Question:
You say to use "ideally organic ingredients" in your homemade cat- and dog-food diets and when buying commercial pet foods. Is that to avoid pesticide residues and support more environment-friendly agriculture for pets as well as people? And is organic food of better quality?Also, what about genetically engineered or modified (GMO) foods? Some veggie burgers I buy say "No GMO" ingredients.
S.R., Eden Prairie, MN Dec 18, 2005
Answer:
Pesticide residues and associated environmentally harmful industrial-farming practices are serious issues. Supporting organic agriculture by purchasing certified organic foods, ideally grown within your state or in the United States, is a responsible decision.The added cost for safer food is worth it because organic produce is also more nutritious than foodstuffs produced conventionally. According to Dr. Charles Benbrook, beneficial antioxidants are, on average, 30 percent higher in organic foods. (You can see the report at www.organic-center.org/science.htm?article%20id=54.) Organic cow's milk has 50 percent more vitamin E, 75 percent more betacarotene and two to three times more zeaxanthin and lutein (two powerful antioxidants) than milk from cows not fed certified-organic feed. (See www.organicconsumers.org/organic/milk011005.cfm.) Organic meats have no synthetic hormone residues and can be higher in beneficial fatty acids, such as omega-3s.My book "Killer Foods: When Scientists Manipulate Genes, Better i
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