Holistic

'Holistic' is an unregulated marketing term in pet food. There is no AAFCO definition, no FDA standard, and no objective criteria a brand has to meet to call itself holistic. Any brand can use the word for any reason. In practice, brands marketing themselves as holistic usually emphasize whole-food ingredients, named meat, no artificial preservatives, and no by-products. None of those are unique to holistic brands. The word is shorthand for premium positioning. Read the actual ingredient panel and the AAFCO statement to evaluate quality, not the marketing language on the front of the bag.