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 Food Marketing and Labeling

Do you ever wander the grocery store aisles, pick up an item with tons of labeling and wonder what it all means? “Is this good for me?” “Should I buy this?” Food companies are great at marketing products to entice customers to buy their product over another companies. 

Some of the common food labels that companies utilized are “organic”, “vegan”, “hormone free”, and “non-GMO”, which are utilized to make their product more attractive to consumers. 

Provided below are some of those common words you would find on foods in the grocery store. 

 

“Organic”= when crops are grown and livestock are raised without the use of synthetic chemicals (pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers), hormones, antibiotics, and genetic engineering. USDA requires certification for these foods. Organic farmers need to apply for certification and all food requires an inspection. 

100% organic: only organically produced ingredients are utilized

Organic: at least 95% organically produced ingredients

Made with organic ingredients: at least 70% organically produced ingredients

“Vegan”= Vegan products excludes meat, eggs, dairy products, and all other animal-derived ingredients. In addition, products that utilize animal products in the processing are not considered vegan. 

 

“Hormone-Free”= hormones were not used in or on the animal at any time in production. 

For beef, farmers must provide documentation that no hormones were not used

For poultry and pork, hormones are prohibited. Companies still utilize the marketing strategy of putting hormone-free on the packaging even though all poultry and pork products are hormone free. 

 

“Non-GMO”= any food (or organism) that was not altered with genetic engineering or technology

The Non-GMO Project label seen on foods indicates that the food was not genetically modified. 

 

JB

https://www.seattletimes.com/life/wellness/is-nonorganic-produce-safe-to-eat-yes-and-heres-why/

https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2013/05/17/organic-101-can-gmos-be-used-organic-products

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