A recent survey conducted by Consumer Reports showed consumers don’t know what “natural” means when it appears on food labels, yet 59 percent are inclined to look for foods that are natural. Last year, there was a $40.7 billion market for natural-labeled food.
Drovers CattleNetwork reports the survey showed what consumers thought they were getting from “natural” meat and poultry were products from animals not given growth hormones (89 percent) or antibiotics and other drugs (81 percent), and animals whose feed did not contain genetically engineered organisms (85 percent) or artificial ingredients (85 percent).
The natural label does not have any bearing on those factors. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), any meat item can be called natural if it contains no artificial ingredients or added color and it is only minimally processed to not fundamentally alter the product. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave up in 1993 on a formal definition for “natural” products, deciding to “not restrict the use of ‘natural’ on products. It is a very complex term.”
Based on survey results, which clearly reflect the confusion over “natural” foods on the consumer side, Consumer Reports is joining with digital magazine TakePart in a campaign called “Know your labels, know your food,” calling for a ban on the natural label.