Prevalence of the "Natural" Label Varies by Food Category

U.S. food suppliers use packaging labels to make claims that highlight production-process attributes some consumers want, often charging a higher price for those products than for products without label claims. Some suppliers use the “natural” claim or similar labels such as “all natural,” “100 percent natural,” or “made with natural ingredients.” Regulatory agencies treat the “natural” claim as meaning nothing artificial was added during processing and the product was minimally processed, so food suppliers can use it at a relatively low cost. Regulatory agencies’ policies regarding the “natural” label do not address human health, the use of synthetic pesticides, genetically modified organisms, hormones, or antibiotics in crop and livestock production. The size and scope of the market for food carrying a “natural” claim had not been previously explored in depth as have other food labels such as chicken raised without antibiotics, USDA organic, seafood ecolabels, grass-feed beef, and many more including non-genetically engineered.