Organic Standards and the USDA

We are longtime buyers of organic products for personal use. Our food is mostly organic and mostly locally-produced (thanks to our locally-owner natural foods market). We are lucky to live in Portland, Oregon, a city that values sustainability and locally-owned business. From April to December, we can bike to the Portland Farmer's Market to shop a dizzying array of natural and organic produce and products.

Our dog, Nixon, is the occasional recipient of carrot tops, celery bottoms and other vegetable scraps that we create while cooking. Before we opened Urban Leash & Treat, we searched far and wide to find affordable organic products for our dog. In fact, the business was born out of the idea that we could share with others the healthy, organic, sustainable and human-grade products we found while searching for only the best for our Nixon. This is our mandate - to help others select high-quality, safe, delicious, durable and sustainable products for dogs and cats.

Here at Urban Leash & Treat, we provide many kinds of organic products. Here's a sampling of our organic pet treats, pet toys made with organic fibers, organic catnip and beds made from organic fibers:

Fish for Catnip Cat Toy $7.99	Organic Cotton Cat Collar $5.99
Monzi's Organic Cookies for Dogs $7.99	Organic Pumpkin Dog Treats $6.49

The Great Pet Food Recall of '07 reinforced to us the importance of selecting natural pet products. Our dog Nixon eats a locally-produced natural diet that was not affected by the recall, but nonetheless, we were deeply saddened to know that companion animals were sickened and killed by chemical-laced food products. The recall prompted us to ask pointed questions to the manufacturers of our products. How to sort out truly organic foods and products from unverified, unaudited counterparts?

The US Department of Agriculture has approved three labels for use in organic packaged foods. Many organic pet products use these labels. The labels are:

• 100% Organic: Product must contain 100% organically-produced ingredients.
• Organic: At least 95% organic ingredients. The rest must come from the USDA's 38 approved non-organic ingredients list.
• Made with Organic Ingredients: At least 70% organic ingredients, the other 30% must come from the USDA approved non-organic list.

Use of the USDA Organic seal is voluntary, but a good indicator of the presence of organic ingredients in packaged foods. When in doubt, always check the product label. Look for the name of the organization certifying the organic content of the product. We encourage you to visit the certifying organization on the web to verify its reputation!

Sources:

• US Department of Agriculture's National Organic Program and their consumer brochure.
• Greener Choices at Consumer Reports
• How to Go Organic
• Environmental Working Group
• Oregon Tilth