Most consumers are just trying to get something that fits into their budget so price may be the first thing they are looking for; and then taste… It’s a smaller group that asks if the company is sticking up for the brand’s core principles, and asks if the product is really natural or organic.
As sales of natural and organic food products increase so does the confusion surrounding the definition of natural and organic… Are natural and organic foods the same? No they are not! Although organic foods are natural by definition, he term ‘natural’ applies broadly to foods that are minimally processed and free of synthetic preservatives; artificial sweeteners, colors, flavors and other artificial additives; growth hormones; antibiotics; hydrogenated oils; stabilizers; and emulsifiers. Most foods that are labeled natural are not subject to government controls beyond the regulations and heath codes that apply to all foods.
*Exceptions include meat and poultry. The Food Safety & Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture requires these to be free of artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, preservatives, and ingredients that do not occur naturally in the food. Natural meat and poultry must be minimally processed in a method that does not fundamentally alter the raw product. In addition, the label should explain the use of the term natural, i.e.: ‘no artificial ingredients’.
‘Organic’ refers not only to the food itself, but also to how it was produced. Foods labeled organic must be certified under the National Organic Program, in effect since October 21, 2002. They must be grown and processed using organic farming methods that recycle resources and promote biodiversity; two key elements of environmentally sustainable agriculture. Crops must be grown without using synthetic pesticides, bioengineered genes, petroleum-based fertilizers, and sewage sludge-based fertilizers.
Organic livestock must have access to the outdoors, and be given no antibiotics or growth hormones.
Organic foods, herbs, and spices may not be irradiated.
A natural companies labeling has more impact on consumers who are not well versed in natural and organic ingredients, terms, and labeling regulations; and are therefore more likely to believe that these products are in fact natural or organic just because they’re marketed that way.
Amy’s or Amy’s Kitchen was founded in 1987 by Andy & Rachel Berliner, and is still family owned, yeah! This company recently opened the first ‘Amy’s Drive-thru Restaurant’ in California; yes this is a natural foods take out, and it is doing tremendously well! You can always count on the quality of Amy’s products; we took our family’s household green, and switched to all natural foods in 1983, and we have been using Amy’s since their onset to the natural foods market.
Annie’s or Annie’s Homegrown In 1989, Annie Withey co-founded Annie’s Homegrown, Inc. with Andrew Martin with the goal of making a healthy and delicious macaroni and cheese for families. In mid-September 2014 Annie’s became the sister of Betty Crocker and dozens of other non-natural brands that make up the food conglomerate General Mills. This is truly an unfortunate situation as Annie’s has a huge market for children’s foods and snacks; now owned by General Mills can we really trust that the product will stay natural, and organic?
Small Planet Foods, or a division of General Mills, who are you trying to fool?! Cascadian Farm, Food Should Taste Good, Muir Glen, and Larabar are all branded as Small Planet Foods.
Cascadian Farm began with founder Gene Kahn from Chicago 40 years ago who just wanted to make a difference in the world. Since 1972, Cascadian Farm has grown beyond its original farm and is recognized as a pioneer in converting conventional farms to organic. We were organic before ‘organic’ was a trend, or even before the USDA certified it, is their slogan… so why did they sell out to the food giant General Mills in late 1999? We just boycott this company altogether; there are many other still family and privately owned companies making the variety of products that Cascadian Farms does, and these days the price difference is minimal.
Muir Glen was named after legendary naturalist John Muir, and was founded in 1991 by a group of entrepreneurs with experience in agriculture industry. All of Muir Glen's tomatoes are field grown and vine ripened under certified organic practices; no synthetic pesticides, no chemical fertilizers, just true to nature. We find this one of the harder companies to buy other brands, as there just aren’t that many tomato companies, and Muir Glen has so many choices. We have taken to roasting our own tomatoes, and other additives, and then freezing them during the season for use later in the year.
Food experts say there’s no reason General Mills would pay millions of dollars for these trusted brands jut to destroy them. Of course, General Mills could make subtle ingredient changes that would slowly de-healthify its natural and organic brands to save money.
Late July was founded in 2003 by Nicole Dawes; mom, entrepreneur, and champion of healthy living that tastes great… then it boomed in 2010 and is still thankfully privately owned and operated from 15 Channel Ctr St in Boston MA. All Late July snack foods are made with organic and non-GMO ingredients. Yeah! Again a lot of kid friendly product choices, and this companies products are delicious… one of our favorites is their ‘Classic Rich’ Crackers, they’re delicious!
Nature’s Path was founded in 1985 by Arran & Ratana Stephens and is still family owned. The home office is located in Richmond, BC where you can still find an on-site organic garden and some really big compost bins. Products are made in 2 locations; Blaine, WA and Sussex, WI, from home office, to manufacturing centers, to distribution centers with Nature’s Path’s own 400 committed employees. Another company we regularly count on for the basics like cereal, granola, oatmeal, and more.
We are always reading ingredients and feel it’s helpful to learn some of the differences in natural preservatives and sweeteners that are commonly used in organic products. Next just like with body products, if the ingredient list is more than an inch wide, just put the product down, not kidding, it’s not worth the trouble to read all the details most times… it’s so much easier just to find a few products and a few companies you can count on.
#healthyeating #livinggreen #naturaleating #naturalfoods #naturalfoodproducts #naturallygrown #naturalingredients #naturallivestock #naturalmeats #noordinarychick #organicfoods #organicingredients #organiclivestock #organicfoodproducts #organicllygrown
As sales of natural and organic food products increase so does the confusion surrounding the definition of natural and organic… Are natural and organic foods the same? No they are not! Although organic foods are natural by definition, he term ‘natural’ applies broadly to foods that are minimally processed and free of synthetic preservatives; artificial sweeteners, colors, flavors and other artificial additives; growth hormones; antibiotics; hydrogenated oils; stabilizers; and emulsifiers. Most foods that are labeled natural are not subject to government controls beyond the regulations and heath codes that apply to all foods.
*Exceptions include meat and poultry. The Food Safety & Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture requires these to be free of artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, preservatives, and ingredients that do not occur naturally in the food. Natural meat and poultry must be minimally processed in a method that does not fundamentally alter the raw product. In addition, the label should explain the use of the term natural, i.e.: ‘no artificial ingredients’.
‘Organic’ refers not only to the food itself, but also to how it was produced. Foods labeled organic must be certified under the National Organic Program, in effect since October 21, 2002. They must be grown and processed using organic farming methods that recycle resources and promote biodiversity; two key elements of environmentally sustainable agriculture. Crops must be grown without using synthetic pesticides, bioengineered genes, petroleum-based fertilizers, and sewage sludge-based fertilizers.
Organic livestock must have access to the outdoors, and be given no antibiotics or growth hormones.
Organic foods, herbs, and spices may not be irradiated.
A natural companies labeling has more impact on consumers who are not well versed in natural and organic ingredients, terms, and labeling regulations; and are therefore more likely to believe that these products are in fact natural or organic just because they’re marketed that way.
Amy’s or Amy’s Kitchen was founded in 1987 by Andy & Rachel Berliner, and is still family owned, yeah! This company recently opened the first ‘Amy’s Drive-thru Restaurant’ in California; yes this is a natural foods take out, and it is doing tremendously well! You can always count on the quality of Amy’s products; we took our family’s household green, and switched to all natural foods in 1983, and we have been using Amy’s since their onset to the natural foods market.
Annie’s or Annie’s Homegrown In 1989, Annie Withey co-founded Annie’s Homegrown, Inc. with Andrew Martin with the goal of making a healthy and delicious macaroni and cheese for families. In mid-September 2014 Annie’s became the sister of Betty Crocker and dozens of other non-natural brands that make up the food conglomerate General Mills. This is truly an unfortunate situation as Annie’s has a huge market for children’s foods and snacks; now owned by General Mills can we really trust that the product will stay natural, and organic?
Small Planet Foods, or a division of General Mills, who are you trying to fool?! Cascadian Farm, Food Should Taste Good, Muir Glen, and Larabar are all branded as Small Planet Foods.
Cascadian Farm began with founder Gene Kahn from Chicago 40 years ago who just wanted to make a difference in the world. Since 1972, Cascadian Farm has grown beyond its original farm and is recognized as a pioneer in converting conventional farms to organic. We were organic before ‘organic’ was a trend, or even before the USDA certified it, is their slogan… so why did they sell out to the food giant General Mills in late 1999? We just boycott this company altogether; there are many other still family and privately owned companies making the variety of products that Cascadian Farms does, and these days the price difference is minimal.
Muir Glen was named after legendary naturalist John Muir, and was founded in 1991 by a group of entrepreneurs with experience in agriculture industry. All of Muir Glen's tomatoes are field grown and vine ripened under certified organic practices; no synthetic pesticides, no chemical fertilizers, just true to nature. We find this one of the harder companies to buy other brands, as there just aren’t that many tomato companies, and Muir Glen has so many choices. We have taken to roasting our own tomatoes, and other additives, and then freezing them during the season for use later in the year.
Food experts say there’s no reason General Mills would pay millions of dollars for these trusted brands jut to destroy them. Of course, General Mills could make subtle ingredient changes that would slowly de-healthify its natural and organic brands to save money.
Late July was founded in 2003 by Nicole Dawes; mom, entrepreneur, and champion of healthy living that tastes great… then it boomed in 2010 and is still thankfully privately owned and operated from 15 Channel Ctr St in Boston MA. All Late July snack foods are made with organic and non-GMO ingredients. Yeah! Again a lot of kid friendly product choices, and this companies products are delicious… one of our favorites is their ‘Classic Rich’ Crackers, they’re delicious!
Nature’s Path was founded in 1985 by Arran & Ratana Stephens and is still family owned. The home office is located in Richmond, BC where you can still find an on-site organic garden and some really big compost bins. Products are made in 2 locations; Blaine, WA and Sussex, WI, from home office, to manufacturing centers, to distribution centers with Nature’s Path’s own 400 committed employees. Another company we regularly count on for the basics like cereal, granola, oatmeal, and more.
We are always reading ingredients and feel it’s helpful to learn some of the differences in natural preservatives and sweeteners that are commonly used in organic products. Next just like with body products, if the ingredient list is more than an inch wide, just put the product down, not kidding, it’s not worth the trouble to read all the details most times… it’s so much easier just to find a few products and a few companies you can count on.
#healthyeating #livinggreen #naturaleating #naturalfoods #naturalfoodproducts #naturallygrown #naturalingredients #naturallivestock #naturalmeats #noordinarychick #organicfoods #organicingredients #organiclivestock #organicfoodproducts #organicllygrown
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