Deciphering the Labels at the Grocery Store

Organic, natural, all-natural, kosher, cage-free, no antibiotics, vegetarian-fed, regional; the terms used in grocery stores and on packaging goes on and on. Let's break it all down, shall we?

Natural/All-Natural
Technically this means: no artificial ingredients, no added colors and minimally processed. HOWEVER (and yes, that's a big however), this only applies to the final stage of the processing. This means the animal/plant can be raised with hormones, be genetically engineered and is most likely not organic. Source.

My interpretation: These terms mean absolutely nothing and I do not buy foods labeled as "All-Natural" or "Natural" because it signals to me they are trying to be something (organic, healthy, etc.) they are not.

Kosher
This term has much less to do with the quality and more about the processing of your food. I will likely mess this all up, but kosher basically means the food was slaughtered properly, there is no cross contamination of milk and meat and, if I'm not mistaken, it was blessed by a rabbi. Source.

My interpretation: This has no bearing on where food is sourced from before it gets to the processing plant. I don't use it as a guideline when buying food, but I do love matzo ball soup. Like a lot.

With the non-players out of the way, I'm going to break out the labels by food product so I can clearly recommend a label to look for instead of making a lot of circular references (which I'll do anyway and confuse the hell out of all of you).

Eggs
The best: Eggs from pastured poultry (available only at farmers' markets and CSAs)
The second-best: Organic, cage-free

Chickens are omnivores, so aside from seeds and grains they also eat worms and insects which clearly is not included in a vegetarian-only diet. This immediately makes the ridiculous label "vegetarian-fed," well, ridiculous. That aside, if you are going to buy your eggs from a grocery store it is very likely your chicken was vegetarian-fed.

Cage-free is a no brainer for us. Go google "battery cages" and see how more than 60% of the eggs and chicken in our world are sourced. Just know, I'll think less of you if don't buy cage-free. Now, do not mistake cage-free for a chicken happy as a clam enjoying life. They are still kept in overcrowded poultry pens with "access" to outside.

Free-range is a funny guy. Outside the U.S. this term is regulated and denotes animals being able to roam freely. In the U.S. we don't say how far they can roam...meaning we overcrowd them, again, give them "access" to outside, but they can't get there because of the horrible way we raise chickens. Seriously, go watch Food Inc. if you still haven't.

Finally, the organic label. Again, this is now a government regulated term and you'd be surprised what passes as organic (this is why I recommend local-sourced food over organic food). Seriously read that link of all the ones I'm providing here...15 out of 30 third-party organic inspectors have been put on probation. Hmmm.

Organic means without the use of routine antibiotics and no growth hormones, processed with fewer artificial methods. It does not mean chemical free! Every locale is regulated differently if you really want to eat chemical-free food, you're going to have to talk to the farmer. The grocery store is not your friend here.

As a lover of all things conspiracy-related, I can only imagine the organic label is going to get looser and looser as companies see the money they can be making on organic food. Staying on top of your government is one way to make a change. I strongly believe the only way a person can make a change is vote with your dollars, so I get my stuff from the farm directly. You should too. Even if Whole Foods is more convenient.

Vegetables:
The best: Locally sourced, seasonal vegetables from farmers' markets and CSAs
The second-best: Organic, regional vegetables

Most of this is covered in the egg discussion, but I do want to make one point. TALK to the people you get your food from. I can't stress this enough. You have to be active in this life choice if you are going to follow it through. The whole reason we started this blog is because it's not simple and we want to be able to offer advice, links to resources for you to use and tips to make it easier to uphold these standards. But ultimately, you will need to make the final decision on what you purchase to eat.

If you can't find a farmers' market or CSA, Whole Foods' staff is VERY knowledgeable. They are willing to talk with you and help you make better decisions if you tell them what you are looking for (local fruits and vegetables that are in season). I can't speak for Trader Joes since I find them mostly to be a processed foods store, but I'm sure their staff can help. Once you get to the "regular Joe" supermarket, it is very hit or miss depending on the employee.

The fact is, you most likely can't do all your shopping at the grocery store. You'll need to make some contacts at a farmers' market. The average food item travels 3,000 miles before it gets to your plate. Do you know how you feel after you've traveled 3,000 miles? Buy local. It's way tastier.

Meat:
The best: Farm-raised (all of it), grass-fed (beef); pastured (poultry)
The second-best: Grass-fed (beef); Berkshire pork; and if you must: organic, free-range chicken

If we were still stuck in the 90's and afraid of Mad Cow's Disease, vegetarian-fed would be a lot more important. But it turns out, most companies aren't allowed to feed their cows other cows anymore (seriously these are the people we let make our food decisions). So this isn't too much of a problem. IN FACT, vegetarian-fed is something I would specifically not buy since corn is a vegetable and I do not want my cows eating corn. Our post on grass-fed beef gives you that story.

The above discussions on eggs and vegetables cover most of the issues with labelling that applies to meat as well.

This is where talking to the guys behind the counter (if you're at Whole Foods or Trader Joe's or wherever) will really help. Be specific in what you are looking for. Don't let them talk you out of what you are looking for (remember they're in business). Many times they can order exactly what you want, so you might have to wait a week for the right product. Wait. It is very unlikely you will be able to walk over to the meat section and pick something up out of the cooler. You are going to have to wait in line at the butcher counter and chitty-chat about the food.

You will likely not find any meat processed (read: slaughtered) on a farm. It's highly regulated. You can find grass-fed, locally raised, humanely treated. See what Whole Foods offers?!?! If your store doesn't do this, print this out, bring it to them (customer service, not the butcher counter) and demand they start. ASAP.

We get our meat from the farm, but if we do get a hankering for a hot dog (I'd make my own if I had the Kitchen Aid attachment...I'm talking to you Santa) they offer level 4 hot dogs! Michael and I personally do not purchase meat below level 4, but you make your decision.

Phew. This is a ton of information. If you have questions, post them below and we'll answer them in the comments section since I'm sure I glossed over some major points or missed certain labels you might have questions about. I'm willing to do (or more likely have already done) the research; so ask away!

Cheers!

FYI...some new exciting blog extras are going to be hitting soon. We're finalizing some technical points, but we're very excited.