Labels, labels, labels. We are surrounded by labels and we are told, “This label is good and that label is bad and this label is better.” In August of last year I did a post on what the labels on fruits and vegetables mean, and I kept thinking I wanted to go back and revisit the difference between organic and natural and chemical-free. This could be super confusing! Let’s see if, for this #winewellnesswednesday, we can sort a bit of it out. :)
Note that for my purposes, these labels relate to food.
Merriam-Webster defines organic as “relating to, yielding, or involving the use of food produced with the use of feed or fertilizer of plant or animal origin without employment of chemically formulated fertilizers, growth stimulants, antibiotics, or pesticides.”
Merriam-Webster defines natural food as “food that has undergone minimal processing and contains no preservatives or artificial additives.”
It’s harder to find a specific or standard definition for chemical-free, so for my purposes I’m going to define it as “food grown or prepared without using chemically-formulated fertilizers, growth stimulants, antibiotics, or pesticides.” Yes, I swiped some of the Merriam-Webster language. There’s a reason for that.
Organic is good. Chemical-free is good. Natural is good. All of these are good.
Side note: eating fresh veggies, whether they are organic, chemical-free, or produced using chemical pesticides? Fresh veggies are ALWAYS good for you. Buy what you can afford, but try to buy fresh veggies. One of the best feelings in the world is walking outside to my small veggie garden and picking an orange cherry tomato (Sun Gold variety, if you’re curious). I don’t spray for bugs, and I used a little bit of fertilizer, and nothing tastes better than a fresh tomato straight off the plant.
Organic labeling requires producers to follow certain stringent guidelines that vary by country. There is a considerable amount of work that goes into obtaining and maintaining the organic label. Someone chose to go organic to avoid putting extra amounts of pesticides and herbicides onto their plants and into the environment. It can be expensive, time-consuming, and so some producers will choose to avoid the label and call themselves chemical-free instead. Chemical-free also means that someone is choosing to avoid putting extra amounts of pesticides and herbicides onto their plants and into the environment.
All of these labels are good. Personally, I have bought and will continue to buy produce with both labels. I will, honestly, also continue to buy conventionally-raised veggies depending on where I am and what my budget will allow. Whether organic or chemical-free, you’re getting food with a minimum amount of pesticides, and whatever way you slice your apple, that’s a good thing. While I enjoy some highly-processed foods, I am tending toward preferring natural foods with minimal processing. (I will not go so far as to advocate eating raw meat! Some processing is necessary for food to be safe to consume!) And processing the foods yourself at home? That’s a big difference from getting a packaged dinner at the grocery store.
Cheers! Here’s to your health!