Cage-Free, Sustainable, Fair Trade, Biodynamic and more - there are a ton of product labels out there, and in many cases people get them mixed up with organic.
I've seen people confuse the smallest things with organics, for example, any product with a green circle on it or food that comes in green packaging. I'm fairly sure that food marketing companies have caught on to this confusion and will use just about any term to get people to buy their product, whether it's actually safe, healthy or ethical, or not.
Research shows that people are wildly confused by all these labels. In fact, Natural, one of the worst fake labels in my opinion, seeing as how it means almost nothing, is hugely popular. According to an annual Shelton Group survey, when asked, "Which is the best description to read on a food label?": 25% of consumers said "100 percent natural" or "All natural." Just 24% said "USDA Certified Organic. That's a pretty big hunk of people who think "natural" is an actual reliable label.
If you work with organics, real USDA organics that is, this survey just goes to show that you do need to invest part of your time into consumer education surrounding organics. Take a look at the following articles if you need help with consumer education:
Comments