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By Lauren Murphy: WASHINGTON (VR) –Consumer Reports is campaigning to remove the label natural from food products. They say it’s deceptively used and “widely misunderstood” by consumers. While the FDA says products with the label shouldn’t include anything artificial, it has not issued any solid guidelines on what the products can and can’t contain. Melinda Hemmelgarn is a registered dietician and the host of Food Sleuth Radio. She said she thinks the campaign is a great idea. “Consumer Reports gets no advertising dollars, so all of their work is essentially nonbiased.” “We know that consumers oftentimes think that Natural labeling is superior to organic and nothing could be further from the truth.” Hemmelgarn said it is highly politically charged. “The food industry makes a lot of money based on consumer misunderstanding. Consumers will pay more for something that has a natural label on it even though it doesn’t confer any health benefits.” She said organic foods are better because they are regulated by the USDA and farmers have strict guidelines they have to adhere to to obtain approval. Source: Voice of Russia - US Edition
