When shopping for organic or healthy foods, do you even know what you should be looking for? Not all labels are created equal and you can easily get fooled into buying something because you think it is healthier than it really is. Knowing how to read a product label is very important when shopping for organic products.
The most important thing you want to look for on a label is the words “organic”. This is the one labeling item that is strictly regulated and has a great deal of meaning behind it. When you see things like “natural”, “all-natural”, “environmentally friendly” or “green” these things may have no meaning at all. That doesn’t mean these products are all scams, but the terms themselves are just marketing concepts and may not reflect a truly authentic statement about the product.
Single ingredient food items, such as eggs, fruit or vegetables are either organic or they’re not. It’s pretty simple. But processed food products that have many ingredients can have various levels of “organic-ness” and have to be labeled accordingly.
Any product that is completely organic can be labeled as “100% organic” but if it has 5% or less non-organic ingredients then it will be marked as just “organic”. The non-organic ingredients have to be approved by the National Organics Program. Products with 70 to 94% organic ingredients have to be labeled as “made with organic ingredients” and they won’t have the distinctive USDA organic seal. These products can list three of their organic ingredients on their labels though. Anything with less than 70% organic ingredients cannot label themselves as organic.
Now all of this really only applies to food products. Organic standards for non-food products are different. Skin care, cleaning products and clothing have different levels of requirement but are just as regulated for their use of the “organic” claim. You still want to look for that label so you can verify the claims. Always check the ingredients as well.
So what does “organic” really mean? Well, the USDA regulates it and you’ll have to read through several pages to get the full details on what constitutes an organic product. But a quick summary is:
“Organic crops are raised without using most conventional pesticides, petroleum-based fertilizers, or sewage sludge-based fertilizers. Animals raised on an organic operation must be fed organic feed and given access to the outdoors. They are given no antibiotics or growth hormones.”
That is what applies to food products. For a company to earn their certification, they have to prove that they have followed these rules for at least 3 years and consent to multiple government inspection. Fines for lying about an organic label can reach $11,000. As you can see, this is a word you can trust.
If you see the organic label, you can trust that product. Anything else will require a little research on your part. Some “all-natural” products truly are filled with healthy and natural ingredients, but you won’t know for sure until you look into it.