Food labels and certificates
How can we ensure that we’re getting the best food quality?
There are different labels and certificates to help us with that, but there are also things that we have to keep in mind when we rely on these.
Natural VS Organic
In most countries Natural is an unprotected label and it can be used as a completely inconsequential marketing term. It says absolutely nothing about the food quality or farming standards. Meanwhile Organic is a protected label in nearly every country on the planet. So for a rule of thumb, always be suspicious of any product with a Natural label, while Organic will most likely deliver what you’re looking for.
Regional differences
Sometimes the terms differ from country to country. Organic (mostly used in the US) is called Bio in most of Europe. While they are synonymous, they still have different certification standards depending on the country and sometimes even the individual state. On top of governmental certifications, there are also private certifiers. These differ in regulation and can mean drastically higher or lower requirements for a farmer. That’s why it’s always a good idea to check out the certification body to ensure that it aligns with your expected standards.
Certified? Tested?
Most serious certifiers will not only inspect the farms but they will do so regularly. This is done to protect the consumer. But not every certificate is regularly tested. Some certifiers simply require a one time inspection while others will insepct a farmer up to multiple times a year. Further care has to be taken when trusting “Green” sounding labels in supermarkets or from mass producers. Many of them have started to create their own labels which have very lax requirements and sometimes don’t even do any inspections at all. And even those that do inspections are basically inspecting themselves, making them useless (if not even borderline fraudulent).
Special labels
Some labels like Biodynamic (also called Demeter in Europe) go above and beyond organic. They include regulations that might not specifically impact food quality, such as a focus on biodiversity, ethical treatment of farm animals, traditional farming methods, etc. On average this also reflects in the price of their products. Whether one wants to pay a bit more for that is up to the individual, they do certainly deliver high quality food. You can read more about it here.
Costs to the farmer
Official certification can sometimes be quite costly and small farmers might not be able to afford it. If you can, you should talk to your farmer about their practices and opinions on food quality. Chances are you might pass on a great small farm just because they can’t afford certification!
Things to avoid
When not buying directly from a farmer you should always read the food labels. In most countries, supermarkets and producers are required to label GMO ingredients, soy, added sugar and other things that you might not want to eat. In general it is easier to just buy unprocessed food and support your local farmers though. :)