Food Labelling

Happy Wednesday folks – hope you’ve all enjoyed your August!  As our month themed around food is nearly over we wanted to point you to our past food-related posts on topics like: when to buy organic, front yard gardening, keeping produce fresh, food bank diets, and more!  Check back to 2010, 2011 and 2012 for lots of information…

This month we thought we’d share this handy collection of decoded eco-food labels from the Mother Nature Network as trends seem to be saying that more and more people are purchasing food produtcts with environmental responsibility in mind but with the lists of labelling on food these days, even the most up to date ecoholic can still get a little lost. …

Non-GMO Project Verified

What it means: The Non-GMO Project’s seal verifies that products have been “produced according to rigorous best practices for GMO avoidance,” including testing of all GMO risk ingredients. The Project’s current action threshold for testing is 0.9%, which is on par with the European Union standards. While final products don’t have to be tested and the label doesn’t guarantee a product is 100 percent GMO-free, you can be sure that products bearing the seal have met the highest standards possible for non-GMO, including testing, traceability, and segregation.

See it on: Dairy products, produce, coffee, tea, chocolate, meat, poultry, eggs and processed products.

 

 

USDA Organic

What it means: Certified by the National Organic Program to be at least 95 percent organic meaning no pesticides, fertilizers, hormones, antibiotics, radiation or genetic engineering was used.

See it on: Produce, coffee, tea, chocolate, meat, poultry, eggs and processed products

 

 

Soil Association Certified Organic

What it means: Products are certified by the UK Soil Association to exceed the legal European definition of organic — strict standards are followed to avoid pesticides, additives, GMOs, harmful chemical processes and inhumane treatment of animals. 

See it on: Coffee, tea, produce, poultry, eggs, meat and wine

 

 

 

Fair Trade Certified

What it means: Farmers enjoy safe working conditions, living wages, fair prices for crops and they invest in business and community building projects. Plus, pesticides and GMOs are strictly prohibited.

See it on: Coffee, tea, chocolate, fruit, wine, sugar, rice and vanilla

 

 

Free Range

What it means: If you see this term on eggs or beef, it has little meaning. The USDA only defines the claim in relation to chicken, and even then, outdoor access can be limited to just five minutes a day.

See it on: Poultry, meat, eggs

 

 

No Antibiotics Added

What it means: A USDA regulated term that can be used if documentation can prove animals were raised without antibiotics.

See it on: Meat, poultry

 

See all 17 labels decoded here.