You’ve no doubt walked past the shelves in the grocery store with packages touting smiling cows, bright red barns, green grass, and delightful phrases like; “all-natural,” “no hormones,” “cage-free.” 

Maybe you picked up the items, and felt a sense of good in the purchase that you were making. You felt you were making the right choice, in a world of factory farms and chemicals.

But is it all a lie?

An article by The New York Times states:

“…some claims may not be what they seem, according to a flurry of litigation by advocacy groups seeking to combat what they describe as a surge in deceptive marketing by food giants. The misleading labels, the plaintiffs say, seek to profit off consumers’ growing interest in clean eating, animal welfare and environmentally friendly agriculture — but without making meaningful changes to their farming and production practices.”

This new article outlines the harm that these claims can produce. Not just to consumers who might feel duped, but to the family- and small-scale farms producing meat and crops with healthy, sustainable, and regenerative methods.

Read more: Lawsuits Over ‘Misleading’ Food Labels Surge as Groups Cite Lax U.S. Oversight

Find a local, regenerative farm with Regeneration International’s Farm Map