Nowadays, more people are beginning to carefully read and scrutinize food labels, not just to find out the calorie content and key nutritional information about a particular food or food product, but to also ascertain whether it contains any toxic or harmful ingredients or has been grown or produced in a way that is thought to be injurious to human health.
In response to this growing consumer awareness and demand for natural, healthier, clean food, we are now seeing a trend in labeling all different kinds and types of foods as "natural", "all natural" or "100% natural".
Unfortunately, the "natural" claims found on many food labels are misleading or outright false. Furthermore, the loose interpretation and commonplace use of the term "natural" has led to confusion about which foods are actually clean and free from artificial and toxic ingredients, hormones, antibiotics, etc.
Many holistic health experts recommend ignoring the "natural" claims altogether and looking more carefully at other labeling terms, such as "organic", "free-range", "cage-free" and "no hormones added" after becoming familiar with the legal definitions of these terms. This infographic illustrates and summarizes what most of the more common clean food labeling language means.
Related:
Know Your Food Labels: What Are You Really Eating?
What Does Organic Really Mean?
Eating Organic vs. Conventional
Infographic source: unknown - please contact us for credit.