*If you are looking at the meat you are buying at the grocery store, and you see the word “Natural”, what do you think that means? That means the meat you are buying was raised naturally. Well, the label wants you to believe that. There is no inspection to prove this by the USDA. This label does not tell us how the animals were raised, what they were fed, or if they were given antibiotics or hormones. This label is not as trustworthy as it would be if the USDA did inspect it to prove it.
*An example of a Natural brand is Boar’s head. It is said to have all natural ingredients.
*When you see the word “Free-Range” it probably means you are looking at the label on the eggs, meats, or dairy products you are buying. But, did you know the USDA only regulates use of the term when it is applied to poultry such as the chicken you are buying? Which means that all pork, beef, and lamb that say “free-range” are not actually inspected by the USDA. When you see this label on your chicken, that means that the poultry you are buying has been allowed access to the outdoors. There is no requirements...
Canada’s food labelling practices are very much a work-in-progress. Labelling itself is a very important issue as it affects both product sales for companies and personal health for consumers, especially since most Canadian consumers learn about nutrition from food labels themselves (Nguyen) and are especially inclined to trust labels (Gruère, Carter and Farzin). Through labelling law, government is also able to impose food standards on products. An extensive set of rules to govern every possible category of food product is used and adhered to in the food inspection process. Food labelling itself is mainly tied to issues of health and safety and consumer rights, but has also recently been involved in trade relations (which will not be discussed), as is the case with US-Canada labelling laws.
A large problem that has arose in our country is Country of Origin (COO) meat labeling. Imported meat is not labeled with its origin and has become a great problem because of the lack of universal packaging and processing laws. The United States imports meat from 26 foreign countries. This means when you buy a package of hamburger from your local grocery store it could contain meat from anywhere in the world.
Most of the food we eat grows naturally. Either from trees, soil, plants, amongst others. This is what we call “natural” food. But isn't all food natural? You would think so, as they come naturally from the ground or anything else. But if we look at science today, used for many years now, it is used things i...
Firstly we need to define in detail what organic produce, natural produce, are and how they differ. In order for a product or produce to be classified organic it must abide by USDA requirements for organic food. To meet these requirements for the USDA, organic crops must be produced without conventional pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, bioengineering, and ionizing radiation. (Organic Production and Organic Food Information) Organically raised farm animals must have access to the outdoors for grazing. If a food has a "USDA organic" label, it contains at least 95 percent organic ingredients, and a government-approved expert has inspected the farm where it was produced to make sure the farmer follows USDA requirements. (Organic Production and Organic Food Information)
Breeding sows are confined in gestation stalls, pigs have their tails cut off without anesthesia, calves are tethered by their necks in veal crates, and egg-laying hens are debeaked and kept in cages too small to spread their wings in; in a factory farm, animals are treated as commodities. This vivid imagery depicts the facts pertaining to animals. The search for solutions has focused on two paths; one reforming the system and instituting more humane standards, and the second promoting veganism so that fewer animals are bred, nurtured, and slaughtered. While few animal activists disagree with promoting veganism, some believe that campaigning for reforms, and humane labeling is counter-productive. Humane standards can either be required by law, or instituted voluntarily by farmers. Farmers who voluntarily agree to higher humane standards are either opposed to factory farming, or are trying to appeal to consumers who prefer meat from humanely raised and slaughtered animals. There is no single definition of “humane meat,” and many animal activists would say that the term is an oxymoron. Different meat producers and organizations have their own humane standards by which they abide. Humane standards might include larger cages, no cages, natural feed, less painful methods of slaughter, or prohibition of practices such as tail docking or debeaking. In some cases, campaigns target retailers or restaurants instead of the actual producers, and pressure the companies to purchase animal products only from producers who raise the animals according to certain voluntary standards. Societies individuality is split by advocates and opponents; is there a fine line between truth and falsehood, or is animal slaughter for diet always inhumane?
The food industry continues to be a major contributor to health problems in the United States and around the world. Currently, 13% of the world’s 671 million obese individuals live in the United States. (Kaplan) Some believe that it is the government’s responsibility to go to educate the people and then to further encourage them to make wise decisions on what they choose to eat. Others argue that it is the consumer’s personal responsibility to educate themselves and make a conscious decision about their food. After all, we have the freedom to do so. No one forces people to buy and eat the things that they do. But it would be naive and even outrageous to say that there are no extraneous factors counteracting a person’s will to make healthy
Was it grown locally? How was it grown? Were chemicals used? Eating locally promotes the health of the consumer. Michael Pollan and Richie Chevat, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma, stated, “No fossil fuels or added fertilizer or chemicals needed” (148). Since there is nothing being added to the animals’ diet or their pastures, their meat is more nutritious because they are eating the nutrients that they need through, not a corn-fed diet and a condensed living area like a CAFO farm does. Julia Vogel, author of the book, Local Farms and Sustainable Foods, said, "It takes a lot of human-made chemicals, plus fuel energy, to keep the produce looking perfect while it's shipped" (Vogel 6). Since the food isn't grow naturally, but instead chemicals that were created and used by us, which are abundantly poor for the environment, but also the consumer. When people think about the food they eat, us as consumers need to think about what is is made of and where how it was made. If a fruit has no bruises, chances are it was created with chemicals, and if is does have a bruise, chances are that it was grown in a natural environment. One organization that would disagree with this is McDonald’s as well as a CAFO farmer. Pollan says, “These animals have evolved to eat grass. But at a CAFO, they are forced to eat corn-at considerable cst to their health, to the health of the land, and ultimately to the health
Similarly to a large majority of livestock, the life of an “organic” animal begins on a farm. For its first few years of life a cow will live on a farm grazing and enjoying life as nature intended. Sadly, they are then rounded up and shipped out to an industrial feedlot, aiming to fatten the animals
In the world we live in today, processed food and genetically modified organisms have earned a commonplace in our everyday life. Some people don 't care and others worry about it constantly. Then there are the in-betweeners who don’t care enough to eat a 100% organic but also do not want to be tricked into purchasing something that is marketed as healthy when it really isn 't. For example, take Simply Orange juice or Tropicana, Products that marketed as “pure”, “natural” and “simple” are actually far from it. Gwen Phelps, The plaintiff of a California lawsuit against Coca-Cola, Claimed that simply oranges’ juices are “engineered from multiple batches of oranges and orange products eight months to a year old with algorithms and flavor packs,
Introduction There once was a time when words like "light" and "low-fat" were on food packages that had no nutritional meaning. As a result, shoppers were often led to believe they were buying products that were more helpful than they really were. Nutrition panels on labels are also confusing and hard to read. But the Australia New Zealand Authority (ANZFA) changed all that. In March 2001 the ANZFA defined new standardized terms that appear on food labels such as "low-fat", "reduced" and "lean" to control how food manufacturers could put their facts that are relevant to most of our dietary needs.
If we label articles such as cleaning supplies and nail polish remover that will do harm when ingested then why do we not label foods that can cause serious illness of death? Each day thousands of adults and children are diagnosed with disabling conditions such as heart disease and diabetes and the rates are rapidly increasing. Many of these lifelong impairments are directly related to the diets that we attest to as a society. Foods with GMO’s, hydrogenated oils, artificial sugars (aspartame), high fructose corn syrup, and monosodium glutamate ought to be clearly labeled on the front of its packaging for the consumer to recognize.
An abundance of Americans have no idea that most of the food that they consume are either processed or altered in one way or another. “Almost all beef cattle entering feedlots in the United States are given hormone implants to promote faster growth. The first product used for this purpose is DES (diethylstilbestrol) it was approved for use in beef cattle in 1954. An estimated two-thirds of the nation's beef cattle were treated with DES in 1956. (Swan, Liu, Overstreet, Brazil, and Skakkebaek)” Many people enjoy the various meats that comes from a cow, but that would probably change if the consumers knew that cattle is one of the most processed meat source in the market today because of the synthetic hormones that the cows are given. “ The three synthetic hormones are the estrogen compound zeranol, the androgen trenbolone acetate, and progestin melengestrol acetate. (Swan, Liu, Overstreet, B...
Obesity has continued to grow and affect not only the lives of the individual with obesity and their families but also the society around them. We have learned that from the growth of obesity money problems arise and the price of health care has risen. I believe that because of this problem nutrition labels are an important part of food for consumers. People should be watching what they eat if necessary and nutrition labels should be trustworthy and looked at wisely. Since this is important I feel that the government should have a say to what goes on the labels and making sure that they are informative to the American society. The FDA, which is the US Food and Drug Administration, are part of the US government Department of Food and Health. Their goal and slogan is “Protecting and Promoting Your Health.” The FDA has a very important role in nutrition labels and the protection of helping people become aware of what they are eating. Since their role is important the government should definitely continue to regulate what goes on the labels and how they can continue to help bene...
More and More people are becoming concerned about what they eat, especially if they consume food products that are manufactured in food industries. However, it is hard to know what exactly you are consuming if food industries provide false nutrition content and mislead consumers by placing false advertisements on the packaging. When a company produces a product that contains misleading label, consumers are not receiving complete information about the food they are eating which could lead to health issues including allergies and problems with diabetes.
Natural foods are described as whole foods that are grown in gardens, and are unprocessed and unrefined. The downside of natural foods is that they have a shorter shelf life then processed foods. These foods are authentically flavorful, have vibrant colors, and rich textures. "Moreover, they are full of the micronutrient vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytochemicals, and fiber. Typically, they require longer preparation times. In contrast, they receive very little media advertising, and are not well funded with government...