________________________________ What does “natural” mean? One more time.<http://www.foodpolitics.com/2016/01/what-does-natural-mean-one-more-time/> Posted: 28 Jan 2016 01:36 PM PST I’ve written repeatedly about the problem of “natural”<http://www.foodpolitics.com/?s=natural> on food labels, but the issue just doesn’t go away. It won’t, until the FDA decides to rule on what it means. Now Consumer Reports has done a survey<http://www.foodpolitics.com/wp-content/uploads/Consumer-Reports-Natural-Food-Labels-Survey-Report.pdf> of public understanding of the term. The survey reveals that 62% of respondents want foods to be “natural.” When they see the claim on a food package, they believe it has been verified independently. Oops. They also believe that “natural” means no artificial ingredients (correct, according to the FDA’s non-definition) or GMOs (incorrect). The survey confirms the idea that many people think “natural” is the same as “organic,” which it is not. Consumers, says Consumer Reports<http://www.foodpolitics.com/wp-content/uploads/Consumer-Reports_Natural-Labels-1.pdf>, are naturally confused. And why wouldn’t we be, given the products labeled as “natural” (see the examples collected by Consumer Reports<http://www.foodpolitics.com/wp-content/uploads/Consumer-Reports_Natural-Labels-1.pdf>). The FDA is currently collecting its own comments on this issue. You can weigh in until May 15.<http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/LabelingNutrition/ucm456090.htm> Please do. You are subscribed to email updates from Food Politics<http://www.foodpolitics.com>. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now<https://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailunsubscribe?k=c13hjZsHk6NfdIjo-nVif1Bfm_c>. Email delivery powered by Google Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States
