Reducing pesticide use is an important component of a sustainable food system, but as a labeling claim, “pesticide free” is not trustworthy. The Food and Drug Administration does not have a regulatory definition or standard for the “pesticide free” claim. In the absence of a specific definition, the FDA expects the claim to mean that […]
What this claim means A “pasture raised” claim on meat, poultry, dairy, or egg labels means that the animals were raised for at least some portion of their lives on pasture or with access to a pasture, not continually confined indoors. Raising animals on pasture is not the industry standard; the vast majority of dairy […]
On an egg carton, “cage free” means that the hens that laid the eggs were not raised in caged housing systems, which is how the vast majority of laying hens in the U.S. are housed. In a caged housing system, each hen is typically given enough space to stand upright, but not enough space to […]
Highs Ranging freely outdoors is important for animal welfare In combination with meaningful labels (see below), the claim means the animals were not continually confined indoors Lows On-farm inspection is not required There is no common standard that producers have to meet for eggs and dairy A “free range” claim does not mean that the […]
What does it mean, and is it verified? The “non-GMO” claim means that the food is made without ingredients that were derived from genetically engineered organisms. Meat, poultry, dairy and eggs with a “non-GMO” claim are from animals that were not fed a diet containing genetically engineered crops. But a “Non-GMO” claim on its own […]
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? Somewhat Meaningful No Yes No […]
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? Highly Meaningful1 Yes Yes Yes […]
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? No No No No1 No2 […]
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 Meaningful No Yes No […]
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? Somewhat Meaningful Yes No Yes […]