Lately, it seems every label has some iteration of "natural" printed on the label, even some of the sugary cereals I was sure were invented in a laboratory with the specific goal of hooking young children into a lifetime of processed food addiction. So I began to wonder...what exactly is "all-natural" in the eyes of food producers and marketers? Unfortunately, I discovered it isn't anywhere near the same thing as what "all-natural" is in the eyes of food consumers.
Like for me and the chicken, for many people, "all-natural" means "not bad for you." But, refined sugar and salt, even high fructose corn syrup, are considered "natural" by the FDA. For meat and poultry, "natural" means they didn't do anything to it besides cut it off the animal, clean it, and package it. It has nothing to do with the antibiotics and whatever else they add to those poor animals' feed, or whether the animal is eating what it would "naturally" eat. This is misleading, and there are many people who have been trying to get the FDA to change (or actually make) rules for labeling things as "all-natural." Currently, they hold the same stance as in 1993 (before the big health food industry boom):
"...FDA has not established a definition for the term natural or its derivatives. However, the agency has not objected to the use of the term on food labels provided it is used in a manner that is truthful and not misleading and the product does not contain added color, artificial flavors, or synthetic substances."As consumers and parents, how do we protect ourselves and our children from this marketing dilemma? One solution is to only eat whole foods. Wouldn't that be great? But, there is a reason processed foods exist. We want them. Our kids want a bowl of cereal for breakfast, not a bowl of millet. I was lucky enough to convince my daughter from a very young age that oatmeal was the best thing ever for breakfast, but even then I put brown sugar on it. Because it tastes good, and sugar is all-natural, right? Even though she loved oatmeal, we still had a meltdown in the grocery store over sugary cereal when she was 2, and once she was old enough to make a logical case for the occasional treat of Captain Crunch, I started to give in and buy a box every now and then. People who aren't as crunchy hippie as I am (and I'm not that crunchy), who feed their kids what they got fed, what almost every kid got fed until this health food craze got up and running in the 90s, see the label "all-natural" and somehow think they're doing their kid a favor, when in fact its the same sugary, salty crap food it was back when I was eating it as a kid.
I hope they figure out a more honest way to label these foods, and I am glad consumer research and advocacy groups are out there fighting the ignorance. PepsiCo had to remove the all-natural label on Naked Juices. Frito-Lay (also a PepsiCo company) is in litigation over labeling products that contain GMO products as all-natural. Ben and Jerry's (owned by Unilever) removed the all-natural label from many of its products that contain partially hydrogenated soybean oil, among other synthesized ingredients. General Mills was sued over the use of the all-natural label on Nature Valley granola bars that contain maltodextrin, which is made in a factory much like high fructose corn syrup.
Until it is all worked out though, I will try to (most of the time) follow two rules: (1) If the ingredients list has things I can't pronounce or don't sound like food, I don't buy it. You still have to watch out for some of the secret culprits, like autolyzed yeast protein or hydrolyzed protein (both equivalent to MSG), caramel color (processed with ammonium compounds that produce carcinogens), or evaporated cane juice (same as refined sugar). And (2) If I can make it myself using actual food that comes from plants and animals, I either make it at home or I don't eat it.
Sometimes, though, a soda, or even better, a bag of Oreos is in order. I don't look at the label or the ingredients. I just eat them, with milk, until I can't eat anymore...when my child isn't around, of course. And then I forgive myself and move on.
If you want to know more, some people involved in spreading information about this issue are:
Center for Science in the Public Interest www.cspinet.org
Natural Products Association www.npainfo.org
www.foodnavigator-usa.com
And the FDA's statement on labeling "natural" products:
http://www.fda.gov/aboutfda/transparency/basics/ucm214868.htm
I like this. I feel the same way in fact. You may know that already. I do buy regular cereal like Honey Nut Chex and don't read the label or cookies from Trader Joes either. I try really hard to just make the food myself but I too want the occasional treat that will probably kill me. It is always funny in the check out line when I compare my food to the person in front of me or behind me or in the line next to mine. Their carts are full of frozen prepared foods, white bread, pounds upon pounds of meat, and about 6 cases of soda. My cart on the other hand is full of veggies, fruits, canned beans, tempeh, tofu, whole grain bread, cheese, eggs, milk, yogurt, flour, and of course bacon. Not to shabby for the most part.
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