A ‘Natural’ Pain

Food manufacturers should be prohibited from using the word natural in advertising and labeling products. To Webster, a “natural” is a sure thing. To consumers, natural can mean anything from organic to real to good for one’s health. And to the government agencies assigned to regulate the use of words on food labels and in food advertising, natural is on its way to being defined as a big headache.

Walk down any supermarket aisle today and natural shouts from the shelves. We not only have 100% natural cereal, natural beer and natural deodorant, but also the potato chips “still made in the original natural way” and artificially colored drinks boasting of natural orange, lemon and grape flavors. The proliferation continues with a dog food that touts the “natural beef flavor” of its gravy.

Does the term “100% natural” on a box of raisins mean the same as the “naturally good, nothing artificial added” claim on a jar of baby food? Is natural light beer more natural than a beer without the natural claim? And is it misleading for a manufacturer to call a product “natural clam juice” when it contains, among other things, monosodium glutamate?

The overuse and abuse of the term encourages consumer confusion. Regulating agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission have yet to take a firm stand on what manufactures can and cannot do with the “natural” claim.

CHARLI KUNG

Fountain Valley