| USDA ‘Naturally Raised’ Label Takes Comments and Criticism |
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| Written by Heather McKee | |
| Wednesday, 06 February 2008 | |
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A large group of chickens – debeaked, photophobic and packed in poultry shacks tighter than mall shoppers on Black Friday – will qualify as ‘naturally raised’ under the new label proposed by the USDA, so long as they were never doped up with antibiotics or growth hormones. The USDA believes the proposed label could add a 10% value to poultry and other meats – a sort of purgatory between conventional and organic meats. There’s definitely some interest in the idea out there – Chipotle Mexican Grill, for one, pledged to purchase 52 million pounds of ‘naturally raised meats’ in the next year – though they believe the definition should also include humane treatment and vegetarian diets for the animals. So far the USDA has received more than 2,500 comments on the proposed label, many of them citing the deceptiveness of a ‘naturally raised’ label for animals leading highly unnatural lives. Consumer Reports surveyed folks and found that 83% of us think that ‘naturally raised’ animals should mean ‘raised in a natural environment’ in addition to never being treated with antibiotics or growth hormones. Because of the large response, the USDA will accept comments on the proposed label for another month, through March 3rd. This of course is all in the midst of the USDA and the FDA sweating out a better definition of just ‘natural’ in response to food giants and consumers’ unions suing the pants off each other over uncategorized ingredients. Whether confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) will be able to sell their animals as USDA certified ‘naturally raised’ remains to be seen. What is certain is that the battle over labels will continue to rage between corporations eager to claim their share of increasing environmentally conscious consumers – that’s right - us envirovores.
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  written by Kristin, February 07, 2008
It is pertinent that people understand the life history of the food that they buy. Labels such as "organic" and "natural" no longer provide reassurance that the food we eat is sustainably raised, healthy for the environment, or adequately nutritious for ourselves. There is no environmental or health benefit to eating those "naturally raised" chickens than eating other chickens, aside from the fact that we have less chance of becoming antibiotic resistant and fewer hormones are getting into the water supply. The nutrition content of those birds will be inferior as well and the costs of transporting them 3000 miles across the country will outweigh any benefits of fewer hormones/antibiotics. People need to ignore the labels in the supermarket and start buying locally, from small farms. It is a better quality product that is produced through sustainable agriculture, and everybody involved in happier (except that big agricorps, which is fine by me).
written by Terra, February 22, 2008
Chipotle grill is an awesome restaurant. Even their construction materials are pretty green [primarily recycled and/or easily recyclable materials, low VOC paints/caulking, etc.]. Most of their options are vegan friendly [although they put bacon in their pinto beans... for no apparent reason DX]. And several of their restaurants already do serve "natural" meat raised on a vegetarian diet. Even though this is not nearly 'good enough' to be considered really green, conscientious, or ethical in the pure sense, it's still leaps and bounds ahead of other conventional restaurants.
I think everyone just need to eat less meat so that changes like actual "natural" meat can happen. Currently the meat and dairy industry are just too massive to properly regulate. It's your own faults.
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It's true what our moms said...we are what we eat. In fact, it's truer than they thought. What I eat doesn't just affect me anymore, it affects all of us.
Unfortunately, the story of food can sometimes be complicated. But envirovores help each other out...which is why this blog will be bringing you news, tips, and information about food and the environment every step of the way.
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