The word ‘natural’ might be on the label of your raw chicken, your granola bars, your milk, and even your face wash.
It’s natural to question labels like this! After all, why wouldn’t something like raw chicken be natural?
Often, the term is used without any real evidence, which leaves consumers pretty confused.
Nearly everything is made from ‘natural’ chemicals and ingredients. The dictionary defines ‘all-natural’ as “being composed of ingredients that are from nature and not artificial.” That’s pretty noncommittal, especially when it comes to the food we put in our bodies and the personal care products we use.
Unlike ‘organic,’ the term ‘natural’ isn’t regulated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) or the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Instead, it’s really just a marketing term used by companies to greenwash consumers. Not only is this misleading, but it also makes it difficult to weed out and support the brands that are committed to healthy and safe products.
The FDA’s Definition of Natural Ingredients: A Short History
Historically, the FDA hasn’t participated in the use of the word ‘natural’ on food products. However, as the use of the word has increased, consumers are looking for more answers when it comes to what’s in their food.
In information updated in 2018, the FDA communicated an official policy on the term. In 2015, they facilitated a call for public comment on the definition of ‘natural’ and how it should be used on food labels. More than 7,000 passionate and concerned citizens replied, many of which zeroed in on the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in foods labeled ‘natural’.
Although it’s fairly nonbinding and unenforceable, here is the FDA’s stance on the term.
“The FDA has considered the term “natural” to mean that nothing artificial or synthetic (including all color additives regardless of source) has been included in, or has been added to, a food that would not normally be expected to be in that food.”
This policy doesn’t incorporate how the food or even individual food ingredients are processed, what happens during production, how it’s manufactured, or anything regarding its nutritional content.