Subscribe
Previous Post
You’re used to decoding double-speak in your life (like when your boss says your big idea is “interesting” and “has potential”), but when you’re standing in the grocery store, staring at various labels like “grass-fed” and “organic,” it can much more difficult to read between the lines. Which of these healthy-seeming, possibly-sustainable claims are regulated and meaningful–and which are bogus advertising lingo, meant to draw in well-meaning consumers like you?
Labels can be a contentious issue for several reasons. Some are certified and verified by the government–but they’re also expensive to get, making them fiscally impossible for small farms. Which means that many sustainable, humane growers can’t get the certification their consumers might like to see, despite being one of the best local food sources. Meanwhile, commercial growers who understand loopholes and legal language can afford to get the labels–while remaining irresponsible, cruel to their animals, unfair to their laborers, and generally not someone you’d like to support.
Making the water murkier is the dilemma of unregulated labels, like “humanely-raised” or “cage-free,” which require no actual inspection by any outside body, and can be applied to just about anything that is at least partially true.
So how do you know which labels you can trust? To start, there’s an app for that. Created by Consumer Reports, Eco-Labels is an iPhone app that parse out how meaningful the various claims on your next purchase may be, to help you decide whether or not there’s a better alternative.
But, if you don’t have a smart-phone, or don’t feel like being the gal that whips out her iPhone in the produce aisle, here’s a quick primer on some of the labels that are the most and least trust-worthy, according to both Consumer Reports, and the University of Arizona.
Image: Thinkstock
Your statement about grassfed labeling is incorrect. The USDA has voluntary standards that regulate using the grassfed label. In addition, the American Grassfed Association has a third-party certification program that evaluates farms on several criteria. To qualify for AGA certification, farms must feed their animals nothing but grass and forage from weaning to harvest, animals can’t be confined, antibiotics and hormones are not allowed, and animals must be treated humanely. Certified producers are audited once a year. You can find more information at the American Grassfed Association web site, http://www.americangrassfed.org.
You left an important one out. Look for the APA seal on the label of your Poultry. This has meaning and it certifies that a bird is heritage. Please visit the ALBC American livestock breeds Conservancy website and read their definition. I am glad to see someone else writing about the use of misleading labeling practices. Thanks and would love to discuss this more so feel free to contact us at Good Shepherd Poultry. By the way go and visit our website Goodshepherdpoultryranch.com and there you will find out more about us.