The FDA (Food & Drug Administration) surprised everyone this week by announcing that they are now taking comments on the use of the term "natural" on food labeling. It's about time.
The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) who is tasked with the job of monitoring false advertising has been proven so ineffectual that people began reaching out directly to the courts years ago. Now according to the FDA they have been asked to weigh in by judges to provide guidelines for outstanding cases.
So what
does natural mean? In 1993, the FDA
issued non-binding guidance saying "natural means that nothing artificial
or synthetic (including all color additives regardless of source) has been
included in, or has been added to, a food that would not normally be expected
in that food."
But
that doesn't take into consideration GMO's and use of pesticides, nor
processing methods such as thermal technologies, pasteurization or
irradiation.
Since
Mintel reported last year that two-thirds of US adults think foods labeled
"natural" are healthy, and people are willing to pay more for foods
perceived as healthy, it's an important marketing tool.
The
Food Labeling Modernization Act, currently in committee, would prohibit the use
of the word natural for any food that includes a synthesized ingredient. But
the Grocery Manufacturers Association has stated its intention to push the FDA
to define natural as inclusive of GMO ingredients. Given that most staple crops in the US (i.e.
corn, soybeans and beet sugar) are grown from GM seed, that ship may have
already sailed. (Lukovitz, 2015)
So
what do you think? Are you buying foods
labeled as "natural?" And
paying more for them? What does the term
mean to you? What should it mean? Where does GMO fit in?
Lukovitz,
K. (2015, November 11) Surprise: FDA To
Review Use Of 'Natural' Food Claim. mediapost.com. Retrieved November 12, 2015, from
