Consumers rely on labels, advertising and marketing information to help them choose products they believe to be safe, healthful and produced using practices that are aligned with their values. Many food companies exploit this fact. They knowingly mislead consumers by claiming their products are \u201cnatural\u201d when in fact those products contain pesticides, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), antibiotics, growth hormones and artificial ingredients.<\/p>\n
The most prevalent examples of false labeling and advertising are use of terms like \u201cNatural,\u201d \u201cAll Natural\u201d and \u201c100% Natural.\u201d <\/p>\n
Cornerstone Natural, a consultant to the natural products industry, predicts<\/a> \u201cexplosive growth\u201d in U.S. sales of \u201cnatural\u201d products, reaching $252 billion by 2019. Driving this growth is consumer demand for healthier food produced using sustainable and humane farming practices.<\/p>\n Consumer demand for healthier, non-GMO, pesticide-free food is also driving growth in the organic market. Sales of certified organic food and products reached $50 billion <\/a>in 2017, amounting to more than 5 percent of all grocery store sales, including approximately 10 percent of all produce sales. That’s strong growth. But as long as consumers equate \u201cnatural\u201d with certified organic, and as long as companies exploit that perception, the organic market will remain at a disadvantage.<\/p>\n A 2014 Consumer Reports poll<\/a> found that 66 percent of consumers believe a product labeled \u201cnatural\u201d has no artificial ingredients, pesticides or genetically modified organisms, and 86 percent believe that it should mean those things. In 2016, Consumer Reports released a new survey<\/a> showing that 73 percent of consumers seek out foods labeled \u201cnatural.\u201d Many consumers equate the word \u201cnatural\u201d with \u201corganic\u201d and some even believe that \u201c100% Natural\u201d is better than certified organic. <\/p>\n There is a big difference between a certified \u201corganic\u201d product and a \u201cnatural\u201d product. Food products can be labeled \u201corganic\u201d only if they are independently certified as meeting<\/a> U.S. Department of Agriculture\u2019s (USDA) National Organic Program standards.<\/a> However, with the exception of meat and poultry, there is no legal definition of \u201cnatural\u201d as it applies to food. The term is unregulated. <\/p>\n The USDA defines \u201cnatural\u201d only in the context of labels on meat and poultry. And that definition is very narrow. Under USDA regulations<\/a>, meat and poultry can be labeled \u201cnatural\u201d if it is free of artificial flavor or flavoring, coloring ingredient, or chemical preservative or any other artificial or synthetic ingredient, and if the product and its ingredients are not more than \u201cminimally processed.\u201d The USDA definition of \u201cnatural\u201d for meat and poultry does not address the presence of antibiotics, growth hormones or other drugs and\/or pesticides, nor does it address issues of animal welfare.<\/p>\n Despite pressure by the courts<\/a> to do so, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has so far declined to legally define the term \u201cnatural\u201d for foods other than meat and poultry. As a result, knowing that consumers seek out the word \u201cnatural\u201d when buying foods because they believe “natural” means the product is free of GMOs, pesticides and artificial ingredients, food companies routinely label products \u201cnatural,\u201d \u201call-natural\u201d and \u201c100% natural\u201d in order to increase sales. In 205, the FDA said<\/a> it would finally address requests for a definition of “natural.” And in a February 2018 article <\/a>in the New York Tiems, an FDA official suggested the agency would weigh in on the issue “soon.” But the term remains, at least legally, undefined.<\/p>\n OCA\u2019s Myth of Natural Campaign educates consumers about the misleading use of the term \u201cnatural\u201d and the difference between \u201cnatural\u201d and \u201ccertified organic\u201d products.<\/p>\n Through our Myth of Natural Campaign, we directly confront food companies\u2014sometimes using consumer protection laws like those in Washington, D.C.<\/a> and California<\/a> as the basis for lawsuits\u2014for labeling or marketing products as \u201cnatural\u201d when independent lab testing shows the products to be contaminated with pesticides, antibiotics and other drugs, and \u201cunnatural\u201d ingredients. <\/p>\n Examples include: Nature Valley Granola Bars<\/a>, which tested positive for glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto\u2019s Roundup\u00ae weed killer; Post Shredded Wheat<\/a>,<\/a> which tested positive for glyphosate (the suit has been settled<\/a>); and Sioux Honey, <\/a>which tested positive for glyphosate.<\/p>\n OCA\u2019s Myth of Natural Campaign also addresses other labeling and marketing claims, many of which imply that products were produced using \u201cnatural,\u201d \u201csustainable\u201d or \u201csocially responsible\u201d methods of production. <\/p>\n The Myth of Natural Campaign also takes on corporations like Ben & Jerry\u2019s<\/a> that claim to be \u201csocially responsible\u201d and \u201cenvironmentally friendly\u201d despite the presence of pesticides in their products and the use of toxic chemicals or unfair labor practices in their supply chains. <\/p>\nNatural vs. organic<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Taking it to the courts<\/strong><\/h4>\n