Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — What comes to mind when you see the word "natural" on a package of food? Better, healthier, maybe free of preservatives? Experts say that's likely not true.
They say the word "natural" is meaningless, abused, unregulated and undefined on food labels.
Markus Ehrlich says he looks for foods that are as natural as possible. We caught up with him at Liberty Heights Fresh, a market specializing in local and organic foods. He said there's no advantage in having something labeled as natural.
“I don’t know what 'natural' means, if it means much of anything,” he said.
However, shopper John Eicher said, “To me, it means it was grown locally. Grown without a lot of chemicals or pesticides, or grown in hydroponics or something like that.”
Stacey Breidenstein is general manager of Liberty Heights Fresh. “It means absolutely nothing,” she said.
She said packaging bearing the word "natural" misleads shoppers.
“You have a perception of something that’s higher quality, worth more by stamping ‘all natural’ on it,” she said.
It's a perception that fools millions of Americans. A recent Consumer Reports survey found nearly 60 percent of shoppers look for the word "natural" on food labels. And two-thirds think it means the food has no artificial ingredients, pesticides or genetically modified organisms. It doesn't.
Sara Fausett is a registered dietitian with Intermountain Healthcare.
“'Natural' is a very ambiguous term to put on a food label,” she said, adding that the Food and Drug Administration has no formal definition for it.
Instead, it has a guideline.
“The FDA recommends if you’re going to use the word 'natural,' please don’t have any artificial flavoring, synthetic things that would normally not be in the food,” she said.
Currently the FDA doesn't have the means to go after all of those who skirt guidelines.
“Sometimes we need to be the ones who flip over the label. Do we understand what’s on the ingredients list?” she said.
Consumer who can’t pronounce the ingredients, let alone understand them, can call the manufacturer.
“Getting a hold of the producer might get you more information than you can find on the label alone, and that can clear up confusion,” Fausett said.
“If you flip open the label and it says, hey, it has all these chemicals, it’s typically not very natural,” Eicher said.
“You can put ‘natural’ on a pack of Oreos,” Breidenstein said.
Consumer Reports is pushing to have the "natural" label banned. John Eicher thinks that could help.
“If it’s easier to know what you’re getting, that would be good for the consumer, right?” he said.
Research firm Nielsen says the food industry now sells nearly $41 billion worth of food labeled with the word "natural" every year.
Labels include "All Natural," "Made with Natural Ingredients," and "Naturally Flavored," among others.
While there's no real standard for using "natural," the word "organic" is regulated. Fausett said producers who want a certified organic label can't use things like synthetic pesticides, manure-based fertilizers or genetically modified organisms.
