USDA has published definitions for food labeling terms, including “natural,” to ensure consumers are not misled. However, “natural” does not mean organic and animal products raised with artificial hormones can still be labeled as “natural.” Consumers are advised to read the entire label.
In the 1990s, as more consumers became concerned about the source of their food and the products it contains, many companies began rethinking their practices and redesigning their food labels to reflect this. With more and more companies using terms like “all natural,” “hormone free,” and “free range,” the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has begun to realize that labeling regulation may be needed. , so that consumers can be confident in what they were buying. As a result, the USDA has published definitions for many of the terms it uses, including “natural.”
The USDA enforces these labeling definitions through the Food Safety and Inspection Service, which monitors how foods are produced and what is in them. According to the USDA, this service agency is responsible for backing up “natural” label claims with periodic inspection, remediation, and fines, if necessary. The USDA believes this is a valuable service for consumers, who are somewhat overwhelmed by the wide variety of claims made on food labels.
According to the USDA, foods can only be labeled natural if they contain no artificial ingredients or added colors and are minimally processed. Furthermore, the label must clearly indicate this definition, so that consumers are not misled by the ‘natural’ label. While this label is an important step in the right direction, many consumers are more concerned with what the natural label doesn’t mean.
For example, animal products raised with the use of artificial hormones may be labeled natural. So can genetically modified organisms. Most importantly, natural doesn’t mean organic, even though many companies would like consumers to think it does. Organic foods have a stringent set of requirements, policies and procedures that must be followed for certification. These requirements are much more explicit and thorough than the single paragraph definition used for “natural”.
Some companies that cannot afford organic certification may choose to use USDA labeling to define their product. For example, the USDA also defines the use of hormone and antibiotic labeling. A company could label a product to indicate that it met the conditions for USDA natural, hormone-free, and antibiotic-free definitions. This method is, however, flawed, because a variety of things that are certainly not organic could easily fall into all of these categories.
Food labeling is an extremely complex and growing issue in the United States, with consumers clamoring for sustainable foods and companies eager to provide them, or at least to lead consumers to believe they are buying healthy products. Consumers are advised to read the entire label on a product labeled natural, to see what else it might contain.
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