Are You Sure You Know What “All Natural” Actually Means?

“All Natural” or “Natural” sounds so good doesn’t it! However, like most food labels it is deceiving in it’s intuitive definition vs. what the USDA and FDA understand it to mean. Plus, neither the FDA nor the USDA have strict guidelines for the word “natural” on food labels and the term “all natural” generally does not require certification.  

The USDA Definition 

The USDA defines “all natural” as a product containing no artificial ingredient or added color, and that is only minimally processed meaning it’s processed in a manner that does not fundamentally alter the product.

What does that mean? That means animals raised with hormones and antibiotics can still fall under the “natural” category, which is one reason we don’t use the label. Our animals are raised without being fed antibiotics or growth hormones.  

The FDA  Definition

 The FDA has considered the term "natural" to mean that nothing artificial or synthetic (including all color additives regardless of source) has been included in, or has been added to, a food that would not normally be expected to be in that food. 

 What does this Mean? This policy was not intended to address food production methods, such as the use of pesticides, nor did it explicitly address food processing or manufacturing methods, such as thermal technologies, pasteurization, or irradiation. Some believe that frozen meat does not fall under the “natural” category. The FDA also did not consider whether the term "natural" should describe any nutritional or other health benefit. 

What this means for you.

The good news is that Everett Beef is a product that uses no additives in the harvesting process, and goes above and beyond the “all natural” label standards. You can feel confident of a high quality product that also strives to meet you health needs.