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natural
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| LABEL REPORT CARD |
| How meaningful is the label? |
Is the label verified? |
Is the meaning of the label consistent? |
Are the label standards publicly available? |
Is information about the organization publicly available? |
Is the organization free from conflict of interest? |
Was the label developed with broad public and industry input? |
| Not |
No |
No |
Yes1 |
Yes |
No2 |
No |
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1. The USDA has only defined the natural for use on fresh meat.
2. The producer or manufacturer decides whether to use the claim and is not free from its own self-interest.
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LABEL CATEGORY:
General Claims |
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WHERE YOU'LL FIND THIS GENERAL CLAIM:
 FOOD
MEAT
: beef, chicken
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WHAT THIS GENERAL CLAIM MEANS:
There is no government or official definition for this term except on meat and poultry products as defined by the US Department of Agriculture. Meat and poultry carrying the “natural” claim must not contain any artificial flavoring, color ingredients, chemical preservatives, or artificial or synthetic ingredients, and are only “minimally processed” defined by USDA as a process that does not fundamentally alter the raw product.
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WHO VERIFIES THIS GENERAL CLAIM?
There is no organization behind this claim other than the company manufacturing or marketing the product. The USDA has defined the use of the term and can hold manufacturers accountable to the proper use of the claim but does not have a verification system in place.
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CONSUMERS UNION EVALUATION:
Natural is a general claim that implies that the product or packaging is made from or innate to the environment and that nothing artifical or synthetic has been added. There is currently no standard definition for the term except for meat and poultry products. Unless otherwise specified, there is no organization independently certifying this claim. The producer or manufacturer decides whether to use the claim and is not free from its own self-interest.
According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), all fresh meat that carries the “natural” label cannot contain any artificial flavoring, color ingredients, chemical preservatives, or artificial or synthetic ingredients, and are only “minimally processed” defined by USDA as a process that does not fundamentally alter the raw product. When the “natural” claim is used on meat and poultry, it must also be accompanied with a statement regarding the use of the term such as no added coloring. Although some producers may use the term “natural” on meat to claim that animals were not exposed to any antibiotics or hormones, this implication falls outside the scope of the USDA definition.
RELATED LINKS:
USDA to finalize naturally raised meat standard 3/08
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