The Agrarian's Alcove Celebrates Black History Month

Alright, let’s face it. It’s a new year. And if you’re in college in the US, then most of you are going back to school this week. But whether you’re a mom, a college kid, or a single adult, we ALL have to grocery shop. With the New Year I know many people have resolutions to eat healthier, cleaner, or maybe to just cut back on spending so much money on food! In 2013 people spent over $717 million on food **at home (no restaurants)** in the US alone. I imagine that with the trends in organic and natural foods rising, we will surpass $730 million mark if we haven’t already (find the charts here). So, welcome to my second post in the series of The Savvy Shopper’s Guide series. You can read the first post here.

Let me start by clearing up some confusion. I think people get confused by the labels “natural,” “naturally raised,” and “organic.” Some people I have spoken to, thought they were all very similar or meant the same thing. They are not the same thing. To be organic, produce or meats have to be raised a certain way. I talked about that in the last post. The definition of “natural” according to the USDA is “a product containing no artificial ingredient or added color and is only minimally processed. Minimal processing means that the product was processed in a manner that does not fundamentally alter the product.”¹ This does not mean that the products were naturally raised. Douglas George, the purchasing manager from Chipotle, believes that naturally raised means no added hormones, or antibiotics, and raised in a humane way². There is no set-in-stone definition of naturally raised, but I’m sure that Mr. George’s definition is similar to our own. The problem with this is that when food is labeled with the terms “naturally” and “naturally raised”, the two seem interchangeable. I want you to know that when meat is labeled “natural” it doesn’t mean naturally raised. It means no artificial colors or ingredients were used in this meat, and it’s minimally processed. All fresh meat sold in stores is natural.

Now that you know what the term natural really means, we can talk about whether there are any advantages to buying natural foods! I have heard people say that they eat natural foods because they are healthier, or safer than conventional foods because they are not processed. On the contrary, there have been more food safety issues with natural dairy products because they aren’t processed! **gasp** Okay are we over the shock yet?? No? Alright let me explain. When we buy milk, cheese, or anything dairy, we want it to be pasteurized. To kill any naturally occurring bacteria that is in milk. Geni Wren wrote that the consumption of raw (natural) milk has been associated with cases of listeria (that gross bacteria that Blue Bell Ice-cream was shut down for), E. coli, miscarriages, and several more illnesses³. Guys, even if you choose to drink raw milk, for whatever reason…PLEASE DO NOT DRINK IT IF YOU ARE PREGNANT. In one of my first posts I talked about a vegan couple who was put in jail for knowingly killing their child. Their doctor told them that the baby was not getting all the nutrients needed through breastfeeding, but because the parents were so set in their ways they would not give the baby formula. Because it wasn’t “natural.” The baby died, and they were arrested. I am telling you right now, not to take a chance on raw milk.

Alright, so no advantages with food safety…let’s talk sustainability. Animals that are “naturally raised” out of confinement have a greater environmental impact⁴. Remember the 3 pillars of sustainability? Economic, Ethical, and Environmental efficiency. I said last time that to be sustainable, agriculture must be responsible for those three things. If those animals are causing a greater environmental impact, then it is not sustainable. Also, have you noticed a price difference between items labeled “all-natural” and then the regular product? That’s not economical. As far as ethical, or socially responsible, I believe that is up to the intentions of the person buying it or producing it.

Have you heard about the health benefits of eating natural foods? I have heard that there are some, but I have never heard about any specific benefit or change that has come from eating natural or naturally raised foods. Dr. Gary C. Smith from Texas A&M University says that research comparing natural, organic, conventional, and grassfed beef does not support claims of any nutritional differences that are beneficial to humans⁵. Why is that? Well…raw milk has bacteria, naturally raised animals and conventional animals are still the same animal with the same genetic and nutritional makeup, and plants raised with or without pesticides are still the same plants. Nutritionally there is no difference. You may argue that conventional animals have more added hormones, but you can read my point of view on that here. And you could argue that pesticides are potentially harmful, but then why don’t we just use GMO’S?

Hopefully you have a better, factual outlook on natural and naturally raised products. I hope you all are enjoying the Savvy Shopper’s Guide Series! Feel free to leave questions or comments below! And if you’re starting a new semester at school, good luck and I’ll be right there with you!

1.       “Meat and Poultry Labeling Terms.” http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/food-labeling/meat-and-poultry-labeling-terms/meat-and-poultry-labeling-terms/!ut/p/a1/jZFRb4IwEMc_DY-lx3AG90ZIFmUTZsxm5WUpehSS0pK2jrhPP9wyExed9p569_vn7v5HC8poofhHI7hrtOLy8C_G77CAcTBJIM0nwSPMsrdF_pQkEC3vB2D9D5CFN-ovvBiu6dMbGtyZeTIXtOi4q0mjKk2ZQEe4sj0aS1ml9ZZYXqHbk4pvHLE1ovstSF6ibJSgrEV-UG1Jp3fSmf2xRBya1l4HVrQ4HReCIWZZuBxN0yyEfPQXOOPnD3DZsMERIXX5fbx1rMowGlY3WKFB4-_MkK6d6-yDBx70fe8LrYVEf6NbD85Jam0dZack7dpX9vkcT6F5aVeRjb8Ay-NlYw!!/#14

2.       “Natural Element.” Fielding, Michael. Meatingplace. November 2012. Accessed January 17, 2016.

3.       “Food Safety and Raw Milk.” Wren, Geni. Bovine Veterinarian. November 2, 2011. Accessed November 4, 2015.

4.       “The Myth of Sustainable Meat.” McWilliams, James. The New York Times. April 12, 2012. Accessed November 4, 2015.

5.       “Beef-is There a Difference?” Smith, Dr. Gary C. The Food Safety Network. 2006. Accessed November 4, 2015.