The way organic and sustainable food is labelled can be confusing—and oftentimes, that’s the point
Walking through the grocery store or market, you might see labels like: “organic”, “grass-fed”, and “cage free”, and it can be challenging to differentiate what each of those designations means, how each serves your sustainability goals, and what type of product you're getting.
We’re here to dig deeper and explain the differences between these common food labels so that you know exactly what you’re buying, what type of farming you’re investing in, and how your food is grown.
Common sustainable food labels
Certified organic (multi-ingredients): These products are strictly regulated by the USDA and others, where if they contain multiple ingredients, at least 95 percent of them must be certified organic to gain approval. The remaining five percent must be organically produced unless commercially unavailable or allowed on the national list.
Certified organic (produce): Crops must be grown on soil that has had no “prohibited substances” applied for three years prior to harvest (which includes most synthetic fertilizers and pesticides). They are allowed to use some synthetics to achieve a specific purpose, but it must be approved according to criteria that examine its effects on human health and the environment.
Photo by Dan DeAlmeida on UnsplashCertified organic (livestock and poultry): These regulations require that animals are raised in living conditions accommodating their natural behaviours, such as the ability to (must have access to) graze on pasture, fed 100 percent organic feed and forage, and not administered antibiotics or hormones. Carrying this certification does not mean that the animals are treated humanely; it refers to the feed and additives and land management.
Organically grown: Organic certifications are extremely expensive to acquire, so you’ll often see smaller farms using loose definitions like organically grown for their practices to avoid thousands of dollars in costs. Thankfully with small farms you’re able to ask them questions about their practices in person and know if they align with your values.
Cage-free: Although the term sounds promising, “cage-free” still leaves birds open to a world of other inhumane treatment. Cage-free chickens can still be crammed together wing-to-wing in a giant indoor space, containing hundreds of thousands of birds. Cage-free does not require natural lighting or air-flow, and it does not require outdoor access for the birds.
Free-range:.Although free-range means the hens are not in cages, it doesn’t mean they are outdoors for most of the time. Free-range definitions can vary depending on the brand (since it’s not a USDA-regulated term), so in some scenarios the chickens can have an hour a day of outdoor access, where for others it could be full days outside. Free-range hens must have access to the outdoors at some point in their day, but this can often mean being placed on concrete. Free-range hens don’t always have access to grass, soil or bugs to supplement their nutrition, and they may also still be fed GMO feed, and feed grown with chemical pesticides or herbicides.
Grass-fed: Grass-fed, a label used for meat, defines what the animal has been fed for all of its life, not the conditions or environment they were placed in. Grass-fed doesn’t mean that the animal spent any time in pasture; they could have been fed hay in a feedlot. Often like in cage-free, grass-fed standards mean the animals must have access to pasture or forage, but in many cases the brand will specify whether their animals are humanely-raised or are roaming.
Photo by Nareeta Martin on Unsplash
Pasture-raised: As opposed to grass-fed, pasture-raised focuses on where the animal eats and not what it eats. There are no industry-wide regulations on what this term can mean, so it’s important to dig deeper and analyze each farm accordingly. Most of the time a “pasture-raised” claim on meat, poultry, dairy or egg labels means that the animals were raised for some portion of their lives on pasture and not continually confined indoors. This doesn’t mean that the animals derived all of their nutrition from grazing on pasture or that they’re 100 percent grass-fed; they can receive supplemental grain when it’s cold outside.
Regenerative organic certified: This is one of the newest and most revolutionary certifications for food, textiles and personal care ingredients. Regenerative Organic Certified farms and products meet the highest standards in the world for soil health, animal welfare and farmworker fairness. These farms help to build soil organic matter; there are no GMOs; and they promote genetic biodiversity, rotational grazing, pasture-raised, living wages, transparency and accountability.
Regeneratively grown: Once again, acquiring the regenerative organic certification is challenging and has its financial hurdles. Many farms that are working their way up to the certifications will use the term if they are still practicing any and all of the qualities mentioned above. You will see this term mostly at farmers' markets and other small farm stands, so you’ll be able to check in on your farmer’s practices.
It’s important to pay attention to specific labels and wording when looking through the food in your grocery stores. They could have some or all of the “iffy” terms, yet further define their practices through their story on the label and check all of your boxes. This is where further research comes in handy; many companies share their stories and practices on their blogs and social media sites. If you’re buying from a small farm, it’s easier to ask them what their practices are and what sustainability initiatives they’re committed to. No matter which route you take, it’s always helpful to know your farmer.