How should we define ‘natural’? The public responds
Should the term 'natural' be defined and regulated in terms of how it is used on food labels?
Just one month after opening public comments on defining natural, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received over 2,300 comments.
Reading through some of the comments, it becomes obvious just how enormous the task of defining 'natural' really is. So far, commentary appears to run the gamut, but people generally equate natural to mean:
- How food is grown and raised
- How food is processed
- What's added to food
- The health value of a food
- Ways of eating (including calling out corn as a nonhuman food)
- Organic
- Non-GMO
Even commenters who agree on the definition of 'natural' don't agree that the FDA should define the word, or that manufacturers should use it on labels.
Click through this gallery for a glimpse of some of the comments, and most importantly: Let us know what you think.
Want to comment yourself? Visit the Federal Register here. Comments are being accepted through February 10, 2016.