Understanding Labels

Cassidy Stockton of Bob’s Red Mill Natural Foods 
www.bobsredmill.com 

Organic: Unlike the term “natural”, “organic” is highly regulated and strictly enforced by a governing agency. The National Organic Program follows the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 to ensure “site-specific conditions by integrating cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity.” If you see the term “Organic” you can be sure that the products have been inspected to meet the requirements of the act. This term has no relation to whether the product is nutritionally sound or not.

Whole Grain: The Food and Drug Administration has defined whole grains as “cereal grains that consist of the intact, ground, cracked or flaked fruit of the grains whose principal components -- the starchy endosperm, germ and bran -- are present in the same relative proportions as they exist in the intact grain.” To use the term “whole grain” on a label, it must meet the above definition. While the term is not as strictly enforced as the term “organic”, it is regulated and is trustworthy when found on a label. However, terms such as “wheat bread”, “multigrain”, “100% wheat”, are often used in place of “whole grain” to confuse and mislead consumers into buying products that are not made with whole grains. Always check the ingredient statement to be sure the one of the first ingredients is indeed whole grain.

Gluten Free: Another term not regulated by a governing agency and one that is appearing on more and more labels. When a product states “gluten free” it can mean any number of things specific to that product: it may be tested to ensure the absence of gluten; it may simply not contain any gluten-containing grains (such as wheat); it may be inherently free of gluten, but not tested (such as milk). It does not mean that the product is safely gluten free, however. Until the government releases a regulation (due any time now) regarding the use of “gluten free”, it behooves the consumer to investigate the company and what they mean when they use the term “gluten free”.

Kosher: The term “kosher” refers to foods that are in accord with Kashrut, the set of Jewish dietary laws that regulate how food is processed and what food is safe to eat when. Without getting into the full history of the term “kosher,” the basic idea was that this refers to food that has been inspected and blessed by a rabbi to ensure that the food met the dietary laws of Judaism. Today, these foods represent far more than adherence to religious laws; “kosher” means that the facility and the sources of the ingredients used meet strict quality and cleanliness standards. Muslims, vegans and those with severe dairy allergies can look to kosher symbols as a way to navigate the label. 

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