When you look into the milk case, there is a lot more going on than the whole, 2 percent and skim milk choices of yesteryear. ![]() Faced with a limited selection, Urvashi said that choosing eggs marked "no antibiotics" should be the minimum decision, but that adding the "USDA Certified Organic" label will get you more value. Instead, Urvashi said to look for eggs marked "USDA Organic Certified" and "Certified Humane." "Then you can be guaranteed that the free-range claim is verified," she told us. Unfortunately, a carton marked "pasture-raised" without any other food labels or certification, doesn't guarantee these conditions, because pasture-raised is not a standardized term. A hen should live out of a cage, have access to pasture (her natural environment) and be able to eat insects and other foods that are important for shell development and general hen health. While the egg aisle might feel confusing - "If all the eggs say pasture-raised, what is the difference?" - Urvashi suggested first consider the hen. "They don't have standards or very good standards, and they aren't verified." "Eggs in particular have always been a product that seems to have as many claims as possible and a lot of them don't have standard meaning behind them," Urvashi said. If you want to dig deeper beyond these tips and our Facebook discussion, FoodPrint's Food Label Guide is set up to help shoppers see these different criteria really clearly and includes a wide range of food labels.įree range. Then research which labels guarantee your food is produced in a way that values those issues. "It really takes a little bit of homework." First step, she said, is to understand what issues are most important to you. "After 25 years of looking at labels, even I get stumped every once in a while," Urvashi told us. Regardless, there are labels that certify food is produced without antibiotics or pesticides labels that guarantee certain standards were met for animals or workers and even labels that guarantee that bird, salmon or bee habitats were not disrupted. Are you most concerned about the environment and food production's impact on climate change? Maybe you are concerned about all of these things, or just one or two. What food issues are important to you? Do you want your food to be pesticide free? Do you care about how animals were treated? Or maybe the way the workers were treated is what's important to you. If you care at all about how your food got to your plate, or the impact it might have on your health or the health of others, then labels can be a good guide. ![]() You might be wondering why you need to pay attention to labels at all. You can also watch a recording of the conversation over on Facebook. We've gathered some of the tips from our discussion with Urvashi below. Throughout our conversation she helped us break down food labels, explained the often tricky or misleading words and symbols found on food packaging, and offered suggestions for the most sustainable options out there. Urvashi is an environmental health scientist, toxicologist and investigator with more than 25 years of experience deciphering food systems. Urvashi Rangan, FoodPrint's Chief Science Advisor, in a Facebook Live discussion to talk all about how to read food labels. But sometimes you want an explanation, not to read a guidebook, and we get that. FoodPrint has gathered information on labels used on produce, beef, poultry, pork, dairy, eggs and seafood, offering the best verifiable options for each category. That's why a comprehensive food label guide can be so useful. Even foods that are marked with a label that guarantees certain requirements are met, such as "USDA Organic Certification", may have been produced in a wide range of circumstances: on a small family farm using sustainable methods, or on a large, industrial-scale farm, implementing the most basic of organic standards. Some, like "Pasture-Raised," suggest the animals were raised outside on grass, but do not guarantee it. ![]() Eggs labeled "natural" may sound good - we want our food to come from natural sources, right? - but the label is actually just a marketing term with no true meaning. This article originally appeared on FoodPrint.įood labels can be very confusing.
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