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Also, check out my guest post at Lovely Little Things today!! 

Ironically enough, it involves food. :) 

Understanding Food Labeling {Part 2 of 3}

Welcome back! Today, part 2 covers the term natural! In case you missed it, here is Part 1:Organic.

Natural

Natural Cheetos?? Please...nothing that color of orange comes from nature.

What does "natural" mean?

To put it bluntly, "natural," in the overwhelming majority of cases is meaningless, even though most consumers do not fully understand this. Natural, in other words, means conventional, with a green veneer. Natural products are routinely produced using pesticides, chemical fertilizer, hormones, genetic engineering, and sewage sludge. Natural or conventional products-whether produce, dairy, or canned or frozen goods are typically produced on large industrial farms or in processing plants that are highly polluting, chemical-intensive and energy-intensive. "Natural," "all-natural," and "sustainable," products in most cases are neither backed up by rules and regulations, nor a Third Party certifier. Natural and sustainable are typically label claims that are neither policed nor monitored.

The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service provides loose, non-enforced guidelines for the use of the term "natural" on meat--basically the products cannot contain artificial flavors, coloring, or preservatives and cannot be more than minimally processed.  


On non-meat products, the term natural is typically pure propaganda.  Companies are using this term to lead consumers to believe they are buying a healthy product. Furthermore, some companies that started out organic and built brand loyalty as organic brands, switched to non-organic ingredients and "natural" labeling.


Sad, isn't it? 


Stay tuned for Part 3: GMO/GE (genetically modified/engineered foods)

Understanding Food Labeling {Part 1 of 3}

Welcome to a 3 week series on understanding nutritional/product labeling! This series will cover 3 hot topics and terms in the food world. Organic, natural, and GMO/GE (genetically modified/genetically engineered.)

I hope this will help you to use some simple facts to make healthy choices at the grocery store for you and your family!

Organic

There is a common misconception between nautral and organic foods. For a long time, I didn't really even know the difference. Natural? Organic?? That can't be bad...right?? Sounds good to me!

What does certified organic or "USDA Organic" mean? 
This means these products are certified 95-100% organic. Certified organic means the farmer or producer has undergone a regular inspection of its farm, facilities, ingredients, and practices by an independent Third Party certifier, accredited by the USDA National Organic Program (NOP). The producer has followed strict NOP regulations and maintained detailed records. Synthetic pesticides, animal drugs, sewage sludge, GMOs, irradiation, and chemical fertilizers are prohibited. Farm animals, soil, and crops have been managed organically; food can only be processed with certain methods; only allowed ingredients can be used.  source

How Do I Know if My Food Is Organic?

Look at the label. If you see the USDA organic seal, the product is certified organic and has 95 percent or more organic content. For multi-ingredient products such as bread or soup, if the label claims that it is made with specified organic ingredients, you can be confident that those specific ingredients have been certified organic.


Organic foods are ideally, the best to choose. I find it frustrating that many, if not all organic foods cost more than the processed alternative. This leads to a lot of shoppers just giving up and continue consuming chemicals, dyes, and pesticides that we were not created to eat.


 Keeping your shopping cart around the perimeter of the store is a good way to find most of the organic foods, i.e. meats, fruits and veggies, and dairy. If your local grocery store doesn't offer some organic items, stopping by a health food store probably will. Don't have one of those close by? You can buy organic foods online! 


Like Organic Prarie (a sub label of Organic Valley.) They even offer FREE shipping! 

You can also visit Local Harvest to find a local farmer/supplier of organic products! 

At the very least, I try to buy all organic produce and meat from local farmers that is sold at my local heath food store. The thought of eating cow or chicken that was injected with all kinds of who knows what makes me want to yack. 

Stay tuned for the second part of the series, Natural!!