Natural vs Organic

I always get pissed off when I see food companies using their clever marketing strategies to make their food seem healthy when they're really not. One of the things I want to clarify is the difference between foods that are labeled "natural" versus "organic."

Recently, the organic soy milk brand Silk made the furtive switch from using organic soybeans to conventional soybeans from China, calling it "natural" soy milk and charging the same price. Soon after, Horizon organic milk brand decided to introduce a new line of "natural" dairy products. Why is this bad?

The label "organic" is regulated by the USDA and other international organizations. For something to be certified organic, the company has to prove that their product is free of chemicals, pesticides, fertilizers, genetically modified ingredients, artificial colors and flavors, and artificial preservatives.

The label "natural" sounds healthy but is not regulated, so anything can be labeled "natural" and it'll have no meaning behind it. It could contain chemical additives, high fructose corn syrup, genetically modified ingredients, and so on. The Horizon company is putting out so-called "natural" products using conventional ingredients, thinking no one will know the difference...

...Not that anything organic is automatically healthy either! An organic Oreo is still an Oreo. Another tricky label is "Made with organic ingredients." You could be eating a muffin made with one grain of organic wheat and the rest nuclear waste, and you could technically say it was made with organic ingredients. Well, maybe it would need two organic grains, since it says ingredientS.

I'm disappointed with Silk and Horizon brands for switching to conventional ingredients and calling their products "natural" to fool consumers. Now that you know the difference between organic and natural products, you can avoid such greedy scams and shop wisely!