Labels, labels, labels

All natural means nothing

Disclaimer:  I believe it’s all connected.

I ran into a former colleague recently in the line of parents shipping holiday packages to our children who couldn’t fly home with gifts.  As we waited I learned she is a breast cancer survivor and has come to share my passion for reading and interpreting product labels.

On the drive back to the farm our conversation continued in my head and I speculated how long the list of family, friends and colleagues - either honored or memorialized - would be on my 2012 Susan Komen Race for the Cure application. And, I remembered how many had incorporated research into food and diet as part of their treatment.

The encounter with my colleague inspired me to follow-up on something I’ve intended to do for a while, but I’ll explain that in a bit.

Labels (talking only about food today) tell us much more than nutrition facts.  If you look into definitions formulated and standardized by federal agencies you can learn the difference, for example, between 100% organic, organic, and made with organic ingredients.  You’ll also learn that “natural” has very little meaning from a food safety perspective. For those who link quality of their food to the quality of their health, this information is critical.  Note: If organic vs. conventionally grown foods is a question you’d like to answer, you may find this Mayo Clinic  article helpful.

Two nonprofit organizations are providing valuable tools for interpreting labels and learning what you’re eating: The Pesticide Action Network (PAN) and Environmental Working Group (EWG).

·      PAN’s online tool “What’s on My Food” provides an easy-to-follow database that shows pesticide concentrations in each food listed based on testing completed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). 

·      EWG analyzes USDA data each year to rank foods with the highest and lowest concentration of pesticides, aka The Dirty Dozen and The Clean Fifteen.  These lists are helpful for budget-conscious shoppers who can choose organic foods when it matters and purchase conventionally grown foods from the safer list.  Take this link to download the pdf for The Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen.

Eating organic when I can is important to me for several reasons and my health is one of them.  Each time I wheel through Kroger’s organic produce section, I sigh when I realize there is no organic kale (see The Dirty Dozen). I’ve asked at the local store level to add this product without success but conventionally grown kale is always available.  This will be the year I persist in reaching decision-makers at my grocery store to implement a simple marketing strategy: make certain the Organic Produce Section includes alternatives to The Dirty Dozen.  If you’re a Kroger shopper, here’s a link  or call 1-800-576-4377 to add your voice.  Just paste in the Dirty Dozen and ask for organic alternatives.  Share this with your friends.  Please share your efforts and experiences for other grocery stores and food outlets.

Love you Aunt Jane, Granny Vip, the Lauras, Kathy, She Who is Appreciated, my Colleague . . .