“All-Natural” : Are you buying wholesome products or buying into deceptive marketing schemes?

When you hear the word ‘Natural’ used to describe food, what characteristics come to mind? Perhaps you think of food that is organically produced, or at the very minimum, free from artificial ingredients or preservatives.

Unfortunately, due to the lack of federal regulations, food companies can slap the label ‘Natural’ on their products without having to abide by guidelines that hold them accountable. As a result, consumers believe they are making healthier or more responsible food choices, but in reality, they are being misled by buzzwords and pretty packaging.

Foods labeled with ‘Natural’ can, and often do contain hormones, pesticides, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and other various artificial ingredients.

While the FDA does not have a formal definition or regulatory measures for the use of the ‘Natural’ label, they do loosely adhere to a 1993 policy that states: “[FDA] has not objected to the use of the term [natural] on food labels, provided it is used in a manner that is truthful and not misleading, and the product does not contain added color, artificial flavors, or synthetic substances.”

Even under the FDA’s informal definition, there is no mention of pesticides, high-fructose corn syrup, GMOs, hormones, and various other substances that seem contradictory to any textbook definition of the word natural.

After receiving citizen petitions about the ‘natural’ food label, the FDA allowed the public to comment about if and how the term should be defined and regulated. The comment section closed in May, 2016, but the submissions can still be viewed here.

It is unclear if and when the FDA will begin to regulate the use of the ‘Natural’ label, but the voices of concerned consumers have certainly initiated useful discussion on the term.

A Survey Research Report: Food Labels Survey by the Consumer Reports National Research Center explored consumer purchasing behavior toward food labels and found that 73% of consumers purchased ‘Natural’ products, compared to the 58% purchasing strictly organic. They also found that 67% of the U.S. residents they sampled indicated that natural food was significantly cheaper than organic food.

Until food companies are forced to abandon their deceptive marketing techniques, (which seem to be working), it is important for consumers to understand current food labels and standards.

Check out the following resources for tips on understanding various food labels:

• “Organic Food Labels- What They Really Mean” - click here
• “What Do the Labels, Natural, Organic, All-Natural, Non-Gmo, and Fair-Trade Really Mean?” - click here

Sources:

Consumer Reports Food Labels Survey

Fix the 'Natural’ Label