Walk down any grocery store food aisle and grab a random package off the shelf. It is most likely covered with marketing slogans and claims like low fat, heart healthy, or perhaps all natural, which to me, is one of the most misleading marketing claims of all. What does it mean? It turns out, very little.
The natural or all natural claim can be found on a variety of different products. It appears to be a very successful marketing claim. Over $40 billion worth of food items are sold each year with these label claims on them. Some believe these claims are similar to or even better than organic certification. Nothing could be farther from the truth. While organic certification requires inspections and audits, food manufacturers need no such scrutiny to use the natural or all natural claims. There are no government oversight groups. There isn't even an industry standard definition.
The FDA oversees the claims made by food manufacturers. They have never given a definition of what a natural or all natural product should consist of. The only statement the FDA has made about these claims is that they do not object to its use if it does not included food dyes, artificial flavors, or synthetic chemicals.
At first glance, this appears to be an okay standard. But upon further reflection, the FDA leaves out trans fats, high fructose corn syrup, genetically-modified organisms and more. This is unacceptable. It is hard to put much stock in these claims if there is no government oversight and no consequences for misleading claims.
Without a proper definition, food companies have been allowed to define the claim themselves and this has led to some ambiguity at best and unethical behavior at worst. How many scandals have the food and chemical additive industries been involved in over the past few decades? The list is too long to count, making it obvious to most (but seemingly not the FDA), that these companies should not be left to their own devices.
The good news is that consumers and advocacy groups are waking up to the lack of oversight and taking matters into their own hands. We need to hold these companies accountable. There have been some significant lawsuits against food manufacturers and grocery store chains. I think this trend will only grow. We are finally becoming aware that these companies do not have our best interests in mind, but their own. Profits.
While I recommend eating whole foods, should you desire a processed food, I suggest putting little faith in marketing claims and to read the ingredients list in its entirety. The shorter the list, the better. Also, be sure to investigate or avoid chemicals you aren't familiar with. While we need to hold food companies accountable, we also need to be responsible in watching what we allow in our food. The FDA isn't doing its job, so we must do it for them.
The natural or all natural claim can be found on a variety of different products. It appears to be a very successful marketing claim. Over $40 billion worth of food items are sold each year with these label claims on them. Some believe these claims are similar to or even better than organic certification. Nothing could be farther from the truth. While organic certification requires inspections and audits, food manufacturers need no such scrutiny to use the natural or all natural claims. There are no government oversight groups. There isn't even an industry standard definition.
The FDA oversees the claims made by food manufacturers. They have never given a definition of what a natural or all natural product should consist of. The only statement the FDA has made about these claims is that they do not object to its use if it does not included food dyes, artificial flavors, or synthetic chemicals.
At first glance, this appears to be an okay standard. But upon further reflection, the FDA leaves out trans fats, high fructose corn syrup, genetically-modified organisms and more. This is unacceptable. It is hard to put much stock in these claims if there is no government oversight and no consequences for misleading claims.
Without a proper definition, food companies have been allowed to define the claim themselves and this has led to some ambiguity at best and unethical behavior at worst. How many scandals have the food and chemical additive industries been involved in over the past few decades? The list is too long to count, making it obvious to most (but seemingly not the FDA), that these companies should not be left to their own devices.
The good news is that consumers and advocacy groups are waking up to the lack of oversight and taking matters into their own hands. We need to hold these companies accountable. There have been some significant lawsuits against food manufacturers and grocery store chains. I think this trend will only grow. We are finally becoming aware that these companies do not have our best interests in mind, but their own. Profits.
While I recommend eating whole foods, should you desire a processed food, I suggest putting little faith in marketing claims and to read the ingredients list in its entirety. The shorter the list, the better. Also, be sure to investigate or avoid chemicals you aren't familiar with. While we need to hold food companies accountable, we also need to be responsible in watching what we allow in our food. The FDA isn't doing its job, so we must do it for them.
About the Author:
Be sure to check out my website for more information at FDA food label guidelines or my blog at natural claims on food labels. Thank you and be well!
