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When it comes to reading eco-labels on food, do you know what to look for? Are you getting what you pay for? Do you understand what those labels mean? Or are you being greenwashed and humanewashed?

What are the most reliable labels and certifications? (I know, because I used to work for one of the certifiying organizations below!)

This topic has been on my mind for a few weeks. Maybe it’s because I feel even more pulled into to my roots as a farm hugger because:

1. I intuitively feel that moving even further into a local food system is more important than ever—which I realize is different from eco-labeling, but you have to consider that you can often get better quality food from local growers who don’t use third party labels/certification like “organic.” Today’s new post will tell you what you need to know.

2. My permaculture garden went wild this year with cherries, raspberries (that are still going nuts), onions, zucchini, chard, kale, peaches, blueberries, watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberries, honeyberries, tomatoes, mint, sage, arugula, and beets. I’m so proud of myself! Ha.

3. September was the 7-year anniversary of our #1 bestselling Essential Thyroid Cookbook: Over 100 Nourishing Recipes for Thriving With Hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s, where the Our Story section briefly outlines my history as a farm hugger, including two subchapters called:

• Both/And: Organic and Sustainable Farming
• What This Means for You

What’s in the above chapters is so important. And we’ve gotten so much feedback over the years that this information really opened people’s eyes.

And yes, today’s post is adapted from an Appendix from the book, but it’s been expanded on.

How to read those labels…

The key to an eco-label’s credibility and legitimacy is if the certifying organization employs independent, third-party inspections. 

A 1st party label is issued by the producer without independent review. “Trust us, we raise free-range chickens.” 

A 2nd party label is issued by an industry, trade, or membership association. “Trust us, our dairy farmers have pledged to not use growth hormones.”

There are problems with these two labels. According to Marion Nestle, Professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University, “Anyone can put any kind of eco label on a product. Each of these groups sets its own rules. With the exception of organic, which for all its flaws does have a government agency behind it, you have to trust the labels are honest and honestly monitored.”

A 3rd party label/certification is issued by an organization independent from the product/producer. “Our coffee is Fair Trade Certified.”

An independent, neutral, third party entity has exhaustively inspected the operation, based on predefined criteria. The third party reports back to the certification organization, allowing no conflict of interest to muddy the waters. And thus, consumers can be assured that the claims are meaningful, verifiable, consistent, clear, transparent, open to public comment, and independent with no conflict of interest.

Authentic, third party claims offer: 

Traceability: What/where is the source?

Transparency: What are the standards?

Accountability: Have the standards been met?

Some examples of authentic third party labels are: 

• American Grassfed Association
• Animal Welfare Approved
• Bird Friendly
• Certified Humane
• Demeter Certified Biodynamic
• Fair Trade Certified
• Food Alliance Certified (I used to work for Food Alliance!)
• Leaping Bunny
• Marine Stewardship Council Certified
• Non-GMO Project
• Rainforest Alliance Certified
• Salmon-Safe
• USDA Certified Organic

Some claims that are slippery and misleading are: 

Antibiotic-Free: This is difficult to verify. It’s often seen on milk and meat products and implies that the cows or chickens were never given antibiotics. But perhaps we should seek out more specific terminology such as “raised without antibiotics,” although a 2022 study found that 42% of beef labeled “raised without antibiotics” had indeed been given antibiotics.

Cows may have at one point been given antibiotics, even though they don’t appear in its system right before slaughter. Terms like “no subtherapeutic use of antibiotics used in feed” are useful, since this can be tracked via paper trail by the USDA or certification organization. 

Some farms or ranches that use “antibiotic-free” labels may exclude animals that have been ill, even if they were treated. 

It’s critical to understand that reckless use of antibiotics in animals can lead to antibiotic resistance, which is a serious global health threat.

Cage-Free: There’s no legal definition. With cage-free, the birds are kept out of cages and have continuous access to food and water but don’t necessarily have access to the outdoors and can’t roam and forage. It could mean an animal lives in a barn with 10,000 other birds, depriving them of their natural behaviors. The birds could be subjected to inhumane treatment, such as forced molting and beak trimming.

Free-Range: There’s no legal definition—it’s vague, requiring only access to outdoors for an undefined time period each day, which could be five minutes or no access at all. With free-range, the birds must have continuous access to the outdoors, unless there’s a health risk present. There are no standards, though, for what that outdoor area must be like—a concrete lot could do, which deprives them of their natural behaviors. 

The animals are often housed in crowded sheds or pens, just like animals on conventional, factory farms. And they can still be mutilated and forced to travel long distances, without food or water, to be slaughtered.

Tyson has come under a lot of fire for using this label deceptively. 

Some of the least-reliable labels are:

Cruelty-free: There are so many loopholes here and there’s no official definition for this label, so it’s not regulated in any way. Producers may claim that their animals are raised “cruelty-free” because they’re antibiotic-free, for example, but the producer has ignored other critical animal husbandry criteria. There are no standards for transport, slaughter, or mutilation.

Grass-fed (uncertified): This label sounds straightforward, but watch out. Even on some conventional farms, cows are fed grass for the first few months of their lives before being switched to grain, which can cause health problems in cattle and lead to the use of antibiotics. Hormones could be administered and there’s no consideration for quality of pasture. Many assume that grass-fed means organic, which is false.

Grass-finished: This refers to the last 90-160 days before slaughter. The term “grass-finished” may or may not mean that the cattle were raised on grass all of their lives, both as calves and during the finishing phase.

Hormone-free: This is difficult to verify. Besides, all animals have hormones, so labels should say, “no added hormones” or “no synthetic hormones.” It’s important to know that administering hormones to pigs, poultry, and bison is illegal, so when you see these products with a “no added hormone” label, know that the company is engaged in an unethical marketing ruse. Because of years of activism, producers can now use “rBGH-free” or “rBST-free” labels on dairy products. 

Pasture-raised: This term is unregulated. But we can assume that the animals haven’t been confined to CAFOs (confined animal feeding operations). It doesn’t specify how long cows graze on pasture—it could be 10% of the time and they can still be fed grains and given antibiotics and hormones. 

It implies that hens got at least part of their food from foraging on greens and bugs, which adherents say can improve flavor. Some studies have found that pasture-raised eggs contain more nutrients. 

Natural: This label has become quite the joke and has absolutely no legal meaning except for fresh meats. The USDA declares that “natural” meats must not have any artificial ingredients, such as colors or preservatives, and must be minimally processed, meaning no further processing other than chopping, grinding, smoking, etc. It has no bearing on the production methods or standards of care for animals. 

A processed food claiming to be “natural” may still contain a lot of ingredients you don’t want, including preservatives, chemicals, additives, etc. And what’s troubling is that a Consumer Reports survey found that nearly 9 out of 10 consumers assume that meat labeled “natural” comes from animals that were raised without drugs or chemicals. 

One way to get around misleading claims is to get to know your farmers, ranchers, and food producers personally through your local food co-op, farmers’ market, CSA (community supported agriculture), or community garden. And to grow your own food.

I’m tellin’ you, it tastes better, is better for you, and peace of mind in knowing exactly what you’re getting is unmatched.