Don’t be fooled by misleading labels

Have you ever felt confused by the labels at the grocery story?

A lot of labels can be very misleading--they often mean nothing, or have no validity to back up their claims. Or they are meant to invoke associations with health and/or animal well-being.

But how do you know what to buy?

Let’s have a looksie at a few of these labels:

NATURAL: doesn’t have artificial ingredients or preservatives; ingredients are minimally processed (all good things!); BUUUUUT still may contain antibiotics, growth hormones, and other chemicals.

ALL NATURAL: Literally the same as “Natural”

HOMESTYLE: Marketing term. Meant to invoke warm feelings of having a home-cooked meal.

FARM-FRESH: Marketing term. Meant to invoke feelings of farm-to-table.

ANTIBIOTICS/HORMONES-FREE: The animal has not been raised without hormones or antibiotics. However, it is illegal for poultry and pork to be raised with hormones, so it's just marketing on these items.

FRESH: This goes for poultry--it can never get below 28 degrees.

GRASS-FED: Cows or goats were only fed grass and allowed to forage during growing season.

ORGANIC: If it also says “Certified” that means that the USDA has evaluated. If not, it’s still ok. It just means the company is small, but still needs to meet specific guidelines regarding soil quality, how animals were raised, pest/weed control, and use of additives. Shoot for organic with produce and meat when possible. Side note: don’t be fooled into thinking that organic processed foods mean that they are healthier than the conventional. An organic cookie will have the same effect on your body as a regular.

FREE RANGE: Sometimes “free roaming”, implies that the animal was raised in the open air and/or was free to roam. This can be kinda tricky, as the law requires “access” to outside, which could be a little opening in a pen. Do some research on how companies raise their animals.

Really, do the best you can with what you got. If you can go all-organic and pasture-raised, go for it. Your health (and the environment) will thank you.

I prioritize animal welfare over organic. For produce, I prioritize buying organic for the “dirty dozen” when I can.

Start small-- choose one item you can switch out for higher-quality. Buy organic strawberries instead of conventional.

What labels do you look for when shopping? Let me know!

Resource: https://www.gcbl.org/live/food/healthy-diet/what-do-food-labels-really-mean