Morgan Pritchard- Greenwashing of Food Labels

 I recently read an article on food sustainability and how companies are greenwashing their labels to make their products seem environmentally friendly. This article gave a list of labels that are not regulated and can be misleading. This topic is very interesting and important because, as a consumer, I want to know where my money goes. 


Sustainable foods are usually more expensive than their un-labeled counterparts. Still, consumers purchase them because they align with their morals or want to know exactly what they are eating. For example, my mom is particular about what eggs she buys because she doesn’t want to support companies with poor living conditions for the birds. Common labels on eggs include cage-free, free-range, and pasture-raised. All of these sound fairly humane and sustainable, but these are misleading due to the greenwashing of labels by companies. Cage-free means each hen gets 1 square foot of space and do not have outside access. Free range allows each hen to have 2 square feet of space and minimal sunlight (usually from a window). Pasture-raised gives each hen 108 square feet of space and are outside until nightfall. They also have a more natural diet consisting of grass and insects whereas cage-free and free-range are stuck with a corn or soy diet. (certifiedhumane.org/article-explains-difference-pasture-raised-free-range-eggs/)


Eggs labels are just one example but there are many more. ‘Locally grown’ is not regulated and can be self-defined. ‘Grass-fed’ does mean that cows are pasture-fed, but they can have hazardous chemicals. ‘No added hormones’ does not require verification and is often placed on pork products even though pigs are given hormones. More examples like these were listed in the article and it shows just how common the greenwashing of labels is. I think it is unfortunate how unregulated our food especially when people go out of their way to spend extra money on sustainable foods.

https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/osceolaco/2019/07/19/food-labeling-and-greenwashing/

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