Daily Archive

Marion Nestle is a favorite author of mine. We don’t agree on every point, but I love her sardonic wit and commonsense approach. She appeared on Colbert a few weeks ago, and we were all (or some of us, anyway) looking forward to an important issue being discussed. In true Colbert fashion, though, Marion was asked to comment on a “sugar shortage” in the US. Her quick wit really shined.

Now, Marion writes that the USDA is to define “Natural” meat. It’s disturbing that consumers prefer products labelled “Natural” over those labelled “Organic” because “Organic” has a very clear definition, rules to be followed and penalties for infractions, while, as I’ve mentioned several times here, the word “Natural” is undefined for most foods.

I like the direction the USDA is headed with their definition. It sounds similar to the definition of organic meat, with some major differences. At the very least we can be thankful the USDA takes the word “Natural” seriously enough to define it, right?