Do You Shop for “Natural” Foods? Turns Out that Label Means Nothing

by Ravelle Worthington

Seems like more and more products in your grocery store are being advertised as "organic," "fat-free," and our favorite: "natural." Not only is this a great selling point for shoppers, who in recent years have moved towards more consciously raised produce, meats and gluten-free foods, but it turns out many of these phrases don't mean anything at all. The biggest culprit being "natural."

The food industry is making big bucks, $41 billion in fact, off of sales each year from foods marketed as "natural." Even more surprising is that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration haven't officially defined the term. However, they did post this explanation to their website:

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From a food science perspective, it is difficult to define a food product that is 'natural' because the food has probably been processed and is no longer the product of the earth. That said, FDA has not developed a definition for use of the term natural or its derivatives. However, the agency has not objected to the use of the term if the food does not contain added color, artificial flavors, or synthetic substances.

"Natural" isn't the only health claim that's helping to rake in the money. Some others include: "organic," "fat free," and "100 calorie." Foods with such labeling accounted for over $377 billion in sales in the U.S. over this past year, research from Nielson shows.

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Labels aside, the other problem is that phrases such as "antioxidants," "vitamins and minerals," and "organic" fool consumers into thinking the products are healthier than their counterparts without those buzzwords.

And in case you were wondering, some of the top selling foods with a significant year-over-year growth are labeled as: low glycemic (30%), GMO free (22%), and gluten-free (12%).

How frequently do you find yourself taking note of these labels when navigating the grocery aisles?

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