Curious about the meaning of all of the utopian language on your food labels? The Consumers Union Guide to Environmental Labels tells you all that and more. For example, did you know about “Tiers of Organic Labels?” Here’s a breakdown, according to the site:
100% Organic
According to USDA’s national organic standard, products labeled as “100 percent organic” can
only contain organically produced ingredients. Products containing 100% organic ingredients can display the USDA Organic logo and / or the certifying agent’s logo.
Organic
To be labeled as “organic,” 95% of the ingredients must be organically grown and the remaining 5% must come from non-organic ingredients that have been approved on the National List. These products can also display the USDA organic logo and/or the certifier’s logo.
Made With Organic Ingredients
Food products labeled as “made with organic ingredients” must be made with at least 70% organic ingredients, three of which must be listed on the back of the package and again, the remaining 30% of the non-organic ingredients must approved on the National List. These products may display the certifier’s logo but not the USDA organic logo.
The analysis includes a report card which rates the label’s meaningfulness, its consistency, and whether or not it is verified. For example, in the case of determining “free range,” the site points out that “the government only requires that outdoor access be made available for ‘an undetermined period each day.’ That means that the door to the coop or stall could be opened for five minutes a day and if the animal(s) did not see the open door or chose not to leave–even everyday–it could still qualify as ‘free range.‘” At this point, it is necessary to actually visit the farm from which you get your eggs to assure that they are indeed free-range. Hopefully these standards will change as people become educated about the dubiousness of these claims. Until then, we must rely on our own investigation and consumer advocacy groups like this and Consumer Reports — organizations that take no advertisements and therefore have no connection to companies that would tell consumers what they want to hear via artful language that promises, yet never delivers the goods.
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