What Is “Green”? “Natural”? “Organic”?
If you’re at a loss sometimes, you’re not alone. A recent survey by the Shelton Group showed that nearly 2/3 of the 1,006 U.S. consumers polled try to purchase foods produced in an environmentally friendly way. But the consumers rated “100% natural” as the most reliable label claim, far ahead of “100% organic.” It seems that consumers think that the word ‘organic’ is more of an unregulated marketing term, when really, the opposite is true. ‘Natural’ is an unregulated word – organic foods must meet government standards to be certified as such.
Want to know more? Here is a guide to what the organic certification really means. And here is a good article from the Chicago Tribune that talks about the Shelton Group study and goes further into the confusion regarding food labeling. The Tribune also has a handy-dandy guide to the difference between “organic” and “natural” labeling on a variety of products that you can find here.
© 2009, Sarah. All rights reserved.
