How to Read Supermarket Labels

Listen to the buzz about organics and your head will spin. Wordy labels, colorful, detailed brochures and certification labels are supposed to make your visit to the grocery store easier, but is it? Supermarket chains and organic super stores want you to believe that the more information they arm you with, the more informed your purchasing decision. Right? Well, maybe not. Shopping at the supermarket has become much like browsing in your local bookstore--both offer the consumer a literary experience.

Imagine the familiar scenario: After a grueling day at work, you race to the market to pick up some quick ingredients for dinner. You want to buy chicken but you find yourself paralyzed at the poultry counter. Certified organic, organic, natural, free range, cage free. What does this all mean when all you want to do is buy a wing?

Here’s everything you need to know about supermarket labels.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Certified organic/Organic: Organic foods are produced without most conventional pesticides, fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients, bioengineering or ionizing irradiation. In addition, organic meat, dairy, poultry and egg farmers must use 100 percent organic feed. Animals must have access to the outdoors and must be free of growth hormones and antibiotics.
   
   • 100 percent organic: The product contains only organic ingredients
   
   • Organic: The product has at least 95 percent organic ingredients
   
   • Made with organic ingredients: The product has at least 70 percent organic ingredients

2. Cage free: Hens live on the floor of a barn rather than in cages, however, there is no legal definition for cage free.

3. Free range: From the Food Safety and Inspection Service website, “producers must demonstrate to the agency that the poultry has been allowed access to the outside.” According to the USDA, producers must provide data and evidence showing the chickens have true access, not just an open door for a limited time period.

4. Fair Trade: From the Fair Trade website, "Fair Trade is an alternative approach to conventional international trade. It is a trading partnership which aims at sustainable development for excluded and disadvantaged producers. It seeks to do this by providing better trading conditions, by awareness raising and by campaigning."

5. Natural: Natural is a cosmetic term with no associated rules/regulations except on meat and poultry products, as defined by the US Department of Agriculture. Meat and poultry products must not contain any artificial flavoring, color ingredients, chemical preservatives, or artificial or synthetic ingredients, and are only “minimally processed” (the raw product isn't fundamentally altered).

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Resources

• Eco-Labels.org
• USDA tip sheet
• Learn More about Pesticides in Producer