I can’t tell you how many times I’ve stood at the grocery store, staring at a food label and muttering to myself. (And probably embarrassing whoever happens to be with me.)
What does it mean if my peanut butter says its ‘natural?’ What makes a chicken ‘free range’?
If you’re interested in what all those organic labels actually mean, check out the Reading Organic Food Labels post on the blog Project Organic Eating. She does a great job of distilling the definitions, and I’ve quoted her below.
Labels that are regulated and worthwhile (in my opinion):
“1. 100% Organic: by law this food contains only organically produced ingredients with no synthetics.
2. Organic: 95% of the ingredients are organic, and the remaining 5% can be non-organic and/or synthetic.
3. Made with Organic Ingredients: at least 70% of the ingredients are organic and are approved by the USDA.”
Here are the labels that are not regulated and/or not useful (in my opinion):
“4. Free ranging or Free Roaming: This label is a little misleading. While most of us have images of animals roaming free outdoors all day, this is hardly the case. Producers are required to let the animals outside once a day…could be 1 hour….could be 5 minutes. Purchase with caution!
5. Natural or All Natural: This is a meaningless label. It could mean the food contains no artificial colors, or anything really. Don’t believe the hype!
6. Made with Real Fruit: This means it contains a small amount of real fruit. The same can be applied to whole grains.
7. Organic labels for seafood: The USDA has no set standards for labeling seafood, so this label can be applied at will.”
For more resources on food labeling, check out the USDA Food Labeling Fact Sheets. They provide in-depth information on labeling for additives, natural flavorings, ‘fresh,’ irradiation, and more)
