Food Labels: Natural vs. Organic

Ever wondered what the difference is between natural and organic? I decided to stop guessing and just find out.

It turns out the FDA doesn’t strictly regulate the term "all natural." In fact, they’ve never even decided what it means. In their own words, "[the] 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." Synthetic substances include a long list of chemicals used for various purposes. Still, the definition of synthetic contains some gray areas. For example, pesticides, GMOs, high fructose corn syrup, and a number of MSG derivatives have been all been found in “natural” food. In those cases, all natural might be more accurately called semi-natural.

The USDA has their own guidelines regarding all natural meats. They require the meat to be free of growth hormones and antibiotics.

Regulations for the term organic are a little more stringent. In addition to being all natural, organic food must meet other requirements.

Organic crops - no irradiation, sewage sludge, synthetic fertilizers, prohibited pesticides, or GMOs

Organic livestock – no growth hormones or antibiotics, like all natural meat; animals are fed organic food and allowed access to the outdoors

Organic food with multiple ingredients – the food must be made with at least 95% organic ingredients

Did you catch that part about sewage sludge? Now I’m really wondering about what I ate for lunch. Time to start checking the labels more closely, I guess.