The Myth of Natural
Why 'Natural' is a Fraud
With the exception of the “natural” meat sector, where there are limited, voluntary guidelines, there is no definition of “natural”. Many consumers are confused about the difference between so-called “natural” products and nutritionally and environmentally superior “certified organic” products. Whole Foods and UNFI are maximizing their profits by selling quasi-natural products at premium organic prices.
Genetically modified enzymes used in food, perfumes, medicine and cleaning products are “potent allergens” and should be tested like other potentially hazardous chemicals, experts have said.
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Unilever has agreed to acquire Seventh Generation, a Vermont-based maker of “green” household products like laundry detergent and diapers.
No financial terms are being disclosed, but a source familiar with the deal says that Unilever is paying between $600 million and $700 million in cash.
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Notorious PR firm Ketchum made headlines earlier this year for creating a new branch dedicated to driving brands with a natural and organic focus.
The move was ironic, to say the least, since Ketchum works closely with Monsanto and the biotech industry to promote genetically engineered (GE) crops and downplay the concerns surrounding genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
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PepsiCo Inc. is introducing a version of Gatorade that’s certified organic by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, testing whether a product created in a lab with artificial flavors and colors can adapt to America’s growing natural-food movement.
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You may notice some new words on cereal and snack boxes. "Natural," once the descriptor of choice, is being crowded out after years of lawsuits. In its place: "Honest." "Simple."
As the claims have evolved, so has the litigation over whether they're deceptive. New lawsuits filed Wednesday target what they say are small amounts of the world's most popular pesticide in granola bars ostensibly "made with 100% natural whole grain oats."
Today, Green America's GMO Inside campaign launched a major push - "Smucker's: Make PB&J Great Again" - to get The J.M. Smucker Company, America's iconic producer of Smucker's jams, jellies, and Jif peanut butter, to phase out the use of genetically engineered ingredients (GMOs) and transition towards organic products.
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Three U.S. based non profit organizations filed a lawsuit against General Mills on Thursday for misleading the public by labeling their Nature Valley brand granola bars “Made with 100% NATURAL whole grain OATS.” It was recently discovered that the herbicide chemical glyphosate, an ingredient in Roundup and hundreds of other glyphosate-based herbicides, is present in the Nature Valley granola bars, which consumers expect to be natural and free of toxins.
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General Mills claims that its Nature Valley granola bars are “Made with 100% Natural Whole Grain Oats.” Given that claim, and given that there are no commercially grown genetically engineered oats (at least, not yet), you’d naturally expect Nature Valley granola bars to be free of glyphosate, right?
You would be wrong. Testing by an independent laboratory reveals that Nature Valley granola bars do indeed contain glyphosate, the key (and cancer-causing) ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup.
We thought you’d like to know. We also thought you’d agree that
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The French dairy giant, Groupe Danone (Dannon in the U.S.) has announced the proposed acquisition of WhiteWave Foods for approximately $10 billion. The deal would combine the world’s largest organic yogurt brand, Stonyfield, with Wallaby, a rapidly growing yogurt label, and the nation’s largest brand of organic milk, Horizon
Read moreUrged by federal courts, corporations and private citizens alike to clarify the legal definition of ‘natural’ in food labeling, FDA opened a docket on November 12, 2015, and invited public comments regarding whether it is appropriate for the agency to define the term ‘natural,’ what a suitable definition might be and how the agency should determine proper use of the term on food labels.
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