The Pros And Cons Of Organic Labeling

The food industry has been changing and evolving since the onset of production processing. While shopping, consumers can become confused with all of the different labels placed on specific foods. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) currently regulates the definition and placement of the "organic" label as food grown without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides, and cannot have any artificial ingredients, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), hormones, or antibiotics (Hari 1). On the other hand, the "natural" label is not defined or regulated. The consumer is left to guess whether or not to believe the label and sometimes the label can be interpreted to mean healthy or has no added sugar. Many consumers also rely heavily on label due to the …show more content…
Lustig and Cohen define the word as the certain amount of processing allowed post harvesting. On the other hand, Hari argues that natural and organic are the same, therefore, the “natural” label should be eradicated. The true definition of natural varies from person to person slightly. Hari’s suggestion fails to acknowledge that food can be classified into steps. Natural is one step below organic, just like vegetarianism is a step below veganism. Natural refers to food created or raised without chemicals, including pesticides and fungicides, and contains no artificial or synthesized ingredients. Similarly, organic, as Hari states, refers to food grown without synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, artificial ingredients, GMOs, added hormones or antibiotics. Defining the word natural allows for consumers to better understand what kind of food they are eating and lets companies label products