Since October, 2002, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has required specific labeling guidelines before a product can bear the "USDA Organic" seal. These are based on the USDA's recently developed national organic standards, enabling consumers to know the precise organic content of each such product. The "USDA Organic" seal on a label helps consumers find products with a minimum of 95% certified organic ingredients.

Do the terms "natural" and "organic" mean the same thing?
By USDA definition, the terms "organic" and "natural" do not have the same meaning. Adjectives such as "natural," "hormone-free "free-range" though they may be used on food labels, do not mean the products have qualified as organic" by USDA standards.)

The USDA Organic Seals

100% Organic: All of the product's content is certified organic. These products may display the USDA Organic seal on the label.

Organic: A minimum of 95% of the content is certified organic, though they may contain minor ingredients (such as vitamins and minerals) that are not certified organic. These products may display the USDA Organic seal on the label.

Made with Organic Ingredients: A minimum of 70% of the content is certified organic. No more than three ingredients can be listed on the label with the phrase "Made with Organic." Products containing less than 70% organic content may only name the organic ingredients on the label.

Some other definitions:

Antibiotic Free: The USDA regards this term as “unapprovable” for use on meat products, although it can be used in the labeling of dairy products. Because its definition is not clear, the label “antibiotic free” is not meaningful, nor is it verified by anyone except the manufacturer or marketer. The meaning of the label is consistent in that it applies to dairy products but not to meat. There are no label standards; because there is no organization supporting the claim “antibiotic free”, publicly-available information about the organization and conflict of interest are not relevant questions.

Fair Trade Certified: The Oakland, CA-based non-profit certifying organization Trans Fair USA (TFUSA) defines the term “Fair Trade Certified” in this way: Coffee and tea carrying this label must be grown by small farmers who are members of cooperatives and who receive a fair minimum price for their crops.” The Fair Trade label also means that the coffee or tea buyer pays a fair price, 60% of which must be paid in advance. This label is highly meaningful, it is verified, its meaning is consistent, and the label standards are publicly available. In addition, information about the organization is publicly available, the organization is free from conflict of interest, and the label was developed with broad public and industry input.

Free Range: For poultry, the USDA defines this labeling term as birds that have had access to the outdoors for “an undetermined period each day”. For example, a door could be opened once a day for just five minutes and regardless of whether or not the birds actually went outdoors during those five minutes they would still qualify to be labeled “free range”. There is no standard definition for “free range” as applied to eggs or beef. The label is vague and is not meaningful; it is neither verified nor consistent. There are no label standards, and there is no organization about which information could be made publicly available. There is no conflict of interest because there is no organization. The label was not developed with broad public and industry input.

Fresh: The USFDA-CFSAN defines this term as any raw food which has not been heat processed, frozen, or preserved in any manner. Consumers Union addresses this term only as it applies to poultry. The USDA defines “fresh” poultry as a raw product which has not been cooled below 24ºF; this is not as clear or specific as the USFDA-CFSAN definition. The label is not meaningful because poultry can in fact freeze at a temperature of 24ºF or higher. The label is verified by USDA inspectors, but the meaning of the label is too vague to be consistent. Both the USFDA-CFSAN and the USDA label standards are publicly available, as is information about these two organizations.

Fresh frozen: The USDA-CFSAN defines this term as a food that was quickly frozen while the food was still fresh. A food is permitted be labeled “fresh frozen” if, prior to freezing, it was blanched (briefly scalded) in order to prevent potential breakdown of nutrients.

Good source of: The USFDA-CFSAN defines this term as a serving (“reference amount”) of food which contains anywhere from 10% to 19% of the Daily Value. “Good source of” can also be used on both main dishes and meals containing a food which meets this definition.

High: The USDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition defines this claim as a food containing 20% or more per serving of the Daily Value of protein, vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, or potassium. Daily Value is a new dietary reference term designed to help use food label nutrition information in the planning of a healthy diet.

Hormone Free: The USDA considers this term to be “unapprovable” for use on meat products; it can, however, be used on dairy products. Although hormone usage is forbidden in the raising of poultry and hogs, it is permitted in the raising of beef. The label “hormone free” is not meaningful, and it is not verified by any official agency, government or otherwise. The meaning of the label is consistent: it does not apply to meat but it does apply to dairy products. As there are no label standards, they cannot be made publicly available. Other than the manufacturer/marketer of the product, no one stands behind the “hormone free” claim—there is therefore no organization about which information could be publicly available. For this same reason, the organization is not free from conflict of interest.

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