Labeling 101

Enriched
The manufacturer replaced
nutrients lost in processing

Fortified
The manufacturer added nutrients that
don’t naturally occur in the ingredients
used to make the product

Functional
This is a catchall phrase for ingredients
not having specific health benefits…
why I would want to be eating it?

Natural/All Natural
Does not contain artificial ingredients or preservatives and ingredients are only minimally processed. However, it may contain antibiotics, growth hormones, and other similar chemicals

Certified Naturally Grown
The food was grown using the same standards as those for organic, but not on a farm actually certified by the National Organic Program of the USDA. This is mainly due the the cost involved to get that USDA certification, I believe.

Fair Trade
Produced within certain pre-arranged guidelines: Workers receive fair wages, safe and equitable working conditions and the right to join trade unions. Child or forced labor is completely prohibited. Crops are be grown, produced and processed in a manner that supports social development, economic development and environmental development.

USDA Organic/Certified Organic
Produce certified to have grown on soil
that had no prohibited substances applied
for three years prior to harvest, animals have to be in living condions accommodating natural behaviors, or ingredients 95% organic.

100% Organic
It is 100% – all – organic.

Made with Organic Ingredients
Consists of at least 70% organic ingredients none of which can be produced with sewage-sludge based products or ionizing radiation.

Free- Range/Cage-Free
Look for it to be coupled with “Certified Humane.”
Animals cannot be contained in any way
and must be allowed to roam/forage freely
over a large area of open land.

Pasture Raised
This does not mean anything, believe it or not, unless it is coupled with “Certified Humane.”

Grass Fed
Animals must be fed only grass and forage during the growing season rather than in a feedlot.

Non-GMO Project Verified
The Non-GMO Project is a non-profit organization that provides the only third-party labeling program in North America for products grown without using genetic engineering. They verify that the process products go through from seed to shelf.

Things get so complicated, don’t they? I did not realize how many labels were out there. I learned a lot researching for this article.