USA: New campaign to highlight organic benefits

A public education campaign has been launched to highlight the benefits of organic food and to help consumers understand the difference between products labeled organic and those that are labeled as “natural”, Only Organic reports. It will include videos and social media. The videos can be viewed here.

The campaign is being launched by Organic Voices, a non-profit organization, and is supported by organic companies and other companies, including AllergyKids, Annie’s, Earthbound, Happy Family, INFRA, Late July, Nature’s Path, NCGA, Organic Valley, Rudi’s, and Stonyfield.

 
While the Food and Drug Administration and USDA discourage companies from including “natural” claims on processed foods containing synthetic or artificial ingredients, there is no official definition of “natural” and little enforcement of misleading claims in the USA. Natural claims have been added to everything from cooking oils made from genetically engineered crops to ice cream made from cows pumped full of growth hormones, according to Only Organic. A recent survey found that consumers commonly believe that “natural” foods do not contain artificial ingredients. “The public needs new tools to understand the benefits of organic and to be able to distinguish between organic foods and all other unverified claims,” said Laura Batcha, Executive Director of the Organic Trade Association. More information is available here.