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Last month the U.S. Food and Drug Administration opened a comment period on defining natural. As the year comes to an end, the government has received more than 2,500 comments. As we at New Hope Natural Media watch this issue, we are sharing highlights. Here are some comments received Dec. 12-18 from consumers, government agencies, academia and the food industry. The FDA is accepting public comment through May 10, 2016 (the deadline was extended on Dec. 24), as to whether it is appropriate to define the term natural and, if so, how it should define natural and determine appropriate use of the term. For guidance on commenting and to comment yourself, visit the Federal Register here. To read more comment highlights, view this gallery from earlier in December.
Natural should mean G.M.O.-FREE with only using organic pesticides. It should not include anything artificial. Genetically modified organisms are not natural! Please do not include them with the natural regulation. — Niki Frank (food industry)
Unfortunately I think we should define "natural" for the sake of the general public. The organic buzz has led to manufacturers attempting to sound more healthy without being more healthy. I don't think you need to prohibit the term "natural" on food labeling (they'd find another term anyway), however having a standard which states what a consumer should expect from a "natural" product would be beneficial. What should be allowed to be called "natural": foods in their raw form, whether pesticides were used or not (not used = organic), foods which contain only raw foods in their raw forms (ie no biochemical treatments to foods throughout the entire preparation process to packaging), foods which have had no artificial or synthetic ingredients. In regards to vitamin additives, if it is an additive, it is not natural. — Anonymous (consumer)
Whether it is appropriate to define the term 'natural,' "If so, how the agency should define 'natural,' and "How the agency should determine appropriate use of the term on food labels." I am commenting on the definition and use of the term Natural as someone who has been committed to 100 percent natural products for close to 50 years. The Use of the term Natural has become complex in the light of agricultural advances which rely more and more on agrochemicals and GMOs and in light of harmful food science technologies which over process foods with artificial preservatives irradiation and other techniques to prolong shelf life, and preserve color and flavor. With regard to any product which is Natural, Fresh is best.' My comments are as follows 1 Yes it is very important to Define the word natural and make it very clear that it is no longer synonymous with Certified organic products for the following reasons. Certified Organic products are required by law to be free from harmful pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, sewage sludge, GMOs, and fertilizers which have not been tested for all unwanted substances. Vigilent certified organic standards acknowledge that animal feeds must be strictly tested and verified to avoid manure, composting and fertilizer containing harmful pesticides, agrochemicals and gmos and all unwanted non organic substances, to prevent such substances from getting into the food chain. Food safety by definition requires that safe pure food be certified organic. All natural is Not enough. What this means is that simply because a product contains fruit and vegetables or grains or beans, which seem to be natural, it could simultaneously be contaminated with cancer and disease causing agrochemicals and GMOs. The research on the health and environmental hazards of these substances is massive and has been ignored by the industry for years, or every company concerned about health and the welfare of the environment would not settle for any products or ingredients labeled Natural. How to Define Natural Natural products come from Natural Sources which are not artificial synthetic or chemical in their essential nature. However every formulator, manufacturer, distributor wholesaler, store vendor and consumer, should clearly be informed that all Natural does not ensure a Safe healthy product free from harmful chemicals, allergens, gmos etc. How Natural appears on Food labels and on other products which source their ingredients from Food The FDA should realize that a majority of natural products in all categories source their ingredients from food Therefore it is Highly misleading and deceptive to innocent consumers to promote products with labels saying Natural which are Not certified organic. The majority of health conscious consumers are turning to organic but many do not realize that Natural does not ensure the same Standard for health and safety as the Certified Organic standard and Label Therefore what the FDA should require is that Natural Products Step Up and meet certified Organic standards in all categories and prohibit the use of any foods and ingredients containing pesticides herbicides, insecticides, argochemicals, GMOs, sewage sludge, irradiation, bud nip and other harmful agricultural products used in preparing the products. The US health statistics indicate that we are not a healthy country and the FDA was founded to ensure healthy safe products with labels free from deception. We feel that the term Natural on the label as well as the presence of conventional foods which contain even worse ingredients, is misleading to innocent consumers. Food and all products on the market should be there to ensure good health and to protect the world around us. So many unhealthy conventional foods are on the market now, at least natural manufacturers are trying to do something better, so please don't pick on them. However the best standard is to require every single food and food related product to be certified organic. Make the country's food supply 100 percent certified organic for the health and welfare of the nation and to create a better world. Thank you — Anonymous (academia)
Nature creates complex chemistry via plants in living processes. Human beings are adapted to plant chemistries. Chemical companies create synthetic chemicals that are invariably toxic to animals plants and humans. Unnatural synthetic chemicals per se. Hense the disease epidemic. Using "natural" to describe foods that contain toxic synthetic chemicals is deceptive and dishonest.. "Natural" foods and other products should contain only natural plant based chemistry. Be honest and honor natures chemical laboratories, PLANTS grown in soil that does not contain synthetic chemicals.. Natural should mean natural. — Seth Brown (consumer)
Define "natural" as a food or food ingredient derived solely from plant, animal, or mined sources, either in its unprocessed state or having been subject to physical processing, heat processing, rendering, purification, extraction, hydrolysis, enzymolysis, or fermentation, but not having been produced by or subject to chemically synthetic process and not containing any additives or processing aids that are chemically synthetic except in amounts as might occur unavoidably in good manufacturing practices. — Nathan Price (state government)
The use of the term "natural" in food packaging is to claim that the product is safer or otherwise superior to "un-natural" foods. This is highly misleading, as the naturalness of an item bears no relation to its safety. To prevent this sort of fraud, the FDA should prohibit the use of the term "natural" in product labeling. — Anonymous (consumer)
ONLY FOODS WHICH ARE NATURALLY GROWN!! CAN BE CALLED A NATURAL FOOD. LIKE FRUITS, VEGETABLES, NUTS, GRASS FED MEATS AND CAGE FREE EGGS AND DAIRY. SHOULDN'T BE ROCKET "SURGERY" TO FIGURE THAT ONE OUT. — Anonymous (food industry)
The term natural should apply only to foods in which all individual ingredients are whole foods as created by nature and are each a widely edible form and part of a main food group as recognized by the USDA. — Herman Schirg (consumer)
Natural - something existing in nature that has not been tampered with by man. — Roberta Rohn (food industry)
Greetings! I am writing as a clinical dietitian who works in both acute and ambulatory care settings. I came across your request for comments through a listserv from the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics. I have forwarded it to my colleagues in the hope that the dietitian voice is heard loud and strong in support of the FDA defining the word "natural." I have spent numerous hours educating patients, dietetic interns, other health professionals, my fitness clients, and students about label reading. It is misleading and confusing - and also alarming that so many people do not understand the phrases, words, and other so-called "definitions" on packaged goods. It is also challenging for those who read labels for food allergens because "natural," essentially, means nothing and yet everything at the same time. Allergic consumers often end up contacting the company directly for additional information but companies are not, in turn, required to notify consumers if their ingredients, methodology, or other manufacturing processes change that may affect future allergen risk. If a definition were in place, this could be avoided altogether and would help to establish expectations for both the consumer and manufacturer. In regards to the statement that "The agency also has yet to take a position on whether "natural" should be linked to any nutritional or other health benefit," I strongly discourage the linking of the term "natural" to a health benefit. Nutrient and health claims on packages are already a failure and have not, in my professional experience, been able to demonstrate improved food choices (although they may, perhaps, if the package highlighted the content of unfavorable ingredients and health risks, such as a can of soup that is an "excellent source of sodium" which, consumed in abundance over time, "may lead to uncontrolled hypertension, which has been linked to chronic kidney disease, strokes, and cardiovascular disease."). We deserve to know what is in the foods that we feed ourselves, our friends, our loved ones, and our hospitalized patients. Please define the term "natural" and refrain from linking it to health or nutrient claims so that instead of guessing, consumers can make informed choices based upon fact instead of vague, ambiguous, and meaningless terms. Sincerely, Ginny R. King, MPH, RD/LDN, CFT
Consumer protection should be the primary goal. Transparency of what is or is not included in our food by manufacturers, including the packaging, should be easily identifiable. Why are they afraid to let consumers know what they are putting in our food? Large corporations should not be able to manipulate the terminology they use in order to boost sales. Natural should mean at a minimum, no genetically modified ingredients, including high fructose corn syrup, no preservatives, no pesticides, no antibiotics, or chemically altered in any way. The ingredients should be able to be pronounced and recognizable by the general public. For example, sugar, salt, whole wheat. The FDA works for the consumer NOT corporations trying to make a buck and lobbying to keep food labels off. The FDA should be ashamed of themselves for allowing our food supply to take the direction it has over the past decade. — Linday Bryan (consumer)
Consumer protection should be the primary goal. Transparency of what is or is not included in our food by manufacturers, including the packaging, should be easily identifiable. Why are they afraid to let consumers know what they are putting in our food? Large corporations should not be able to manipulate the terminology they use in order to boost sales. Natural should mean at a minimum, no genetically modified ingredients, including high fructose corn syrup, no preservatives, no pesticides, no antibiotics, or chemically altered in any way. The ingredients should be able to be pronounced and recognizable by the general public. For example, sugar, salt, whole wheat. The FDA works for the consumer NOT corporations trying to make a buck and lobbying to keep food labels off. The FDA should be ashamed of themselves for allowing our food supply to take the direction it has over the past decade. — Linday Bryan (consumer)
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