Greenopia's consumer tips on natural pet food selection

A popular trend in the pet food industry is consumers' recent demands for natural and organic pet foods. In an article from thedailygreen.com, Doug Mazeffa, research director at Greenopia.com, offers tips to consumers on selecting a "green" pet food.

While many consumers believe that organic, "green" pet foods often cost more per ounce, Mazeffa says these petfoods also tend to have higher concentrations of nutrients, meaning pets may not need to be fed as large of a quantity of the food. Mazeffa recommends that consumers check ingredient labels of pet foods in supermarkets so as to avoid harmful food preservatives. He also advises pet owners to stay away from pet foods that have the ingredient "meat and bone meal" listed on the label, because he believes this is the lowest quality protein.
To ensure the petfood is organic, Mazeffa suggests looking for food that is marked as certified organic and meets US Department of Agriculture standards for being free of pesticides, hormones, antibiotics and artificial preservatives.
Greenopia.com rates petfood brands based on sustainable and humane production, packaging, food grade and ingredients, recycled materials, building logistics and overall supply chain. Greenopia also considers how well the company reports the petfood ingredients and the petfood manufacturer's environmental goals and practices. Greenopia gave the highest ratings to Best Organic and Natural Dog Foods, Honest Kitchen Dehydrated Dog Food, Karma Organic Dog Food, Best Organic and Natural Cat Foods, Honest Kitchen Dehydrated Cat Food, and Natural Planet Organics Cat Food.