Getting labels put on food has been a controversial struggle for a number of years. Now that labels are starting to appear on food, either for marketing reasons or because of government requirements, the problem seems to be what the label says. At least, that is what Monica Eng of Tribune Newspapers is reporting.Much of the problem is between the word “natural” and the word “organic.” “Natural” foods tend to be much cheaper than their organic counterparts, but what does “natural” mean exactly? “Certified organic food products are regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and produced by farmers and manufacturers under a strict set of rules. But the agency defines the term ‘natural’ only for meat and poultry. In the rest of the food industry, the meaning is largely up to the producer.”
Convenient if you produce “natural” foods and frustrating if you produce “organic” because of any confusion that may affect the customer’s purchasing decision. As Eng reports, many customers, “mistakenly believe ‘natural’ is a greener term than ‘organic.’. . . ‘They felt organic was just a fancy way of saying expensive,’ said Suzanne Shelton, president and CEO of the Shelton Group, which conducted the survey and specializes in marketing sustainability to mainstream consumers. ‘They think 'natural' is regulated by the government but that organic isn't, and of course it's just the opposite.’” One can imagine how this might frustrate an organic producer or a consumer who wants to make the “greenest” choice in his/her food purchasing decisions.
The “natural” food market grew 10 percent this from 2007 to 2008, giving it a market share of $12.9 billion. This is according to the Nutrition Business Journal. There is growing concern that when big companies like Dean Foods decide to offer “natural” products the line will be too “blurred” and organics may be marginalized market-wise. ‘“Our fear is that they are going to blur this line’ between organic and natural, said Mark Kastel of the Cornucopia Institute, a non-profit organic industry watchdog group. ‘The concern is they'll help destroy organics or least chip away a substantial part of it.”’
The U.S. Department of Agriculture regulates “certified organic food products,” and those producing such products are subject to inspection by qualified certifying organizations to ensure the rules are being followed. However, producers can mostly decide to label a product natural on their own, with the exception of natural meat. For meat and milk to be organic it the product can never be treated with “pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics, or hormones.” The animals must be able to move around, have access to sunlight, and graze in pastures. Additionally, feed “must be certified organic with no genetic modifications or animal byproducts.”
For other foods to be organic, the produce “must be grown on a farm that for at least three years has used no synthetic herbicides, pesticides or fertilizers and has not planted any genetically modified seeds, used fertilizers derived from sewage sludge or treated seeds with irradiation.”
The “Natural’ guidelines are much more lenient, which explains the frustration of organic producers when the two products get confused. Natural meat can’t have any artificial ingredient or color added and must only be minimally processed. There is no regulatory definition of natural milk, and given the high milk prices, organic milk producers are very worried about “natural” milk taking their market share. Finally, all other products do not have a regulatory definition. However, the Food Drug Administration says, "the agency does not object to using the term on food labels 'in a manner that is truthful and not misleading' and if the product has no added color, artificial flavors, or synthetic substances."
So the next time you go grocery shopping, ask yourself, is the product really organic, or just natural. We apologize for any confusion that ensues.
To read the Eng article click here.
Posted: 09/29/09
