Recently I wrote a post about what the term “organic” really means. It’s also important to understand the labeling regulations for organic products. There are different levels of organic and each looks a bit different when it comes to the package or label for the product.
100% Organic
- 100% of the ingredients are organic.
- The USDA’s organic seal is on the front of the package.
- The product is called “100% Organic Apple Juice” (for example).
- The organic certifying agent’s full contact information must be on the back of the package.
Organic
- At least 95% of ingredients are organic.
- The USDA’s organic seal is on the front of the package.
- The product is called “Organic Apple Juice” (for example).
- The remaining 5% can be non-organic ingredients but must be on the NOP’s allowable ingredients list with no organic version available.
- The organic certifying agent’s full contact information must be on the back of the package.
Made With Organic Ingredients
- At least 70% of ingredients are organic.
- USDA’s organic seal cannot be on the package.
- The product is called “Fruit Juice made with organic apples, organic sugar, and organic pears” (for example). No more than 3 organic ingredients can be named on the front of the package.
- The remaining 30% can be non-organic but must be on the NOP’s allowable list of ingredients.
- The organic certifying agent’s full contact information must be on the back of the package.
Less than 70% Organic Ingredients
- Is not a certified organic product.
- USDA’s Organic seal is not permitted.
- Only use of the term “organic” can be in the ingredient list (eg organic milk, organic sugar) on the back of the package.
Organix dry formulas are “made with” organic products. Organix dog and cat treats are “organic” with over 95% organic ingredients as are most Organix dog and cat canned formulas. ALL Organix formulas are certified organic and fully comply with the USDA’s NOP. Look on the packages of our Organix food and treats and you’ll find the organic certifying agency’s information, the inclusion of which is also required under the NOP.
Why isn’t Organix kibble in the “95% organic” category? It’s because we believe dogs and certainly cats thrive on protein derived from animal sources, not grains or vegetable based proteins. Our Organix formulas feature organic, free range chicken as the #1 ingredient followed by chicken meal – outstanding sources of highly digestible, animal-derived protein sources. At this time, there are no sources of organic chicken meal. We are not prepared to compromise the nutritional integrity of our dry Organix formulas with plant/vegetable sources of protein to allow the USDA organic seal to appear on our bags. Most important is providing the best possible nutrition utilizing the organic animal sources of protein available today; that’s Organix.
As always, if you have questions about our products, we’d love to hear from you. You can leave a comment on our blog, send us an email at pawmade@castorpolluxpet, or call us at 800-875-7518.
