Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Ditching organic for natural - at what cost?

You're standing in front of your favorite type of food deciding on which brand to purchase... you have two choices, one is Organic and the other one is Natural, which one do you choose? Some reports show that a majority of consumers opt for Natural over Organic citing the word "Organic" as a buzz word interchangeable with "Natural" allowing Companies to sell products at a higher price. So, which would you choose?

A recent article in the Chicago Tribune described the differences as follows:

"WHAT IS ORGANIC?

Meat: Comes from animals whose bodies and food are never treated with pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics or hormones. Animals must have access to exercise and sunlight, and time to graze in pastures rather than feedlots. Feed must be certified organic with no genetic modifications or animal byproducts.

Milk: Same rules as for meat.

Other foods: Produce must be grown on a farm that for at least three years has used no synthetic herbicides, pesticides or fertilizers and has not planted any genetically modified seeds, used fertilizers derived from sewage sludge or treated seeds with irradiation.

Personal care products: "100 percent organic" means a product contains only organically produced ingredients (excluding salt and water). "Organic" means 95 percent organically produced ingredients. Only those categories can bear the USDA's organic seal. Products with 70 percent organically produced ingredients can be labeled "made with organic ingredients" but may not use the seal. All products must display the certifier's name and address.

WHAT IS NATURAL?

Meat: Must contain no artificial ingredient or added color and be only minimally processed (no fundamental alterations of the raw product). Label must explain use of the term natural; for example: "no added colorings or artificial ingredients; minimally processed." Some farms hire their own inspectors.

Milk: No regulatory definition.

Other foods: No regulatory definition. A spokeswoman for the Food and Drug Administration says "the agency does not object to using the term on food labels 'in a manner that is truthful and not misleading' and if the product has no added color, artificial flavors, or synthetic substances."

Personal care products: No regulatory definition. An industry group, the Natural Products Association, says products carrying its natural seal derive 95 percent of the ingredients from natural sources. Other rules include: no ingredients with suspected human health risks, no processes that significantly alter the purity/effect of natural ingredients, ingredients from a renewable or plentiful natural source, minimal manufacturing processes."

Whitewave foods, makers of Silk brand Soymilk and Horizon brand Organic milk, was recently faced with this very decision and opted for natural over organic soybeans in all but three of its Silk Soymilk products. The company states their current business structure - impacted by the recession and the skyrocketing price of Organic soybeans - required a change to continue being a sustainable business model. But isn't this the reason some of us choose Natural over Organic? It comes down to price/cost... The definitions of Organic and Natural are not clear in the forefront of our minds and somehow the word Organic has developed a reputation for being unregulated and abused - we feel we are getting a better product for a better price when we buy "Natural", however this is a misconception. A standard regulatory system does not exist for "Natural" products and, in fact, the word "Natural" is the term that is being used as a buzz word to get us to make a purchase.

The difference between the two terms comes down to the use of chemicals and pesticides at the botanical stage. Unless you see the words "certified organic", or some type of official certification, labeled on the product you are purchasing, the botanical product was not grown in a chemical-free environment. Natural only means the final product was made solely from botanical resources without additives or preservatives.

For more information on why choosing Organic is "worth it", visit the Organic Agriculture and Products Education Institute's "Organic is worth it" page.