The "All Natural" Label Means Next To Nothing

[rhinefire]

Lately, I have read many articles warning that the "all natural" words on packages is just that, words. One even said it could be placed on any item food or non food. Food labeling and designs are now and always have been deceptive and not much has been done to improve. It's like the small print on the tv screen which is unreadable. I was going to go in to marketing in my misguided youth until I got a close look at what it required and I got as far away as possible and became an advocate of telling the truth instead, a losing battle so far.

 

[OrphanSlug]

That is because the Food Industry owns Congress.

 

[Carjosse]

It also just means nothing anyways. What counts as "natural"?

 

[Militant_Vegan_]

That is because the Food Industry owns Congress.

they have the average gewb "eating" out of their hand.

any attempt to better your diet or eat better gets ridiculed.

 

[SocialD]

Lately, I have read many articles warning that the "all natural" words on packages is just that, words. One even said it could be placed on any item food or non food. Food labeling and designs are now and always have been deceptive and not much has been done to improve. It's like the small print on the tv screen which is unreadable. I was going to go in to marketing in my misguided youth until I got a close look at what it required and I got as far away as possible and became an advocate of telling the truth instead, a losing battle so far.

This is a really good subject to discuss.
Terms like All Natural, 100% Natural, and Organic are appealing but people can be misled. The FDA and FTC do not have strict guidelines as to what the label terms mean.
For instance a food might contain high fructose corn syrup, or sweet glycosides like stevia. Since these originate from natural plants they can call them natural.
Also something can be labelled natural, organic, additive, preservative free but... well say you have some lettuce grown organically. and its picked. but then afterwards its sprayed with a preservative so it doesn't brown during shipping.

Those are just a couple examples. I think that we just need to not count on relying to USDA, FDA, FTC regulations. I am all for them making rules on it. but do your homework on what you buy as best you can.

 

[beefheart]

Arsenic is 100% natural....wouldn't want to ingest any.

 

[zyzygy]

Arsenic is 100% natural....wouldn't want to ingest any.

Everything is natural.

 

[Militant_Vegan_]

Everything is natural.

except McDonald's food.

 

[Gaztopian]

I learned that one intuitively, because if the cheapest and lowest-quality products can afford the label, it must mean dick.

 

[beerftw]

Lately, I have read many articles warning that the "all natural" words on packages is just that, words. One even said it could be placed on any item food or non food. Food labeling and designs are now and always have been deceptive and not much has been done to improve. It's like the small print on the tv screen which is unreadable. I was going to go in to marketing in my misguided youth until I got a close look at what it required and I got as far away as possible and became an advocate of telling the truth instead, a losing battle so far.

This is true but does not apply to all food but most, this is because the law is lenient on what is natural, or organic, or free ranged etc. Companies use those labels because the law says they can, even they are not what they claim to be.

If you want natural, or organic, or free range, go to a farmers market, most what they sell are excess of personal production for themselves. The stuff sold in supermarkets is for profit, and farmers grow them for profit, while most have their own personal crop of vegetables grains and livestock for themselves, and many years they have excess which gets sold at farmers markets.