Product Labelling 101

Understanding product labels was one of my greatest hurdles when learning to eat nutrient-dense real food.  I was clear on the notion that chemicals and preservatives were harmful, but that limited knowledge left me wide open to be fooled by food manufacturers willing to bend the truth on their labels.  It didn’t take long to learn that ‘healthy’ on a label usually means the opposite.  But as I learned more and more, it seemed like they were waiting for me again at every level of understanding.

I put together this quick primer to shortcut the learning process for you and save you a bunch of money.

They key to product labelling is to understand that most label claims are not audited or certified by a third party.  Thus many claims are essentially of no real value.  It shouldn’t come as any surprise that food manufacturers are in business to sell food and will say whatever they can get away with to make their product sound better.

The main good label you want to look for is this one that says ‘USDA Organic’.  When it has the USDA Organic seal, that means the growing and delivery process for that food has been inspected and certified and non-GMO (with a couple rare exceptions) and free of pesticides.  Look for this seal.

Here’s a list of common terms and their meaning.

Antibiotic Free – Not meaningful.  Unaudited / No third party certification

Artisan – Not meaningful.  Unaudited / No third party certification

Cage Free – Not meaningful.  Unaudited / No third party certification.  Unless also labelled organic, are likely GMO grain fed.

Chemical Free – Slightly meaningful.  Unaudited / No third party certification but there is a published protocol.

Fair Trade – Slightly meaningful. Audited / Third-party Certified, Published Protocol, Social Responsibility Assurance.

Free Range – Slightly meaningful.  Unaudited / No third party certification, Published Protocol.  Unless also labelled organic, are likely GMO grain fed.

Grass Fed (USDA) – Slightly meaningful.  Unaudited / No third party certification, Published Protocol

Hormone Free – Not meaningful.  Unaudited / No third party certification

Natural – Not meaningful.  Unaudited / No third party certification.  There is a published protocol. Per the FDA, “FDA has not developed a definition for use of the term natural or its derivatives. However, the agency has not objected to the use of the term if the food does not contain added color, artificial flavors, or synthetic substances.”  Consumer reports has published a list of items labelled as ‘Natural’ that actually contained GMO ingredients when independently tested.  Read the full report HERE.

Nature Raised – Not meaningful.  Unaudited / No third party certification.

No Antibiotics – Slightly meaningful.  Unaudited / No third party certification, Published Protocol.

No Hormones – Slightly meaningful.  Unaudited / No third party certification, Published Protocol.

No GMOs – Slightly meaningful.  Unaudited and unregulated.  Consumer reports has published a list of items labelled as Non GMO that actually contained GMO ingredients when independently tested.  Read the full report HERE.  That’s not the only concern.  Unlike USDA Organic food, Non-GMO food can still contain synthetic pesticides, roundup herbicides, hexane (neurotoxin), sewage sludge, growth-promoting antibiotics and Ractopamine (banned in dozens of countries).  Investigative reporter Van Hari of foodbabe.com published an article called The Shocking Difference Between Organic & Non-GMO Labels – It’s Huge!

Non GMO Project verified – Highly Meaningful for GMO content.  According to Consumer Reports, “The Non-GMO Project is an independent third party that certifies products contain no more than 0.9% GMOs as Non-GMO Project Verified. In order to use this seal, the certification must be validated by tracing ingredient sourcing and genetic testing when applicable.”  That’s not the only concern.  Unlike USDA Organic food, Non-GMO food can still contain synthetic pesticides, roundup herbicides, hexane (neurotoxin), sewage sludge, growth-promoting antibiotics and Ractopamine (banned in dozens of countries).  Investigative reporter Van Hari of foodbabe.com published an article called The Shocking Difference Between Organic & Non-GMO Labels – It’s Huge!

Pastured, Pasture Raised – Not meaningful.  Unaudited / No third party certification. Contact each supplier to find out what it means to them.

USDA Organic – The most meaningful of all labels.  Audited / Third-party Certified, Published Protocol. While the FDA says, “The term “organic” is not defined by law or regulations FDA enforces”, the USDA has a lengthly list of regulations.

I find that many products are not organic, even in stores like Fresh Market, Trader Joes, Earthfare and Whole Foods. It is especially easy to pick up non-organic produce by accident. One helpful tip I’ve found is to look at the PLU code (Price Lookup Number) on the stickers.  Here’s what you need to know:

• A four digit number means it was conventionally grown or produced with chemical fertilizers, fungicides, or herbicides.
• If the number starts with an 8, the item is genetically modified (GMO).
• A five digit number beginning with 9 means the item is organic.  I remember with a little rhyme I made up; “4 is poor.  9 is Fine”.

According to plucodes.com,

The only prefix recognized by the global system is ‘9’ which represents organically grown produce. PLU codes starting with the prefix ‘6’ are not part of the internationally standardized list of PLU codes for use with fresh produce, so PMA is unable to provide much clarity on where the number originated and what it represents. Perhaps it is part of a proprietary coding system outside the scope of the international list. PMA suggests you contact the produce manager at your local store as he/she may have access to that information.

The adhesive used to attach the stickers is considered food-grade, but the stickers themselves are not edible.

If you encounter one I left out or have a question, please leave a reply below and I’ll add it.

Also, please subscribe to my email list and I will let you know whenever I publish new content to help you become the best and healthiest version of you.

As always, thanks for reading!

Jeff