Before I moved to New York City, I would buy groceries in bulk. I would drive to the nearest superstore, load up on two weeks’ worth of food, and try not to use up all my food in between then and my next trip to the grocery store (college student budget). While shopping, I would often buy a lot of foods that were labeled “organic” or “natural” because they were “better” for me.

When choosing between the two, I would usually go with the “natural” food because it was supposedly healthier than the normal stuff but it didn’t cost as much as the “organic” food. It was a perfect balance, or so I thought. 

Turns out, “natural” foods are anything but natural.

There is no standard definition of what it means for a food or beverage to be “natural” in the USDA regulations (except for water, possibly). Since there is no definition of the term, there is also no regulation or oversight to inspect the food to hold the food science companies accountable. Thus, it is easy for the Tysons, the Kelloggs’, and the Nabiscos of the food world to create a “natural” product and upsell it. Even though it still contains all the artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, hormones, and GMOs that regular food has. 

What’s even worse is that I am not the only one who was unaware of this. According to a study published by Consumer Reports, about 62% of shoppers prefer to buy “natural” foods and they believe it means the same as organic or sustainable. In addition, the organization is fighting to get the word “natural” banned from products and regulatory use. While this is a worthy cause, I do not want the label to go away but rather, actually get defined and regulated.

I want there to be standards for environmental use, pollution, animal treatment, and genetic modifications so that I not only know what’s in my food but whether or not the company produced it in a fashion worthy of its name, “natural”. 

My advice to shoppers is to check the ingredients, look them up, and choose your food wisely. Because it can mean the difference between sickness and health.