What Exactly Does "Natural" Mean?

I came across this little interesting tidbit when researching some nutrition information. I know there’s so much confusion in the food ‘industry’ these days… I thought this might shed a little light on the subject.

When it comes to most foods, there is no definition of “Natural”. You can pretty much throw together any combination of mystery ingredients, chemicals, and toxins, and get away with labeling it “natural” or “healthy”.

While there are strict government requirements that must be met before a food or beverage can be labeled as "organic", the Food and Drug Administration does not have a strict definition for "natural."

Isn't it funny how so many folks are ultra skeptical of the organic label, yet it's the only one that actually means what it says and is held to extremely high standards!

Only meats and poultry must be free of artificial ingredients to be labeled "natural". Other foods, including potato chips, ice cream and cookies, can be labeled as "natural" without a precise definition. A little misleading, don’t you think?

In the last couple years, several junk drinks, 7-Up to name one, have come under fire for trying to convince us that their product is “natural”. Although the company did drop a few of its toxic, artificial ingredients, it still contains high fructose corn syrup – one of the most toxic substances in our food supply… now directly linked to obesity (and childhood obesity), failing immune systems and altered mental and emotional function, as well as countless other sicknesses.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) officials say high fructose corn syrup is not natural because you couldn't make it in your own kitchen "unless you happen to be equipped with centrifuges, hydroclones, ion-exchange columns, and buckets of enzymes." The non-profit group also objects to scenes in 7-Up's TV ads that depict cans of the soda being picked from trees or harvested from the ground, as there is no fruit juice in 7-Up.

I remember those commercials. One of the many examples of why I should just keep a “barf bucket” next to me whenever I choose to watch television! Better yet, I probably shouldn’t watch any television! It would probably be better for my blood pressure to avoid it all together!

Cadbury Schwepps maintains that 7-Up is natural because high fructose corn syrup is made in a similar way to other ingredients that are called natural.

What exactly does “similar” mean? Heck, we haven’t even determined what “natural” means yet… who cares how similar they are if we haven’t a clue what they really are!

Point of the story – don’t be fooled by misleading and dishonest marketing claims that label foods as “natural”, “healthy” or “nutritious”. Flip the package and read the ingredients before determining if it’s truly healthy.

Of course, the ideal scenario is that we’re not buying packaged food in the first place! I’ll let you know if I ever become that perfect mom who can actually pull this off!