• Services
    • Column 1
      • Strategy & Consulting
      • Branding & Design
      • Web Design & Development
      • Integrated Marketing
      • Digital Marketing
      • Traditional Marketing
    • Column 2
      • Events Marketing
      • Experiential Marketing
      • Package Design
      • Product Line Management
      • Product Branding
  • Industries
    • Column 1
      • CPGs
      • Food
      • Supplements
      • Skincare
    • Column 2
      • Events
      • Nonprofits
  • Case Studies
    • Column 1
      • Packaging Case Study
      • Branding Case Study
      • Social Community Case Study
      • eCommerce Case Study
    • Column 2
      • Amazon & FBA Strategy Excerpt
      • Product Line Management Excerpt
      • Social Media Strategy Excerpt
      • eCommerce Assessment Excerpt
  • About
  • Work
  • Connect
Robert Trontz | An Integrated Marketer + Designer Robert Trontz | An Integrated Marketer + Designer
  • Services
    • Column 1
      • Strategy & Consulting
      • Branding & Design
      • Web Design & Development
      • Integrated Marketing
      • Digital Marketing
      • Traditional Marketing
    • Column 2
      • Events Marketing
      • Experiential Marketing
      • Package Design
      • Product Line Management
      • Product Branding
  • Industries
    • Column 1
      • CPGs
      • Food
      • Supplements
      • Skincare
    • Column 2
      • Events
      • Nonprofits
  • Case Studies
    • Column 1
      • Packaging Case Study
      • Branding Case Study
      • Social Community Case Study
      • eCommerce Case Study
    • Column 2
      • Amazon & FBA Strategy Excerpt
      • Product Line Management Excerpt
      • Social Media Strategy Excerpt
      • eCommerce Assessment Excerpt
  • About
  • Work
  • Connect

Brands that Behave Badly Could Bring More Regulations to Good Companies

June 10, 2016 Posted by Michelle Trontz Business, Marketing, Natural Products
Trontz Blogs FDA Looking to Regulate Natural Cover

[easy-social-share buttons=”facebook,twitter,pinterest,linkedin,print,mail” counters=0 style=”button”]

Brands that Behave Badly Could Bring More Regulations to Good Companies

It’s been almost 15 years since the National Organic Program (NOP) started restricting the use of the term ‘organic’ on packaging and labeling.

It’s been even longer since the term ‘healthy’ was defined and regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Now the FDA is looking at the term ‘natural’. Here’s why.

Requests for the FDA to Regulate Use of the Term ‘Natural’ on Food Packaging

In Consumers Reports “Peeling Back the ‘Natural’ Food Label” expose the public was asked, “Do you ever buy one brand of cereal, chips, or juice over another because you see ‘natural’ on the label and assume it’s better?” Most people answered yes.

In fact, in a recent Consumer Reports survey of 1,005 adults, more than half of consumers usually seek out products with a ‘natural’ food label, often in the false belief that they’re produced without genetically modified organisms, hormones, pesticides, or artificial ingredients. Nearly two-thirds of those people believe the natural food label means more than it does. Nearly half incorrectly believe that natural claims on labels have been independently verified. 62% of shoppers said they usually buy foods labeled ‘natural.’ And 87% of those surveyed would pay more for a ‘natural’ product if it met their expectations.

The numbers just don’t lie. People care about what they eat. Which is why companies looking to keep their market share during the natural food movement have been slapping the natural claim on any package they like. You will find a number of brands sporting the ‘natural’ label on products that contain everything from artificial preservatives, industrial chemicals such as sodium benzoate and ‘natural’ foods covered in cellulose powder (wood-pulp) to keep small pieces from sticking together. Up until recently, they were getting away with it.

So what exactly does ‘natural’ mean? The Merriam-Webster dictionary elegantly and simply defines natural as “existing in nature and not made or caused by people: coming from nature.”

As far as packaging goes. The word ‘natural’ is meaningless.

Consumer Reports petitioned the FDA in 2014 to define and regulate the term ‘natural’ so shoppers aren’t misled. Last month, prompted by a petition created by Consumer Reports, the FDA started the process to define the term ‘natural’.

The FDA asked for information and public comment on questions such as:

• Whether it is appropriate to define the term ‘natural’,
• If so, how the agency should define ‘natural’, and
• How the agency should determine appropriate use of the term on food labels.

Comments closed May 10th. They received a total of 7,690 comments. Here’s an example one:

“I believe that it is not only appropriate to define the term ‘natural’ but also very important. The agency should define natural as no additives, food colorings, pesticides, thermal technologies, and pasteurization. The agency should determine the appropriate use of the term “natural” on food labels by producing a product that is completely natural and free of additives, food colorings, pesticides, thermal technologies, and pasteurization.”

What Will a FDA Regulation for the Term ‘Natural’ Mean for Natural Food Companies

Consumer Reports is petitioning that the term ‘natural’ be as regulated as the term ‘organic’. Especially since they virtually mean the same thing. In their Stop Confusing Consumers and Ban the Natural Label campaign they collected 33,036 signatures to have the term ‘natural’ banned from food labels that contain any GMO’s, pesticides, hormones or artificial ingredients.

What does this mean for legitimate companies selling ‘natural’ products? It means another layer of regulation in an already heavily regulated industry. According to Time, some corporate giants have already started to abandon the term ‘natural’ from its packaging, labeling, and marketing materials. Even without an official regulation in place. They state that insiders suspect it’s due to the legal actions or the fear of disputes about misleading labels.

If the FDA bans the term ‘natural’, and companies have to go through the ‘organic’ certification process, here’s what you can expect:

https://trontz.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Trontz_Blogs_FDANatural-Image3.jpg

Organic Certification Process and Estimated Costs

The USDA organic products have strict production and labeling requirements. The process will take some time and cost money. But, it’s really not as bad as you may think. And, it’s well worth the efforts. Especially if you would like to use the term ‘organic’ on your principal display panel, or use the USDA organic seal anywhere on the package*.

The basics of what you will need for certification are:
1. Organic products must meet the following requirements: – Produced without excluded methods (e.g., genetic engineering), ionizing radiation, or sewage sludge.
2. Produced per the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances.
3. Overseen by a USDA National Organic Program authorized certifying agent, following all USDA organic regulations.

Labeling Organic Products
Here’s a short breakdown of the three different options for labeling organic products. Check out the USDA’s Labeling Organic Products fact sheet for a full list of requirements.

100% Organic
• ALL ingredients must be certified organic.
• Any processing aids must be organic.
• Product labels must state the name of the certifying agent on the information panel.
• May use the seal and/or 100% organic claim.

Organic
• All agricultural ingredients must be certified organic (except where specified on the National List).
• May contain up to a combined total of 5% of non-organic content (excluding salt and water).
• Product labels must state the name of the certifying agent on the information panel.
• May use the seal and/or organic claim.

“Made With” Organic
• At least 70% of the product must be certified organic ingredients (excluding salt and water).
• Any remaining agricultural ingredients must be produced without excluding methods (see basics #1).
• Non-agricultural products must be specifically allowed on the National List.
• Product labels must state the name of the certifying agent on the information panel.
• May state “made with organic (list specific ingredients)”. May not use the seal or represent finished product as “made with organic ingredients”.

If your product contains certified organic ingredients but the product itself isn’t certified, you are only able to identify certified organic ingredients in your ingredients panel.

https://trontz.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Trontz_Blogs_FDANatural-Image2.jpg

Costs for Organic Certification
Organic certification costs can vary depending on the size of your production operation and on the accredited agency you choose to use. Sarah Costin, Co-owner of A Bee Organic, an accredited Organic Certification Agency was gracious enough to give us a rough idea of what you can expect if you choose to go through the process. Here’s what we learned:

In general, organic certification costs will include an application fee, site inspection fee, and an annual certification fee based on gross sales of the certified organic product.

• Initial Application Fee: Dependent on the certifier. Average cost can be $275. A Bee Organic charges $200.
• Site Inspection Fee: Depends on the size of the facility/handler, usually less than $500 for a small site.
• Annual Certification Fee: Certification fees are based on a percentage of gross income from the organic products. A Bee Organic charges approximately 0.001%, depending on sales and category. A single ingredient product with less than $10,000 in annual sales could cost approximately $550. Have $100,000 in sales? Then your cost is roughly $850.00. Fees do vary. When looking for a certified be sure to shop around and ask about hidden fees.

The USDA offers a “Cost Sharing Program” on a state by state basis that can save your business up to 75% of the costs associated with the organic certification process, not to exceed $750 per year. The requests for application for this fiscal year is now available. All applications must be received by 5:00 p.m. ET on July 5, 2016.

If you are not ready to obtain an organic certification, no need to worry just yet. While the process to ban the term ‘natural’ has started, it will take some time for it to come to fruition. To keep things in perspective, it took the FDA 6 years to define the terms for Gluten Free labeling.

However, when considering whether to certify or not, take into account the public’s perspective on organic foods. The organics industry reached its record high for sales in 2015 with a total of $43.3 billion, states the Organic Trade Association’s in their recent press release. They also state that the industry has had double-digit growth for the fourth year in a row, with a $3.9 billion increase over 2014.

Because of brands that choose to behave badly, people are starting to lose trust in food labels. Certifications will add a level of accountability to the brands touting ‘natural’ foods, making it easier for legitimate ‘natural’ food companies to promote their “better” products. It’s just a matter of those legitimate companies finding the time and cash to go through the process.

How do you feel about the FDA regulating the term ‘natural’? Let us know in the comments.

*Some operations are exempt from certification, including organic farmers who sell $5,000 or less.

[easy-social-share buttons=”facebook,twitter,pinterest,linkedin,print,mail” counters=0 style=”button”]

Tags: FDAfood labelsmarketing for small businessesnatural foodsnatural productsorganic labelingUSDA

About Michelle Trontz

Michelle Trontz is the co-founder of Trontz, an integrated marketing & design studio. A native NY’er who relocated to the mountains, she combines urban ideology with natural living ideals to help companies find their way in a complicated and crowded world.

You also might be interested in

5 Essentials That Absolutely Need To Be In Your Marketing Budget

5 Essentials That Absolutely Need To Be In Your Marketing Budget

Apr 26, 2016

Small businesses are killing it in today’s economy. The SBA states that a small business starts every minute. That means that two or three businesses will start before you even finish reading this post.

5 Social Media Best Practices Any Small Business Can Do

5 Social Media Best Practices Any Small Business Can Do

May 27, 2016

40% of marketers believe that social media marketing has become more difficult in the last 12 months. Great! Just what we all wanted to hear.

The Dirty Dozen Digital Etiquette Mistakes People Make

The Dirty Dozen Digital Etiquette Mistakes People Make

Jun 3, 2016

Most of us are masters of our own universe when we present and engage in person. However, things can change dramatically when we are online.

19 Comments

Leave your reply.
  • erotik
    · Reply

    January 12, 2021 at 2:19 AM

    Hi there, after reading this awesome article i am as well cheerful to share my familiarity here with friends. Kasey Delmar Pergrim

  • bahis
    · Reply

    January 21, 2021 at 10:44 PM

    Thanks for sharing your info. I truly appreciate your efforts and I will be waiting for your further post thank you once again. Twyla Raynard Fleischer

  • torrent
    · Reply

    January 31, 2021 at 3:45 PM

    I have been checking out some of your articles and i can claim pretty clever stuff. I will make sure to bookmark your blog. Betteann Trefor Goat

  • direk
    · Reply

    January 31, 2021 at 9:43 PM

    Hiya, I am really glad I have found this information. Today bloggers publish just about gossip and net stuff and this is really irritating. A good website with interesting content, that is what I need. Thank you for making this site, and I will be visiting again. Do you do newsletters by email? Cilka Neddy Latta

  • yabanci
    · Reply

    February 10, 2021 at 9:30 AM

    Do you have the Ivory Silk Japanese Lilac trees and if so what sizes? Katerina Bruis Anthony

  • dublaj
    · Reply

    February 10, 2021 at 1:49 PM

    Howdy, I do think your site could possibly be having internet browser compatibility issues. Whenever I take a look at your blog in Safari, it looks fine but when opening in Internet Explorer, it has some overlapping issues. I merely wanted to give you a quick heads up! Besides that, wonderful website! Morena Frederich Aurelius

  • erotik
    · Reply

    February 11, 2021 at 10:00 AM

    please pay a visit to the web pages we comply with, which includes this one particular, as it represents our picks in the web Basia Henrik Laurentia

  • yabanci
    · Reply

    February 11, 2021 at 10:32 PM

    Simply wanna input that you have a very nice site, I like the style and design it actually stands out. Hadria Jeremy Ribal

  • turkce
    · Reply

    February 11, 2021 at 11:42 PM

    Still valuable, even if not as cutting edge news as you had hoped! Ketti Jeffry Truman

  • erotik
    · Reply

    February 12, 2021 at 3:59 AM

    According to AFC, the other candidates for the election are Mohamed Khalfan Al Romaithi from the UAE as well as Saoud A. Aziz an Al-Mohannadi from Qatar. Mara Coop Alo

  • erotik
    · Reply

    February 12, 2021 at 6:58 AM

    Now curiosity you explained immediate Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum standard dummy lorem Ipsum is simply dummy. Dorotea Winfield Maxfield

  • indirmeden
    · Reply

    February 12, 2021 at 8:16 AM

    You should take part in a contest for one of the greatest blogs on the net. I am going to recommend this site! Barbee Emanuele Mitinger

  • erotik
    · Reply

    February 12, 2021 at 12:34 PM

    Great post! We are linking to this particularly great post on our site. Keep up the good writing. Cornie Arnuad Atalya

  • erotik
    · Reply

    February 13, 2021 at 1:56 AM

    Greate article. Keep writing such kind of info on your blog. Tildy Francesco Singhal

  • erotik
    · Reply

    February 13, 2021 at 3:05 AM

    I was able to find good advice from your blog articles. Caitlin Jdavie Clarine

  • erotik
    · Reply

    February 16, 2021 at 10:41 AM

    I will recommend your beautiful post site to my friends Barbey Kyle Owens

  • erotik
    · Reply

    February 16, 2021 at 11:41 AM

    These are genuinely great ideas in on the topic of blogging. Gwenora Nevin Perceval

  • turkce
    · Reply

    February 16, 2021 at 9:49 PM

    Excellent read, I just passed this onto a friend who was doing a little research on that. And he actually bought me lunch since I found it for him smile So let me rephrase that: Thanks for lunch! Jeniece Roderick Ive

  • turkce
    · Reply

    February 16, 2021 at 10:54 PM

    Hi there, just wanted to mention, I enjoyed this article. It was practical. Keep on posting!| Essa Gun Cully

Leave a Reply

Tell us what you think.
Cancel Reply

About TMD

I am a creative marketer with an edge. I often work with companies in the natural products and healthy lifestyle space because I have regulatory knowledge, business know-how and a deep understanding of the ‘natural consumer’.

Newsletter Sign Up

Latest Posts

Google Uses Ranking Algorithms To Combat MisInformation

Google Uses Ranking Algorithms To Combat MisInformation

February 26, 2019

Fake news, spammy content and disinformation plagued the web in 2018. So much that misinformation was named the word of the year by Dictionary.com. Google is now stepping in to do something about it. Read on to see what’s in store for 2019.

Why Marketing Natural Products is So Complicated: Part 3 – The Claims Conundrum

Why Marketing Natural Products is So Complicated: Part 3 – The Claims Conundrum

February 19, 2019

Many marketers’ wonder; if we know an ingredient has been used medicinally for centuries why are we restricted from talking about the natural benefits today?

Why Marketing Natural Products is So Complicated: Part 2 – Natural Doesn’t Necessarily Mean Safe

Why Marketing Natural Products is So Complicated: Part 2 – Natural Doesn’t Necessarily Mean Safe

February 12, 2019

Misbranding issues can halt the growth of a company. The costs to rectify issues across many mediums such as websites, packaging and promotions is hefty.

Comments

  • Miles on Google Uses Ranking Algorithms To Combat MisInformation
  • free xxx pornstar movies on Google Uses Ranking Algorithms To Combat MisInformation
  • gay sex at work on Google Uses Ranking Algorithms To Combat MisInformation
  • Jackie Golder on Google Uses Ranking Algorithms To Combat MisInformation
  • Samantha Milan on Google Uses Ranking Algorithms To Combat MisInformation

Topics

Get to Know Us

Find Us

  • Robert Trontz
  • Trontz Integrated Marketing & Design Inc.
  • Canon City, CO., 81212
  • 6314956755
  • robert@trontz.com

Newsletter

  • Home
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Client Login
  • Case Studies

PROUD MEMBERS OF:

Advertisment
Advertisment

© Copyright 2021 TRONTZ INTEGRATED MARKETING & DESIGN INC. All Rights Reserved.

Prev Next