Reach into your pantry or refrigerator and choose any packaged food item. The most common scenario is that it is plastered with marketing claims like sugar free or immunity boosting. Or perhaps, one of my least favorite terms, all natural. The reason why I dislike it is because it means absolutely nothing and is only used to deceive buyers into believing the food item is healthy.
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 is in charge of oversight of the use of marketing slogans on food packaging, certainly a difficult task. Unfortunately, despite significant use of the natural or all natural label claims, the group has not defined these terms to standardize their use. The FDA has said it has no problem with these claims if the food products refrain from using food coloring, artificial flavors, or any synthetic additive.
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.
The FDA's lack of clarity on this issue has given companies free reign to use these claims as they see fit, something that has proven to be a significant problem. I've run out of fingers counting the number of scandals the food industry has been apart of. The FDA's ambivalence on the natural and all natural claims is frustrating and needs to change. Oversight of these claims is necessary.
While the government doesn't appear to have gotten all that involved in overseeing the all natural claim, based on the fact that they haven't even defined it for food manufacturers, it hasn't stopped consumers from holding food producers and retailers accountable. Numerous lawsuits have been brought and won against some of the biggest companies in both groups. I expect this to continue. Americans are finally waking up to the fact that most companies put profit ahead of our health concerns.
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 is in charge of oversight of the use of marketing slogans on food packaging, certainly a difficult task. Unfortunately, despite significant use of the natural or all natural label claims, the group has not defined these terms to standardize their use. The FDA has said it has no problem with these claims if the food products refrain from using food coloring, artificial flavors, or any synthetic additive.
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.
The FDA's lack of clarity on this issue has given companies free reign to use these claims as they see fit, something that has proven to be a significant problem. I've run out of fingers counting the number of scandals the food industry has been apart of. The FDA's ambivalence on the natural and all natural claims is frustrating and needs to change. Oversight of these claims is necessary.
While the government doesn't appear to have gotten all that involved in overseeing the all natural claim, based on the fact that they haven't even defined it for food manufacturers, it hasn't stopped consumers from holding food producers and retailers accountable. Numerous lawsuits have been brought and won against some of the biggest companies in both groups. I expect this to continue. Americans are finally waking up to the fact that most companies put profit ahead of our health concerns.
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!
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