Organic dog food: what the label actually means
Organic dog food means the ingredients were farmed under certified organic standards, covering things like restricted pesticide and fertiliser use, rather than any specific health benefit for your dog. We do not currently filter our range by organic certification specifically, so this page explains what the label covers and what to look at instead.
What "organic" actually certifies
Organic certification is a farming and production standard, checked and licensed by an approved body, that governs how ingredients were grown or raised, including limits on synthetic pesticides, fertilisers and certain additives. It says something genuine about how the ingredients were produced, but it is a regulated label, not a statement about nutritional quality or suitability for your specific dog.
A food can be excellent without being organic, and a food can be certified organic without necessarily being the best nutritional fit for an individual dog's needs, so it is worth treating the label as one factor among several rather than a shortcut to the best food.
What to look for if organic farming matters to you
Genuinely organic pet food is a smaller, more specialist part of the market, and we do not currently stock a range certified to that standard. If organic certification specifically matters to you, check the packaging for a recognised organic certification mark rather than the word "natural" or "organic" used loosely in marketing copy, since those terms are not interchangeable.
What we do stock includes grain-free and simply formulated dry and wet foods with shorter ingredient lists, which some owners choose for reasons that overlap with why they might otherwise look at organic, even though the two things are not the same claim.
What actually matters more day to day
A complete, balanced food with a named protein source, fed at the right amount for your dog's weight and life stage, does more for a dog's health than an organic label on its own. Ingredient quality, portion accuracy and matching the food to your individual dog's needs are the things worth prioritising first.
If you have a specific reason for wanting to avoid pesticide residue or particular farming practices, that is a reasonable personal choice, and it is worth being honest that it is a values-based decision rather than one backed by evidence of a health difference for your dog specifically.
Reading the rest of the label properly
The ingredients list, in descending order by weight, tells you far more about what your dog is actually eating than any single certification word on the front of the bag. A named protein source high on the list is a more useful thing to check than whether the word organic appears anywhere.
The guaranteed analysis panel, covering protein, fat, fibre and moisture, lets you compare foods on a like-for-like basis regardless of how they are marketed, and it is worth getting into the habit of checking it rather than judging a bag by its packaging alone.
A food's suitability for your dog's life stage, whether that is puppy, adult or senior, matters more day to day than a farming certification, so start there before weighing up anything else on the label.
What we stock
Everything below is in stock with us, priced with delivery worked out, and packed and posted by hand in the UK.
Forthglade Cold Pressed Natural Turkey
Cold-pressed turkey kibble for dogs from 2 months, soft enough to mix with water for young pups
£45.99
Forthglade Cold Pressed Grain Free Salmon
Cold-pressed grain-free dry food for dogs, built on fresh and dried salmon
From£16.99
Forthglade Cold Pressed Grain Free Duck
Cold-pressed grain-free duck food with fruit and botanicals, in two bag sizes
From£16.99
Forthglade Cold Pressed Grain Free Chicken
Cold-pressed grain-free chicken food with fruit and botanicals, in three bag sizes
From£16.99
Forthglade Complete Meal Lightly Baked Turkey
A lightly baked complete dry food, 50% turkey, for adult dogs of any breed
From£12.49
Forthglade Complete Meal Lightly Baked Chicken
A grain-free complete dry food for adult dogs, lightly baked and built on 50% chicken
From£12.49
Forthglade Cold Pressed Small Dog Turkey
Cold-pressed grain-free dry food for small dogs and puppies, built on turkey
£16.99
Forthglade Complete Meal Lightly Baked Lamb
A lightly baked complete dry food, 50% lamb, for adult dogs of any breed
From£12.49
Forthglade Cold Pressed Grain Free Turkey
Grain-free cold-pressed turkey kibble for dogs, gentle on sensitive stomachs
£69.69
Forthglade British Classics Chicken Family Lunch
Complete Forthglade wet dog food with 75% chicken in a 395G tray
£2.45
Harringtons Puppy Turkey & Rice
Complete turkey puppy food with 30% protein and feeding bands by adult weight
£6.49
Harringtons Adult Dog Turkey Veg
Complete dry food for adult dogs with turkey, chicken and salmon oil, 21% protein
From£3.39
Common questions
- Is organic dog food actually healthier for dogs?
- There is no strong evidence that organic certification alone makes a dog food nutritionally better for your dog. It reflects how the ingredients were farmed rather than the food's balance or suitability, so a well-formulated non-organic food can be just as good a fit.
- Do you stock certified organic dog food?
- Not a certified organic range, no. What we stock includes grain-free and simply formulated foods with shorter ingredient lists, which cover some of the same reasons owners look at organic without carrying the specific certification.
- What should I check if I want to buy organic dog food?
- Look for a recognised organic certification mark on the packaging rather than the word "organic" or "natural" used loosely in marketing, since those terms are not regulated the same way and are not interchangeable.
- Is grain-free the same as organic?
- No, they are different claims entirely. Grain-free means the recipe does not use grain as an ingredient, while organic is a certified farming standard covering how ingredients were grown or raised. A food can be one, both, or neither.
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Written by Matt Garnett, who runs Giddy Pets and is a lifelong pet owner — not a vet. This is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your animal. How we write these guides.