Why food reformers have mixed feelings about eco-labels: salt: NPR

Stroll through the history of the grocery store and parcels will speak to you, proclaiming their moral virtue, appealing to your ideals: Bio. Without cage. Fair trade.

When I recently explored the world of eco-labels, I was surprised to find that some of the people who know the labels better are deeply ambivalent about them.

Rebecca Thistlethwaite, for example. She has spent most of her life trying to create a better food system that is good for the environment and humane for animals. At present, she heads the support network for niche meat processors, which helps young farmers understand how to earn a living.

"I would never get rid of labels, I think farmers need to be able to tell their story," she says. The words "organic" or "high grazing" can help tell this story.

Yet many of these labels also frustrate her. There is often a gap between what they seem to promise and what they actually deliver. Marketing fills this gap.

(For a list of some labels and their actual meaning, you can go to the bottom of this story.)

For example, "free" eggs probably came from chickens that spent most of their life, if not their entire life, indoors. And then there is "non-GMO".

When I mention this label, Thistlethwaite lets out a sigh. "I'll tell you it's probably my least favorite label," she says.

Non-GMO means, of course, that this food is not made from genetically modified crops. There are GM versions of corn, soybeans, canola and sugar beets, as well as a few other crops.

But companies are now printing this GMO-free label on items like strawberries or mangoes, which are never genetically modified. "They do it to differentiate themselves, even if their product is exactly the same as everything else on the shelves," said Thistlethwaite. "It's primarily a market-driven label that big industries really love."

Food companies love this, apparently, because people think that non-GMO products are good for the environment. maybe it means less pesticide spraying.
But that's not what it means.

"Non-GMO crops are still grown conventionally, with pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, and there is no significant environmental benefit," Thistlethwaite said.

The term "organic", on the other hand, really means that the food has been grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. Matthew Dillon, director of agricultural policies and programs at Clif Bar, believes it is the most trusted eco-label. "It's totally transparent, it's enforced by law, it's strong," he says.

But the organic industry also sometimes sometimes has too many promises, he says. It markets organic products as being healthier for you, the consumer. The proof of this, however, is weak. There is much stronger evidence that it is better for the environment. "It makes a difference primarily for farmers, rural communities, soil health, animal welfare," Dillon said.

An even bigger problem with the labels came when I was talking to Kim Elena Ionescu, Sustainable Development Manager at the Specialty Coffee Association.

We talked about the benefits of fair trade coffee. Ionescu explained that most fair trade products came from small farmers organized in cooperatives and that certification guaranteed a minimum price for their products.

"And chances are, you're improving someone's life?" I ask.

Ionescu pauses for a few seconds. "I hope," she said.

"You do not seem very convinced," I say.

"Well, that's where I feel that the marketing strategy is getting tricky," says Ionescu. He explains that a minimum price, even 30% higher than the market price, as it is today, may not be enough to raise a small coffee producer out of poverty.

"I mean, it is possible that this producer has a very small amount of land, and there is no price high enough to make this piece of land a viable economic support system for this family," she says.

Or, as Rebecca Thistlethwaite said, "Labels are like dressings, they are superficial and relaxing solutions to systemic problems."

The purchase of food bearing labels such as "organic" or "grass fed" may not be very useful for preserving wildlife habitat or for slowing down global warming .

It may seem depressing. But Matthew Dillon, at Clif Bar, says that should not be the case. Consumers should really feel relieved, he says. "They should, first of all, understand that the improvement of the food system does not concern them all.They do not have to feel guilty and ashamed of the purchases they make."

Our individual buying decisions are not going to solve these big problems, he says. But political decisions, such as better environmental regulations, could really do it. That's what people should really focus on, he says.

Some ethical labels and their meanings

Biological

It is the most important and well known eco-label. Organic farmers follow rules prohibiting synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. The use of genetically modified ingredients is prohibited and there are minimum standards for the humane treatment of animals. Organic cattle and chickens consume only organic food, which is why organic eggs are more expensive. Organic farmers can use composted animal manure as fertilizer and control the pests of natural predators or rotate their crops.

Organic standards are monitored by a network of companies or private organizations that certify each farmer or processor. Violations of organic norms can also be prosecuted as federal crimes.

Non-GMO

These foods are largely free of ingredients from genetically modified crops – mainly corn, soybeans, sugar beets and canola. The most popular non-GMO tag, displaying the logo of a butterfly, is run by the non-profit Non-GMO project. However, nothing in this standard requires specific farming practices. Unless they are also certified organic, GM-free crops are usually grown with conventional pesticides.

Without cage

These eggs came from chickens that are not housed in wire cages. They are always inside, however. "They live on the floor of a barn," says Rebecca Thistlethwaite. "There may be some roosts in there, but they are pretty close packed." Many of these cageless hen houses are very large and contain tens of thousands of birds. This label only applies to eggs because chickens reared for their meat are never kept in cages.

Free range

According to the USDA definition, "free" eggs must come from hens with some access to the outside. Thistlethwaite, however, considers this label misleading. "You could have a big barn with 100,000 chickens, and just a few small doors," she says. "You are going to visit that kind of farm, and there are maybe 30 hens on the outside who have discovered how to get out of these gates."

Raised pasture

This label, if supported by a credible certification body, means a lot. Pastured chickens actually spend a lot of their time looking for pasture. This usually means that they are also regularly moved to different pastures. Thistlethwaite says that consumers should be wary of egg producers who try to put this label on their products without doing the job. Look for certifications that are applied. Thistlethwaite prefers "Animal Welfare Approved". Consumer Reports has also developed a guide.

Fed to the grass

This label is found mainly on beef. This means that the cattle have never been confined to a conventional feedlot and fed a diet rich in cereals. Much of the grass fed beef that you will see in American grocery stores is ground beef, often sourced from Australia. However, if you are looking for it, you can also find grass-fed steaks and other cuts of beef from cattle raised in the United States. Once again, Thistlethwaite suggests that consumers seek third-party certification, for example from the American Grassfed Association.

Fair trade

This label appears most often on coffee or chocolate, but sometimes on banana. It is managed and verified by several Fair Trade certification organizations. Fair trade coffee producers are guaranteed a minimum price for their product. Historically, this minimum price is higher than the standard market price. At present, it's 30% more. In most cases, fair trade products have also been grown by small farmers organized into cooperatives.