Eco Tip Tuesday: Deciphering Food Labels

Have you ever looked at the packaging on the food you buy, seen labels such as the ones shown above, and wondered what it is exactly that they mean? How much of it is based in truth, and how much of it was simply created by clever advertising executives as a way to get you to buy the product? Of the nine labels shown above, only one is based on fact and backed by government regulation. The rest? Well, while there may be some truth to the claims, for the most part, the labels are not there to educate us. They exist solely to manipulate us into thinking we're buying a healthy product. So, the question is, how does one sort through the BS when there is just so damn much of it? Eco Tip Tuesday to the rescue! (And actually on a Tuesday this time!) Here is a short list of the labels I pay attention to when shopping for food:

Fair Trade: This label indicates that the farmers and farm workers have been paid a fair price for the food (or goods) they produce, are vested in their farms, and can deal directly with importers and not unnecessary middlemen. Common foods with this label: bananas, coffee, tea, cocoa.

Non-GMO: Indicates the fact that ingredients or whole products do not contain genetically modified organisms, which are created in a laboratory through the process of taking genes from one species and inserting them into another. Always choose corn, soy foods, and canola oil that are non-GMO. According to current standards, if something is labeled organic, it is non-GMO. So, if you can't find the above label, you're also safe from GMO if you see this label:

Organic: Grown without the use of conventional non-organic pesticides, insecticides, and herbicides, though certain non-organic fertilizers are still used. Keep in mind that in animal products, "organic" reflects the absence of hormones and antibiotics in the feed of the animals. It says nothing about how the animals are treated or slaughtered. Also keep in mind that small farms that sell their products at farmer's markets typically will not be Certified USDA Organic. Unfortunately, the process for getting certified involves a lot of jumping through hoops and a lot of money. Small farmers often simply can't afford it. Meanwhile, Big Ag is given huge government subsidies to produce meat, dairy, and genetically modified corn and soy. It's tragic, really. Anyway, the lack of certification doesn't necessarily mean that the small farms aren't employing organic, holistic farming methods. It just means you have to talk to them about it. So, if you shop at farmer's markets, get to know the people who grow the food.

A side note on organics: I know that a lot of people are turned off to buying organic foods because they are so much more expensive than the conventional variety. I find it helpful to know which fruits and vegetables are the most highly sprayed so that I can make the best choices for my family, taking our health and our budget into consideration. The Environmental Working Group created a list of twelve fruits and vegetables that are so highly sprayed with toxic chemicals that many experts recommend eating them only when they're organic. Deemed the "Dirty Dozen," the list includes:

• Apples
• Celery
• Strawberries
• Peaches
• Spinach
• Nectarines, imported
• Grapes, imported
• Sweet bell peppers
• Potatoes
• Blueberries, domestic
• Lettuce
• Kale/collard greens

One more side note on organics: if you're shopping for produce at the grocery store and are having trouble deciphering whether something is organic or not, check the PLU codes on those teeny-tiny little stickers. If it's a five-digit code starting with 9, it's organic. If it's a four-digit code, it's not.

So, as you can see, a select few food labels have important meaning, many have hardly any meaning at all (100% natural? How can a packaged, processed food be considered 100% natural?), and some are actually very harmful, leading well-meaning consumers to believe they are buying a product that is in line with their ethics, when they really aren't. Case in point: the ubiquitous "free-range" label applied to meat, eggs, dairy, and sometimes fish.

Jonathan Safran Foer discusses the free-range label in his excellent book Eating Animals (which I highly recommend, by the way):

To be considered free-range, chickens raised for meat must have "access to the outdoors," which, if you take those words literally, means nothing. (Imagine a shed containing thirty thousand chickens, with a small door at one end that opens to a five-by-five dirt patch -- and the door is closed all but occasionally.) 

The USDA doesn't even have a definition of free-range for laying hens and instead relies on producer testimonials to support the accuracy of these claims. Very often, the eggs of factory-farmed chickens -- chickens packed against one another in vast barren barns -- are labeled free-range. ("Cage-free" is regulated but means no more or less than what it says -- they are literally not in cages.) One can reliably assume that most "free-range" (or "cage-free") laying hens are debeaked, drugged, and cruelly slaughtered once "spent." I could keep a flock of hens under my sink and call them free-range.

The only way to know for sure that the eggs you're buying are from truly free-range chickens is to visit the farm and see it with your own eyes. That, or raise your own. Personally, I opt not to eat them at all.

We in the United States are not lacking in choices. In fact, we have so many that it can be downright overwhelming. It's disheartening to know that many of the companies that produce and sell the foods we eat do not have our best interests at heart and care only about their bottom line. Instead of sitting around complaining about that, though, we must educate ourselves and use the knowledge we gain to make choices that are best for our families and communities, for the Earth and all its inhabitants. Vote with your forks! It's one of the most powerful ways that we, as individuals, can effect change.