Despite the increasing popularity of the eat-local movement, many people don't understand that "local" doesn't necessarily mean that food is organic or even safe. Chemically grown foods produced locally may be cheaper than organic. They may aid the local economy. They may be fresh.
But no matter how local the food you purchase is, if it isn't organic, the process used to grow that food polluted ground water, degraded the soil food web, diminished the soil's capacity to sequester climate-destabilizing greenhouse gases, spread pesticides into the air, poisoned farmworkers, and added to the buildup of toxic residues in your own body.
Naturally genetically engineered
Consumer Reports released this week (October 7, 2014) the results of tests conducted on more than 80 different processed foods containing corn or soy. The tests revealed that those products labeled "organic" or "non-GMO" were in fact GMO-free.
But almost all of the products that were labeled "natural" contained substantial amounts of GMOs.
The non-profit testing group said it found GMOs in breakfast cereals, potato chips and infant formula--all of them sold to consumers under the "natural" label.
Slapping the word "natural" on products that are anything but, is one of the most brilliant--and profitable--food marketing scams of all time. According to the "United States Organic Food Market Forecast & Opportunities, 2018," sales of so-called "natural" foods, including nutritional supplements, topped $70 billion in 2013.
Compare that figure with same-year sales of certified organic foods: $35 billion. Organics represent the fastest-growing segment of the food industry. Sales are projected to reach $40 billion by the end of this year. According to the Hartman Group, 73 percent of consumers now buy organics, and more than a third use them at least monthly.
Those are strong numbers. But a survey published by the Consumer Reports National Research Center suggests there is still a lot of confusion among consumers as to the difference between organic and "natural." According the survey, nearly 60 percent of people said they look for the term "natural" on food labels when they shop. And approximately two-thirds of consumers surveyed said they believe the term "natural" means that a processed food has no artificial ingredients, pesticides or genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration has so far refused to establish a comprehensive definition of "natural." As a result, just as an example, "natural" livestock products are routinely produced using conventional factory farm or CAFO (Confined Animal Feeding Operations) methods, including intensive confinement, daily doses of antibiotics, growth hormones, GMO feed, and slaughterhouse waste. Blood, wrapper-covered candy, chicken feathers and excrement, sawdust and many other so-called feed ingredients can be fed to livestock, and the meat from that livestock can still be deceptively labeled or marketed as "natural."
Consumers who seek out the "natural" label believing they're buying a product equal in quality to--or even better than--organic are being duped. Not unlike the consumer who believes "local" is synonymous with healthy and sustainable.
GMO-Free junk food?
Citizen-led state ballot initiatives demanding mandatory labeling of GMOs have sparked widespread interest and concern among consumers about the presence of GMOs in the foods they buy and feed their families.
Those initiatives, in in California (2101), Washington State (2013) and Oregon and Colorado (2014), also launched the newest, and fastest-growing labeling trend: Non-GMO.
According to a report In the Rock River Times, 80 percent of shoppers seeking out non-GMO products and 56 percent say non-GMO is key to brand buying. To date, more than 22,000 products have been Non-GMO Project Verified, with annual sales of these products topping $7 billion.
Food Navigator-USA reports that U.S. retail sales of non-GMO foods are projected to grow 12.9 percent over the next five years, and account for 30 percent of food and beverage sales by 2017. Demand for the Non-GMO Project label was spurred by the announcement in 2012 by Whole Foods Market that the nation's largest retailer of organic foods will label all foods, including meat, dairy, eggs and deli or take-out items containing GMOs by 2018.
But no matter how local the food you purchase is, if it isn't organic, the process used to grow that food polluted ground water, degraded the soil food web, diminished the soil's capacity to sequester climate-destabilizing greenhouse gases, spread pesticides into the air, poisoned farmworkers, and added to the buildup of toxic residues in your own body.
Naturally genetically engineered
Consumer Reports released this week (October 7, 2014) the results of tests conducted on more than 80 different processed foods containing corn or soy. The tests revealed that those products labeled "organic" or "non-GMO" were in fact GMO-free.
The non-profit testing group said it found GMOs in breakfast cereals, potato chips and infant formula--all of them sold to consumers under the "natural" label.
Slapping the word "natural" on products that are anything but, is one of the most brilliant--and profitable--food marketing scams of all time. According to the "United States Organic Food Market Forecast & Opportunities, 2018," sales of so-called "natural" foods, including nutritional supplements, topped $70 billion in 2013.
Compare that figure with same-year sales of certified organic foods: $35 billion. Organics represent the fastest-growing segment of the food industry. Sales are projected to reach $40 billion by the end of this year. According to the Hartman Group, 73 percent of consumers now buy organics, and more than a third use them at least monthly.
Those are strong numbers. But a survey published by the Consumer Reports National Research Center suggests there is still a lot of confusion among consumers as to the difference between organic and "natural." According the survey, nearly 60 percent of people said they look for the term "natural" on food labels when they shop. And approximately two-thirds of consumers surveyed said they believe the term "natural" means that a processed food has no artificial ingredients, pesticides or genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration has so far refused to establish a comprehensive definition of "natural." As a result, just as an example, "natural" livestock products are routinely produced using conventional factory farm or CAFO (Confined Animal Feeding Operations) methods, including intensive confinement, daily doses of antibiotics, growth hormones, GMO feed, and slaughterhouse waste. Blood, wrapper-covered candy, chicken feathers and excrement, sawdust and many other so-called feed ingredients can be fed to livestock, and the meat from that livestock can still be deceptively labeled or marketed as "natural."
Consumers who seek out the "natural" label believing they're buying a product equal in quality to--or even better than--organic are being duped. Not unlike the consumer who believes "local" is synonymous with healthy and sustainable.
GMO-Free junk food?
Citizen-led state ballot initiatives demanding mandatory labeling of GMOs have sparked widespread interest and concern among consumers about the presence of GMOs in the foods they buy and feed their families.
Those initiatives, in in California (2101), Washington State (2013) and Oregon and Colorado (2014), also launched the newest, and fastest-growing labeling trend: Non-GMO.
According to a report In the Rock River Times, 80 percent of shoppers seeking out non-GMO products and 56 percent say non-GMO is key to brand buying. To date, more than 22,000 products have been Non-GMO Project Verified, with annual sales of these products topping $7 billion.
Food Navigator-USA reports that U.S. retail sales of non-GMO foods are projected to grow 12.9 percent over the next five years, and account for 30 percent of food and beverage sales by 2017. Demand for the Non-GMO Project label was spurred by the announcement in 2012 by Whole Foods Market that the nation's largest retailer of organic foods will label all foods, including meat, dairy, eggs and deli or take-out items containing GMOs by 2018.
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