Deciphering Food Labels: Where to Start?
When purchasing products from around the world like coffee, tea and spices, it can be hard to decide what would be the most sustainable option. In addition to considering packaging and the distance goods travel, there are numerous labels that can lead you to make a sustainable choice. In an era of “greenwashing,'' where companies seek to capitalize on consumers interested in making more sustainable choices, it can be hard to tell what is really environmentally “friendly” or not.
When it doubt, look for certified labels that are backed up by regulations and real practices. Staying away from things that say “natural,” use leaves in their logo, or arbitrarily have green packaging are tell-tale signs of greenwashing. Below you’ll find a basic overview of labels that you’ll find on most foods, what they mean, and how you can use them to make informed choices.
With all of these labels, it should be noted that they are often used as an excuse to charge more, and the certification process can be prohibitively costly for small producers. This often means that the cost gets put on consumers making the goods more expensive. Choosing to buy products that have these certifications is a privilege that not all consumers have. Also, many of these goods can only be found in “healthy” or “eco” stores, which often do not reach low-income populations. These aspects of access are important to consider when purchasing groceries and essential to consider before judging someone’s food choices.
If you have the means, we recommend buying products with ecological certifications when you are able, and supporting businesses with sustainable missions with your dollars when possible.
“Local:”
Alrighty, so let’s start off with this one cause it’s a doozy, folks.
Local can mean within 50 miles, 100 miles, the same county, the same state, etc. It all depends on who is saying it. It also can be confusing because it can refer to where things were made, not grown. Example: “Local New York Coffee” means the beans were roasted there. They were definitely not grown in New York State, I promise. When in doubt, buying anything that was grown or produced closer to where you’re eating it is going to be a more sustainable choice (read our cornerstone article on sustainable eating for more). But when it comes to advertising and labels, keep in mind that not all “local” labels are synonymous. Normally the back of a product will say where it is produced so that can give you a better sense, and when in doubt, don’t be afraid to ask!
“Best Before” and “Sell By” Dates:
The Best By date is made by the producer and refers to the date recommended that you use the product by for best physical and/or sensory quality such as color, texture, and taste.
The Sell By date is a similar date but made as a tool for stores to keep foods like milk, eggs and other perishables as fresh as possible in their stores. It is also an advisory date, and food can safely be consumed after this date.
Both dates are not expiration dates, but rather advisory dates by which the producer recommends consumption for highest quality. It means that eating something past its best by date means it may not be in peak condition but it is still very safe to eat! Rather than throwing away food past its date, give it a smell and use your judgement to decide if it’s still good. You may need to eat it faster after opening than something you just purchased, but using your best judgement could help reduce arbitrary food waste.
Fair Trade
Fair Trade guarantees sustainable land cultivation, restricted use of pesticides and fertilizers, no use of GMO, and most uniquely fair wage to farmers. Seeing this label means that ideally more of the money spent by a consumer is going back to the original producer and their community. Usually it means that they are getting a certain percentage of the profits, and that a percent of the profits are also go to community projects like schools in farming communities where the product is grown. This is especially important for things like coffee, tea, spices, that travel long distances and pass through many hands before reaching your countertop. Each person takes a chunk of the profits leaving the farmers with barely enough to break even. If you’re looking to support more farmers abroad with your purchases we recommend you look for Fair Trade labels on goods.
There are some critiques of Fair Trade saying that they don’t do enough with the money or that the certification is just another extra cost. While these are valid critiques, we believe that Fair Trade brings more economic development to agricultural communities around the world.
There are multiple similar but different Fair Trade labels that you may find in a store. This is because there were factions of Fair Trade that split into Fair Trade America and Fair Trade USA. We haven’t found any significant difference between the two certification processes and believe that both provide consumers with the same piece-of-mind about where and how food is produced.
Rainforest Alliance
Rainforest alliance products are products that are grown in a sustainable environment, using low or no pesticides, as well as with a focus on fair worker treatment. Fruits, coffee, spices, furniture, and even soap can all be certified. The details of the certification process vary for each product but the mission of environmental and community stewardship around the world is consistent across categories.
Rainforest alliance has gone through major restructuring and mergers, most recently with a mega firm, UTZ. For these reasons there has been heavy critique of Rainforest Alliance that they have “watered down” their standards. For this reason, we support Rainforest Alliance but urge them to continue to be a force for ecological and community good.
Bird Friendly Coffee
This certification is considered the gold standard of ecological certification for coffee. Based on Smithsonian research, this coffee is grown under a shade canopy using agroecological practices and fosters ecosystem diversity. This label is only on coffee and often hard to find in major grocers.
Non-GMO Project
The Non-GMO Project label is now extremely prevalent in grocery stores and on a wide variety of products (what is GMO?). It has been associated with an increase in profits for those companies that choose to use this label, and many products that do not have ingredients with a genetically modified variety still have this label. This can be confusing when there’s only a handful of GMO foods approved for human consumption in the US by the FDA. It can seem silly to see this label on something like shredded coconut which has no GMO alternative. Nevertheless, many of the GMO crops that are approved often show up in processed foods—like corn, canola, and soy—so this label can be really helpful for foods with many ingredients.
While GMO’s are legal to grow and sell in the US, Vermont is about to start requiring GMO labeling, which will push the whole country forward on this issue. And, there are many countries where they are not legal, so producers looking to sell outside of the US may find this label and certification process helpful for international sales.
If GMOs are more sustainable than non-GMO varieties is up to heated debate. Supporters of genetic engineering claim that modified crops will use less resources. Critics claim that they are severely under tested and could be bad for our health and the environment. More on this in future articles we promise.
Note: all organic foods are non-GMO, so if you see a USDA Organic label (below), you can assume there are no GMO ingredients in the product.
Bioengineered
Starting January 1, 2020, all foods containing ingredients that are made from have been “modified through certain lab techniques and cannot be created through conventional breeding or found in nature” will be required to have this symbol. How will this affect food choices? Only time will tell.
USDA Organic
USDA Organic products are produced without excluded methods, (e.g., genetic engineering, ionizing radiation, or sewage sludge), produced using allowed fertilizers and pesticides, and are overseen by a certifying agent. This means that they are produced using pesticides and fertilizers that are safer for humans and animals, and farmers are more likely to use things like compost and encourage beneficial insects on their farms. With small farms, organic can be significantly better for your carbon footprint, but with big industrial farms the debate is still out. In terms of ecological impacts, organic is considered much better, but again, monocultures and big companies can reduce that. I loved this New York Times article for their overview weighing the pros and cons of organic production.
We believe that when possible, choosing organic will support farmers that are making environmental and human health a priority. Opt for organic from small local producers rather than big corporate organic companies when possible. If you’re buying from a small producer, ask them about organic and know that often those selling at Farmers’ Markets may not have the capital to certify, but may still follow organic practices. When in doubt, talk to your farmer!
Important Note:
“Made with organic ingredients” means that only 70% of ingredients in a processed food need to be certified USDA Organic.
“Organic” means that only 95% of ingredients need to be certified.
“100% Organic” means… well that’s pretty straightforward there.
If you want to get into the nitty gritty, read about it directly from the USDA’s page to see all the details.
Vegan and Gluten Free:
Usually producers are quick to label if something is vegan or gluten free because they see it as a marketing tool. Some things are naturally vegan or gluten free and long ingredient lists can feel daunting. Quick tip: under the ingredients list the FDA requires producers to list if a product contains the top 8 allergens (milk, egg, peanut, tree nuts, soy, wheat, fish and crustacean shellfish) which can be a quick way to figure out if something is gluten-free or vegan without scanning a full list. More on veganism, equity and sustainability in future articles.
Kosher, Halal and other culturally important certifications:
There are numerous different labels for how food is produced and if it follows Kosher, Halal or other designations. They are often subtle but can be found on things from Oreos to Kraft Mac & Cheese. There are a large variety of these labels and when cooking it is important to understand who you are cooking for and what their cultural needs around food are! Food is much more than just nutrients so in all cases keeping in mind how food nourishes body and soul is essential to staying connected with your food.
(We are not going more into depth on these labels because we do not feel like this is an area of expertise for our team and would hate to spread false information about these important labels. If you feel there is anything to be added to this section or other parts of this article, please email us at groundedgrub@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!)
