Shopping at the grocery store can feel like a lesson in food marketing. There is plenty of jargon that gets placed on food items, but do these terms hold real value? Itβs easy to think the words βnaturalβ and βorganicβ are interchangeable, for example, but they arenβt.
We often have to educate ourselves to better understand the nuances, and to ensure weβre making the right choices for ourselves and our loved ones. Here are some sustainable, ethical, and healthy food buzzwords to know and understand.
Battery cages
Battery cages are tight quarters where four to eight hens live without the space to flap their wings or move around. These cramped cages donβt allow the birds to do much more than the basics of eating, drinking, excreting, and laying eggs. A new code was implemented in 2017 that forbids building new battery cages in Canada, with the goal of phasing them out entirely by 2036.
BiodynamicΒ
Biodynamic is a style of farming that focuses on working with the cycles of nature. It doesnβt rely on the use of any type of chemicals to grow the food, which is believed to be better for both us and the planet.
Cage-free
βCage-freeβ is often a label youβll see when buying eggs. This can be a misleading or even meaningless term, because itβs possible the hens never go outside of their cage, or only leave it for a couple of hours a day. But because these enclosures are bigger than battery cages, the producers can still claim the chickens are βcage-free.β
Genetically engineered
Foods that have been altered by transferring or removing genes are said to be genetically engineered. Currently, the Canadian government doesnβt require companies to label foods that are genetically modifiedβmaking it more difficult for us to know if what we are eating has been altered or not. However, the rules do require that all food labeling must be honest without intentions to deceive or misconstrue.
Grass-fed and pasture-raised
A cowβs normal diet is grass, but the industrialization of the global food system wants everything faster and biggerβso mass-agriculture feedlots give their cows corn, along with antibiotics, to speed up the process for slaughter. In Canada, the government currently doesnβt regulate the terms βgrass-fed,β βgrass-only,β or βgrass-fed and finished,β making it harder for us to know if the meat we are purchasing comes from cows that spent their entire lives, or only a portion, on pasture. But there are third-party organizations that serve as a guide to help you understand if the meat you buy is grass-fed.
Natural or all-naturalΒ
βNaturalβ or βall-naturalβ often graces the labels of a variety of food products to make us think that they are healthy, but these words areΒ sometimesΒ meaningless. The good news is that in Canada, at least, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has specific criteria that a food must meet to beΒ called βnatural.β Any food that has minerals, vitamins, or other nutrients addedβor a food that has gone through a process that alters it significantlyβcannotΒ use this label.
Non-GMO
Non-GMO (genetically-modified organisms) refers to any food that hasnβt had its genetic makeup altered in any way. Genetically-modified foods are not allowed to be sold in Canada unless Health Canada deems them safe for consumers. Over the last 20 years, 140 different genetically-modified food items have been considered fine for us to eat.
Organic
The term βorganicβ gets thrown around a lot, but to be considered organic and labeled as such, the food must be made up of a minimum of 95 percent organic ingredients. The word is actually regulated, and farmers must maintain good records in case they are audited by an inspectorβwhich would require them to show the entire process, from seeds to the final product. The βorganicβ label must come from a recognized certification body that is approved by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
There are a lot of confusing healthy, ethical, and sustainable food buzzwords to navigate. With a little understanding, though, you can be more empowered while you shop.
