If you go into any store, you'll find a variety of labels: Genetically modified organisms, organic, natural, hormone free, grass fed and functional food.
It can get a bit mind boggling if you try to focus on all aspects of the consumer market and food. How much is really worth following? Which of these terms have value and which are just money schemes by the industries? A lot of that depends on your ideas, concerns and desires.
I'm going to try to spend the next couple of articles giving you information on what some of these terms mean and how they relate to you as a consumer. I must thank my friend, Shannon McManus, RD, LD/N, corporate dietitian with Publix, for her help and insight into this subject.
"Natural" and "organic" do not mean the same thing. Natural means that the product and its ingredients are only minimally processed. Meat and poultry are the only foods that the government regulates when using the term "natural." Natural foods cannot have synthetic ingredients (such as artificial flavors, artificial coloring and chemical preservatives). There is some discrepancy among manufacturers about what is considered natural. For example, some manufacturers allow high-fructose corn syrup, while others do not. Natural foods, however, can contain some ingredients that appear to be natural - in that there has been nothing added to them. But do you really want to know where that "natural" ingredient came from? Here are two interesting examples:
• Carmine (also known as Natural Red #4, Carminic Acid and Cochineal) is actually a beetle whose dried, crushed body creates a red coloring that can be used in foods that use the natural label.
• L-cysteine is used as a dough conditioner. It is considered natural because it comes from natural sources such as human hair, pig bristles and duck feathers.
"Organic," unlike the use of the label "natural," is regulated in
every aspect. The concept of organic revolves around a farming method whose goal is to "restore, maintain and enhance ecological harmony" (as quoted from the Organic Trade Association). The use of synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, genetically modified organisms and irradiation in any product is banned. In animal products carrying the organic label, the animal itself must have been fed organic feed, have received no antibiotics or added hormones.
Organic is broken down into four categories:
- 100 percent organic
- USDA-certified organic (95 percent of ingredients must be organic)
- Made with organic ingredients (70 percent or more of ingredients must be organic)
- Organic listed within the ingredients
One big thing to consider, though, when buying organic: Is it locally produced? The big focus on organic foods is for environmental impact. What type of impact is occurring if the organic food you're purchasing was grown in California but had to be trucked to Florida?
The benefits of the way it was grown are then zeroed out by the impact of the shipping. Another thing to consider is the fact that many of our local growers do employ organic methods of farming but cannot afford to go through the certification process (which they must do in order to use the organic label). If you would like to purchase organic and purchase local, contact the farmer or company and just ask.
Lastly, there are some foods that you will get more benefit from if you purchase organic. The Environmental Working Group has what it calls "the dirty dozen." These foods are more likely to have pesticide residue if produced the traditional way, so buying organic in these products will give you the most for your money:
- Peaches
- Apples
- Cherries
- Sweet bell peppers
- Kale
- Leafy greens
- Celery
- Grapes
- Nectarines
- Carrots
- Strawberries
- Pears
I do believe there can be benefits when buying natural and organic foods in certain cases. For natural foods, I'd stick with purchasing meats or poultry.
For organic, I'd stick with "the dirty dozen." It never hurts to go to the local farmers markets and ask the people there how their produce is grown. You may be pleasantly surprised to find that they, too, use organic methods.
Next month I'll focus on genetically modified foods.
Lisa Fish is a registered dietitian with Winter Haven Hospital.
