It's Easy Being Green
Candice Quinerly
Issue date: 2/5/10 Section: News
These days, when you head out to the grocery store, it's likely that you'll see a bunch of products boasting "100% Organic" labels or "Fair trade". However, most people have no clue how to decipher those labels. What do they really mean? You're in luck with this handy little guide to eating green.
-Organic foods- This one is a bit tricky because so many different products claim to be organic, without actually saying what's organic about them.
-100% Organic- This label is pretty straightforward. If a package has this label on it, then it means that all of the ingredients, besides water and salt, are grown and processed organically.
-Organic- This is basically the "watered-down" version of 100% organic products. In order to obtain this label, the product must contain at least 95% organic ingredients. Also, according to the FDA, the other 5% must be on the list of foods that are unavailable in an organic form.
-Made With Organic Ingredients- This label doesn't really mean a whole lot, as only 70% of the ingredients need to be organically produced. The law leaves the advertisement of these products open for interpretation.
-Fair trade- Fair trade is built on the principles of respect in trading partnerships, usually through higher wages and economic self-sufficiency for overseas workers. However, there are no set guidelines for fair trade labeling like the ones there are for organic products. A fair trade inspection committee, known as FLO-CERT, inspects companies to make sure they have "a quality management system, transparency in all processes, and independence in certification decision making" before giving out a certification.
-Free range- In theory, "free range" means that livestock are allowed to roam freely instead of being in cages before slaughtering. The USDA, however, does not have a set definition or any regulation for free-range animals and for egg production. Therefore, free range labeling is entirely unregulated and really doesn't mean very much when it comes to your food.
-Grass fed- Unlike free range, the USDA has a real definition of what constitutes "grass fed." According to their definition, livestock must be grass fed for their entire lives - pasture included! That means there are no scary antibiotics or other chemicals in the food.
There you have it- a snappy little pocket guide to eating in an environmentally and socially conscious way. All it takes to become a more aware grocery shopper is a few extra seconds to look at the label and consider what it means. Happy eating!
-Organic foods- This one is a bit tricky because so many different products claim to be organic, without actually saying what's organic about them.
-100% Organic- This label is pretty straightforward. If a package has this label on it, then it means that all of the ingredients, besides water and salt, are grown and processed organically.
-Organic- This is basically the "watered-down" version of 100% organic products. In order to obtain this label, the product must contain at least 95% organic ingredients. Also, according to the FDA, the other 5% must be on the list of foods that are unavailable in an organic form.
-Made With Organic Ingredients- This label doesn't really mean a whole lot, as only 70% of the ingredients need to be organically produced. The law leaves the advertisement of these products open for interpretation.
-Fair trade- Fair trade is built on the principles of respect in trading partnerships, usually through higher wages and economic self-sufficiency for overseas workers. However, there are no set guidelines for fair trade labeling like the ones there are for organic products. A fair trade inspection committee, known as FLO-CERT, inspects companies to make sure they have "a quality management system, transparency in all processes, and independence in certification decision making" before giving out a certification.
-Free range- In theory, "free range" means that livestock are allowed to roam freely instead of being in cages before slaughtering. The USDA, however, does not have a set definition or any regulation for free-range animals and for egg production. Therefore, free range labeling is entirely unregulated and really doesn't mean very much when it comes to your food.
-Grass fed- Unlike free range, the USDA has a real definition of what constitutes "grass fed." According to their definition, livestock must be grass fed for their entire lives - pasture included! That means there are no scary antibiotics or other chemicals in the food.
There you have it- a snappy little pocket guide to eating in an environmentally and socially conscious way. All it takes to become a more aware grocery shopper is a few extra seconds to look at the label and consider what it means. Happy eating!