These past few days have been heaven for college football junkies such as myself. Why?
We got to watch a ton of great bowl games and the best is yet to come — January 10th when Auburn and Oregon play for the National BCS Championship. Then, a few months later comes March Madness, the college basketball championship tournament.
Now that I got the sports plug in, let’s talk about Organic vs. Natural.
I am addressing this now because when I was watching the Rose Bowl game yesterday (TCU vs. Wisconsin), a major potato-chip manufacturer kept popping up with its “all-natural” ads. The vegetables in the ads looked pristine, the kitchen was sparkling white and the cutting board was beautiful. It was about as picturesque and healthy looking as you can imagine.
And, they kept saying their potato-chips were “all-natural”.
According to the USDA, “natural” means food that “contains no artificial ingredients or added colors and is minimally processed.” In my view, “natural” means almost nothing.
Why?
(1) There is practically no enforcement or stringent standards.
(2) “Natural” has been badly abused as a marketing technique.
(3) “Natural” can include genetically-modified foods (GMOs) and growth hormones, both of which we know are very, very unhealthy.
Most conventionally-made potato chips and snack foods are made from GMOs. Furthermore, it is very likely that the vegetables used in them have been sprayed with toxic chemicals.
If these potato chip companies said “Made from Non-GMO Ingredients” or “Organic”, then we have a very different discussion here.
When I interviewed Maria Rodale a few months ago, one of the things that she told me was that studies are showing that the general public thinks that “natural” is much healthier than “organic”. This can be attributed to the huge marketing muscle of the major food manufacturers and is a grave misunderstanding that we must work to reverse.
Don’t be fooled into believes this “natural” marketing propaganda or hype.
Organic food has very strict standards — no GMOs, no pesticides or chemicals, nothing artificial, nothing can be irradiated or grown in sewage sludge — and the certification process is rigorous. Organic food is MUCH healthier for a person and for the planet.
I look at anything that says “natural” with a very heavy dose of skepticism. “Natural” does not mean healthy to me. What it does mean to me is that it is an over-used, manipulated food marketing term and something very vague.
So, the next time some person or some advertisement says that a food product is “natural”, give it a second thought.
I totally agree with you – I see the word “natural” being used more and more and a large range of what it means to different manufacturers. If they don’t say on the package what “natural” means I just disregard the word in making a purchase decision.
Hi Karl,
You are an extremely smart consumer and well-aware that “natural” gets abused very, very regularly.
Thanks for your feedback.
Live well,
Max
Not enough people are aware of the difference. Thanks for pointing it out in a clear and direct manner!
Hi Tashina,
I agree with you — not enough people know the difference. This means that we have to continue to work hard to educate others.
Thanks so much for your feedback.
Live well,
Max
As a certified organic grower, the term Natural is a complete joke. While not using preservatives is fine, who would consider pesticide ridden fruit natural?
It is completely possible that the organic industry will be crushed by the natural one because consumers are more open to natural; cheaper priced, and well, the word natural has a better visual to it than organic. What can be simpler and better for you than natural, right?
Unfortunately, I see more and more organic growers that just can’t justify the high costs of being certified and they let their certification expire; such a shame because if more people understood what natural and organic means, natural wouldn’t exist.
Hi Dean,
First off, thank you for being a certified organic farmer. Farming is hard work and we are lucky to have farmers who produce organic food for us.
Secondly, natural is a joke. That is why I believe all these class action lawsuits will help raise awareness about how Natural means absolutely nothing. I hope these lawsuits will change things.
If for some reason, you don’t know what I am talking about (don’t know what these lawsuits are), read these posts:
http://livingmaxwell.com/lawsuit-conagra-gmo
http://livingmaxwell.com/kashi-class-action-lawsuit
Third, I am very sorry to hear that more farmers are giving up organic certification because of the costs. Something is fundamentally wrong with society when farmers have to pay more when they grow crops without pesticides and GMOs.
Again, thanks for all you do.
Live well,
Max
Hi Mr. Goldberg. Our FAQ for “What does natural mean?” has an icon of a green painting brush lol. I would LOVE to reclaim the word natural. I never thought it was possible but seeing these lawsuits, Wesson, then learning from you about the Kashi suit.. and the Cornucopia Institute’s work on a loophole http://www.cornucopia.org/2010/04/organic-industry-watchdog-asks-usda-to-crack-down-on-labeling-abuses/ I was just going to ask you to support our petition but then I got drawn in and it is really uplifting. I hope you’ll say hi on our Facebook because we have a lot of people who are crazy for organic, who take it upon themselves to make change, who research, write, support and are positive. Sound like anyone you know?
I’m ready for some peace, healthy living, and the rest of nature feeling safe around human beings again. I believe in that future. It was really nice reading your site. To healthy life!
Hi Mary,
Thanks so much for your comment. Yes, these lawsuits are very good news and will hopefully bring awareness to everyone else that “natural” is being severely abused and is misleading consumers.
I believe that people will eventually see the light that “organic” is the way. We are on the right side and must continue to press our case.
Again, thanks for sharing.
Live well,
Max
Hi Max!
Glad I found your site! Thanks for the Twitter message!
So I wanted to comment because I have some internal conflicts about this topic. On one hand, I agree that organic is the gold standard (it is of course!) But I have also seen it used as a marketing ploy to sell unhealthy foods, which frustrates me because I think it will further confuse people, people that are making a conscience effort toward health! I also don’t want to count out those who do not operate on a large enough scale to get certified organic. My CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm is just a small farm near my home, they are devoted to the organic method but are not certified. I think a healthy dose of skepticism has to be the norm when navigating our food environment, in general. I love both the words ‘natural’ and ‘organic,’ but i have become distrustful of many who use them! Think local and organic, lets support our farmers over large corporations; after all our health is what hangs in the balance here, right!?
ps- when was the last time you saw a potato chip in nature? lol
pss- Ahhh, and I can’t believe they can advertise GMO products as natural!
psss (can I do that?)- Go Auburn!
Hi Meaghan,
I understand your position about organic. I support non-GMO and non-pesticide producing food, and the standard that we have for that right now is organic. Will I buy food from a small farmer who doesn’t use pesticides or GMOs but isn’t certified? Absolutely.
Regarding potato chips and other processed organic foods: I may not eat all of them myself but I support those foods because the raw ingredients are certified organic, which helps create demand for those underlying organic crops.
You’re an Auburn fan??? Very cool. However, I think LSU is going to win it all this year. Their defense looks so good.
Thanks so much for your comment.
Live well,
Max
Agreed. Have you ever had a discussion on organic milk or produce and someone else said, “ew, but organics have all that yucky stuff in them”. I’ve heard something like this a couple of times. Where does this come from? We definitely need to educate.
Hi Theresa,
I have never had that exact reaction but I have had many individuals doubt or question the value of organics. The word (truth) is getting out, however, and there is no turning back.
Yes, we definitely need to educate people. I 100% agree.
Thanks for your input.
Live well,
Max