Be involved

Food Labels - Spot Eco-friendly Products

By greenexpander ⋅ September 11, 2007 ⋅  Email This Post ⋅  Print This Post ⋅ Post a comment

When shopping for food produced in environmentally kinder ways, take your time and analyze labels and logos that you see on food.
We have rounded up for you some of the most common things you find on labels, starting with the most reliable, which are verified by a third party, the less and the least reliable.

Label Foods

Bird Friendly: protects tropical bird habitats (si.edu/smbc) coffee

Certified Humane Raised and Handled: pastured, humane care of livestock (certified humane.org) meat, poultry, eggs, dairy

Demeter Biodynamic: no synthetic pesticides, pastured livestock, well-managed agriculture (demeter-usa.org) wine, cheese, eggs, fruit, meat, vegetables

Northeast Eco Apple Project: worker safety, less toxic pesticides (ipminstitute.org) apples from Northeastern states

Fair Trade Certified: ensures farmers receive fair prices (transfairusa.org) coffee, tea, chocolate, tropical fruit, rice, sugar

Food Alliance: low or no pesticides, worker welfare, habitat protection, well-managed agriculture, humane care of livestock (foodalliance.org) milk, frozen food, fruit, wheat, meat, vegetables

Healthy Grown: low pesticides (healthygrown.com) Wisconsin potatoes

Marine Stewardship Council: well-managed fisheries (msc.org) wild-caught fish, wild Alaska salmon

Rainforest Alliance certified: protects rainforests (rainforestalliance.org) bananas, coffee, citrus, cocoa

Salmon safe: protects watersheds (salmonsafe.org) wine,fruit, yogurt, rice

USDA Organic: no hormones, antibiotics, genetic engineering, radiation, synthetic pesticides or fertilizers (ams.usda.gov/nop) meat, shrimp, dairy, wine, beer, produce, processed foods, frozen foods, grain,coffee
Country of Origin Labeling: gives location where fish are caught, processed and packaged. Seek US and Canadian fish in preference to European and Gulf Coast which have higher PCB and other toxin levels. Ask to see label on box or packaging fish shipped in. fish

Grass-Fed or Pastured: livestock receive diet of natural forage outdoors; see the Meat Smart Shopper’s card for reliable products (URL below) milk, beef, lamb, pork

Local and Regional Labels, Raised On Small Family Farms: ask grocers where products are sourced and buy from farmers’ markets (most only allow local farmers); for those near you see ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/ meat, produce

rBGH-free: cows not treated with growth hormones; see the Green Guide’s Milk Product Report for reliable brands milk

Wild-caught: buy during fishing season, see msc.org and ecofish.com for reliable vendors fish and seafood

Antibiotic-free: meat, eggs, dairy
Free Range: fish and seafood
Fresh: chicken
Hormone-free: meat, dairy
Natural: meat, processed foods