A new Shelton Group survey of U.S. consumers shows 31 percent of respondents believe ‘100 percent natural’ is the most desirable eco-friendly product label claim, compared to 14 percent who chose ‘100 percent organic’. According to Shelton, "Many consumers do not understand green terminology. They prefer the word ‘natural’ over the term ‘organic,’ thinking organic is more of an unregulated marketing buzzword that means the product is more expensive. In reality, the opposite is true: ‘Natural’ is the unregulated word. Organic foods must meet government standards to be certified as such."
The survey suggests why bottom line companies like Horizon, Silk, and Peace Cereal are ditching organic ingredients, while UNFI and Whole Foods Market are failing to educate consumers and project a clear preference for certified organic goods. Instead UNFI, WFM, and others are giving prominent shelf space to so-called ‘natural’ product-lines which are cheaper and more profitable to produce and sell than "organic," although so-called "natural" products are routinely contaminated with GMOs and synthetic chemicals, and derived from industrial agriculture and food processing practices that are polluting the environment, undermining biodiversity, destabilizing the climate, and exploiting farmers and workers.