What is Natural (Blog Post 5)

The articlei choose to write about was titled "Food Labeling Confuses Many People."
Major organic dairy producer Dean Foods announced that it was going to start producing a line of “Natural” yogurt. This instead of being met with cheers was met with much anger instead. A lot of people believe that this is just a case Dean Food manipulating the population by adding the word “Natural” to the label. The reason for this being the word “Natural” is only applied by the U.S department of agriculture to meat.

Meat is the only food that has to pass an inspection or any kind of regulations to deem the title natural in label. With dairy products and other foods “Natural” is whatever the producers want it to be. This is misleading as natural is associated with organic food. So when people by something other than meat deemed natural they do so believing it is organic. This would mean that natural meat is just as misleading right? Wrong! Natural meat is required to provide a definition of what natural is on its label so not to mislead people. So what is natural? Natural meats contain no artificial coloring, flavoring, or other artificial products, also natural meat must be minimally processed.

Sara Loveday the communication manager of the natural yogurt says "To us, it means it's produced without added hormones, artificial sweeteners, artificial colors, flavors, preservatives or high fructose corn syrup."

I believe that this is just an attempt to take advantage of people who are uneducated on this topic and are looking organic food sources. Another example of this exploitation was done by 7UP. For awhile 7UP claimed that its soda was natural, and made that its main marketing campaign with pictures of 7UP cans being grown on trees. There were many complaints on the high fructose corn syrup still found in their natural soda. In 2007, ironically, 7UP changed its label to avoid confusing customers. http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Industry/7UP-changes-label-to-avoid-misleading-natural-claims