Organic Foods
What do those labels really mean?
Going to the supermarket these days can be a confusing experience, especially for those who are trying to select the healthiest food available for their families. There is an astounding array of different kinds of foods labeled ‘natural’ or ‘organic’ or ‘hormone free’. Products like eggs, mean, fish milk and fruits/vegetables can also be confusing – brown eggs, white eggs, free-range, organic, natural…who can figure it all out? What difference do these labels make and how does it effect the quality of the food, if it does at all? Are these labels merely a marketing ploy? Once you learn what these specific labels mean, you can make an educated decision about whether you want to spend the extra money on these products.
Natural vs. Organic
Natural is a term that is most commonly associated with fruits or vegetables. By definition, natural has a number of definitions: “not artificial” and “relating to or being natural food”. By extrapolation, we can surmise that this means found in nature – i.e., not man-made. Therefore, labeling a fruit or vegetable as natural is redundant – as far as I understand all fruits and vegetables come from nature. (This is of course if the fruit/vegetable is not genetically altered, a discussion that I will not get into here.) In addition, natural is not a term that is regulated by the United States federal government and therefore means little to nothing when placed on a label.
If you see the label “organic” on a food, then it DOES mean something. In the United States, an organic food is food that has been 
certified by the United States government that they have been grown and/or produced under certain conditions such as no conventional pesticides and no genetic engineering. In the case of animals, the livestock must be fed organic grain and not be treated with growth hormones. In addition, the livestock must be able to go outside to graze. Finally,, any synthetic substances–such as vaccinations or medicine for a sick animal or pesticides –used with these foodstuff or livestock must be from an approved list. (USDA Organic Production and Handling Standards, http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELDEV3004445&acct=nopgeninfo)
Free range chicken or meat merely indicates , a label on eggs and meat can indicate if the animal was caged or penned. This does not make a difference in the quality or nutritional value of the meat, but is simply a matter of animal rights. These products may be a bit more expensive, but if you want to make humane decisions, that is the way to go.
Reading the label and making healthy choices can sometimes be difficult, but learning how to do so can help you make the best choices for your diet.
January 21st, 2009Topic: Healthy Recipes Tags: holisitic, living naturally, organic foods
January 26th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
Great article, reading the label and knowing what the terms natural, free range and organic mean is very important so we can make healthy choices. Avoiding highly processed foods is a good start.