All Natural vs. Organic Food

Grocery shopping can be frustrating.  There are so many options and now with the growing green movement, there is different lingo on the labels.  For instance, what does "all natural" mean?  How does it stack up against something labeled organic?  Or are they the same thing?

As it turns out, organic and natural products aren't the same thing and the terms should not be used interchangeably.

For something to be labeled organic, it must be farmed by farmers who use renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality.  Organic animal products (meat, poultry, eggs, dairy) must come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones.  Organic food must be produced without conventional pesticides, like fertilizers made with bioengineering, ionizing radiation, or synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge (YUCK!!!  If that's not enough to make someone more eager to go organic, I don't know what is!!!).  A government-approved certifier inspects the farm to make sure it reaches USDA organic standards and then it can get labeled organic.

How does that differ from something labeled natural?

In the US, there is no specific organization that has any sort of regulation placed on products with an "all natural" claim. Unfortunately, that means that a company can put whatever they want into their products and say it is natural.

The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service does offer a series of basic guidelines for labeling food as natural, but they don't always check the claims and there's not a certification process.

A lot of foods that claim to be all natural are just using the term to market their product.  Remember when 7-Up declared that it was all natural? That was short-lived!

According to Mintel International, a market research firm,  "all natural" was the second-most common claim on food products launched in 2008.  But you should check the labels on anything that claims to be "all natural."  For instance, Ben & Jerry's Chubby Hubby claims to be all natural but the ingredients include hydrogenated soybean oil, soya lecithin, and cocoa processed with alkali.  Kashi's mushroom spinach pizza also claims to be all natural, but their ingredients include autolyzed yeast extract, xantham gum, and gum arabic.

What is interesting about all of this is that people often think that that all natural is a greener choice than organic. A study released last month by the Shelton Group showed widespread confusion in the US about the two terms.

Checking the ingredients list on a product labeled all natural is the most important thing to do.

And as for buying locally grown fruits and vegetables, go ahead and ask the farmer if they are organic.  Many smaller farmers can't afford the pricey organic certification but do avoid use of things like pesticides.  (I still can't get over the sewage sludge!)