The Definition Of Natural Foods

Food labels often claim products and ingredients are "natural," but what that word means isn't always clear. Neither the U.S. Food and Drug Administration nor the U.S. Department of Agriculture has provided a definition for the term, except for meat and poultry. Therefore, you should remain skeptical when you see the word "natural" on other products because the term doesn't reflect any standard.

Definition Dilemma

Part of the difficulty of defining the word natural is that nearly all the food we eat at some point encounters an artificial, or human-derived, process or substance. For example, a piece of fruit that grows in an orchard typically receives synthetic pesticide and fertilizer treatments. After workers pick the fruit, it might receive a coat of wax to keep it shiny and to prevent it from spoiling during shipping. Each of these agricultural techniques is artificial in a sense because it deviates from natural processes, which is simply to let fruit grow and fall off the tree or vine once it ripens.

Confusion

Some food manufacturers capitalize on the confusion surrounding the term "natural." For example, some consumers want to buy foods that are grown using methods that don't rely on pesticides, growth hormones, or other artificial processes or substances. When these consumers see a product described as natural, they might be fooled into buying it, even though it uses the very processes and substances they want to avoid.

Exception

If the term "natural" appears on meat or poultry labels, it means the food has been minimally processed in compliance with U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations. For example, the food cannot contain artificial ingredients, such as added colors or flavors. A brief explanation of what the term "natural" means must accompany use of the term. For example, a typical statement might be: "no artificial ingredients; minimally processed." However, animals still might have received antibiotics or growth enhancers, according to HelpGuide.org.

Considerations

When you're not buying meat or poultry, ignore claims that rely on the word "natural." The term bears no weight. Instead, if your goal is to choose foods that avoid artificial processing and substances as much as possible, look for the word "organic." This term is defined and regulated by the USDA, and food suppliers who use it must meet rigid specifications. For example, produce labeled as organic must come from farmers who do not use insect pesticides, bioengineered genes, petroleum-based fertilizers or sewage sludge-based fertilizers, according to HelpGuide.org.

Organic

Note that even the word "organic" means different things in different contexts. Foods that have the "USDA Organic" seal are 95- to 100-percent organic, meaning they use only the most natural methods and ingredients. On the other end of the range, foods that bear the phrase "contains organic ingredients" might contain less than 70 percent organic ingredients.