Do you want to align your values and support a sustainable food system? Echo-labels can be an effective way to identify food products that meet environmental and sustainable standards in the way they are produced or raised.
Many eco-label programs have strict guidelines regarding their verification that can make impacts on the food system. Depending on the food label, purchasing these foods can reduce negative human and environmental impacts such as pollution, unfair labor practices and poor animal welfare. It’s important to seek out verification of ecolabels through science-based organizations such as Consumer Reports and then looking for those labels on products.
Eco-Labels
What do they really mean?
Blurbs & tidbits
Fair Trade Certified
USDA Organic
Look out for labels making less valid claims, such as ‘free-range;’ ‘no antibiotics,’ and ‘all natural,’ which give an environmental-friendly impression but don’t address factors of sustainability.
Here are a few common reliable labels and one unreliable claim to help you make informed choices that align with your values.
Non-GMO Project Verified
Certified Humane Raised & Handled
Demeter Certified Biodynamic
well-recognized with decades of strict guidance. Other reliable certifications with clear verification standards include:
This non-profit organization’s label ensures foods contain no or minimal genetically modified or engineered organisms, known as GMOs.
USDA Organic: States food is grown without synthetic fertilizers, chemicals or chemical sludge.
This label is a reliable source requiring that animals engage in natural behaviors, meaning they have sufficient space to grow and live without the use of cages, crates or stalls, they are handled in a gentle manner, treated properly, and are fed a quality diet without antibiotics or growth hormones.
Free Range: These, and other Free Range logos, have no legal definition and, in the U.S., it is not considered reliable nor consistent. This claim does not have to be verified through inspections, and farmers can make the claim if animals were given at least some outdoor access but of no specified size or time.
Look for other labels with Free Range that provide more information. The more you know about these labels, the more confident you can be in your shopping for a sustainable world.
For Eggs, look for these combinations of labels:
Free Range and American Humane Certified
Pasture Raised and Certified Humane Raised
Handled and Pasture Raised
American Humane Certified
For animals, look for these labels:
American Grassfed
Animal Welfare Approved.
