FDA seeks public help on 'natural foods' definition

The US Food and Drug Administration is turning to the public to help define the word "natural", which is very much prevalent in many food products in the market today. Little do consumers know, the word does not actually have a government definition yet, and authorities have little control over what can and cannot be labeled as "natural", Philly reports.

After receiving three citizen petitions asking the organization to define the term "natural" on food labels and one petition to ban the actual use of the word, the FDA is looking to consumers and the public to aid them in coming up with an acceptable definition of the term. Reuters reports that some federal courts have appealed to the FDA to check if products that contain genetically modified ingredients or products that contain high fructose corn syrup may be labeled as "natural".

"From a food science perspective, it is difficult to define a food product that is 'natural' because the food has probably been processed and is no longer the product of the earth," a section of the FDA website reads. "That said, FDA has not developed a definition for use of the term natural or its derivatives."

On Tuesday, the FDA announced via news release, "Because of the changing landscape of food ingredients and production, and in direct response to consumers who have requested that the FDA explore the use of the term 'natural,' the agency is asking the public to provide information and comments on the use of this term in the labeling of human food products".

"Although the FDA has not engaged in rulemaking to establish a formal definition for the term 'natural,' we do have a longstanding policy concerning the use of 'natural' in human food labeling," the organization said.

According to the The National Law Review, the USDA Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) has its definition of "natural claims", which takes into consideration the degree of processing that the food undergoes, and even provides examples of "minimal processing" and "severe processes". The FDA said that they acknowledge this, and are looking to coordinate with the USDA FSIS.

"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," the FDA said.

"However, 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."

The FDA will be accepting input from the public beginning Nov. 12 to Feb. 10, 2016.