Does "All Natural" Really Mean Anything?
Actually, No.
All Natural does mean something but it’s a very general term at the moment, one which is really only as credible as the company touting that designation. Simply put a great company will make sure All Natural is just that without the allowed loop holes most companies get away with. Freebird Antibiotic Free chicken is a perfect example.
Officially there is no certification program or sanction standards for Antibiotic Free or All Natural designated products but there is The International Association of Natural Products Producers (IANPP) who is trying to get the definitions for natural food into a solid place. It should be noted that this association is not a certification body but hopes to become one. Getting credibility as we see with the MSC in the seafood industry is a long arduous road.
According to the USDA, a product can be label as “natural” if it is free of artificial flavoring, coloring, chemical preservatives or other synthetic ingredients. It must also be “minimally processed.”
Minimally processed refers to traditional processes that are used to make food edible or preserved for human consumption; including roasting, smoking and freezing. Because the USDA defines “natural” so loosely, almost any conventionally grown chicken, cow or hog in the US can use it.
In the case of our All Natural chicken, pork and beef, we found our suppliers exceeded all government standards at every level from the humane treatment of the animals to the space they are raised in to the feed and water they are fed, Eat-Well Today has found better food for our clients period. More importantly our suppliers as smaller producers already run their farms and plants with what we call best practices. Smaller farms and processing plants usually lead the way when it comes to innovation and trends even when that means going old school.
Because of our suppliers we made a conscious decision to carry mainly an All Natural meat and poultry line. This saves our clients a great deal but we caution consumers to be wary of claims other companies make. Eat-Well Today has done the work for you. Our clients know we did the research and they taste and feel the results.
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