Know Your Labels
When shopping at the grocery store or even the farmer’s market, we are inundated with marketing labels. We are lucky to live in a country with so many choices, but what do all of these labels mean?
Truthfully they can be quite confusing, if not silly.
Choice is a powerful tool and we are thankful that we have all the choices that we do. We just want to help you make an informed choice and understand your labels. For instance, many labels on products today are followed by an asterisks of some sort to tell you more of the story. Do you follow the asterisk for the rest of the story?
Upon closer examination, one will see that federal regulations prohibit the use of hormones or steroids in poultry; yet, this particular package is marketed as “no hormones or steroids added.” This marketing label has always baffled me since no poultry, chicken or turkey, receives extra hormones or steroids. Pigs and pork are exactly the same. Yet, you will find pork, chicken, and turkey marketed with this claim. Once again, it is a choice that the companies have when marketing their products. We just want to help you know your labels so you can make an informed choice.
All natural is another one of those label claims that has an asterisk next to it. On some labels it simply states that all natural means no artificial ingredients and minimally processed; however, the “all natural” label is not regulated by anyone so it can mean different things to different people. Once again, it is one of the many choices we have as consumers that can often be confusing so just be sure to know your labels.
Another label that can often be confusing is the organic label.
Organic is simply a label that refers to how the product was grown and raised. Per the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), no distinctions can be made in the safety, quality, or nutrition of an organically produced product when compared to a traditionally produced product. So want we want you to remember is that the organic label does not mean that a product is safer or more nutritious. It was simply produced is a different manner which may or may not be the right choice for your family.
We are lucky to have all of these choices as consumers and I hope we will continue to have these choices. We are by no means criticizing any of the above products or label claims. We simply want you to be an informed consumer and know your labels before you make your choices.
Source: http://realfarmwivesofamerica.com/2012/03/farmer-fridays-tip-1-know-your-labels.html