Amid the emergence of products labeled as "natural," many consumers who buy them are not actually aware of what natural foods are, a Consumer Reports survey says. More Americans assume that whenever they see the word "natural" in products, they are better.
In the nationally representative survey, the researchers recruited more than 1,000 adults and found that the number of American consumers who buy "natural" foods increased to 62 percent of the population from 59 percent in 2014. Nearly two-thirds believe that the natural food label means more than it does.
The survey also found that consumers generally look for products with the "natural" label assuming that these products are better because they do not contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs), pesticides, artificial ingredients and hormones. This applies to meat and poultry products as well as packaged and processed food.
Out of the 62 percent of the consumers who bought products labeled "natural," a staggering 87 percent of these consumers said they would pay more for natural food once it meets their expectations. When asked about their perceptions on what should the label "natural" mean, 85 percent said there should be no chemicals used during processing. About 84 percent said there should be no artificial ingredients or food coloring used, 84 percent said that there should be no toxic pesticides and 82 percent said that there should be no GMOs.
"Our survey shows that most U.S. consumers are environmentally and socially conscious when it comes to the food they eat; popular guiding principles when purchasing food include supporting local farmers, protecting the environment, and fair conditions for farmworkers," Consumer Reports concluded [PDF].
The findings also show that consumers expect more from natural or organic food labels.
Food labeling should provide the consumers with accurate description of the products. Consumer Reports food safety experts say that clients should not be lured to buy products just because they contain the label "natural."
"Ideally, we'd like to see federal regulators ban the natural label, but if they don't get rid of it, then they must give it real meaning," Dr. Urvashi Rangan, director of the Consumer Reports Food Safety & Sustainability Center, said.
Consumer Reports also plans to pass a petition to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding policies for food labels. This petition aims to persuade the government to change food label requirements and to recommend labels for foods containing GMOs.
"From a food-science perspective, it is difficult to define a food product that is 'natural' because the food has probably been processed in some way," Lauren Kotwicki, a spokeswoman for the FDA said.
Photo: Michelle Cesare | Flickr
