones being released into the bodies of these unfortunate animals. Taking a colder, more pragmatic, perspective, raising these animals requires more resources and releases more toxins into the environment than simply growing plant-based foods.
So, while we would not strongly advocate a purely vegan diet for dogs (although there have been instances of certain dogs doing well on such diets), we do believe that a good diet for these pets should include vegetables, fruits, and even some grasses, as well as USDA certified organic meats from humanely raised animals.
If you have any further questions, please contact us via email
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