Organic Processing Vo1.9 #3

difficulties. When making structure/ function claims about the health benefits of antioxidants, manufacturers must keep it to something like “helps reduce damage from free radicals” but not imply that free radical damage can lead to disease, like tumor growth. A claim that antioxidants reduce inflammation (which can relate to several diseases) crosses the line into the disease category, and the food would be regulated as a drug. Manufacturers who want to mention their clinical studies as evidence of the effectiveness of their products need to be careful. The titles of many studies include disease names. These study titles are less likely to be considered drug claims if they are not on the label but are in accompanying materials. However, watch what you put on your website. In several cases, the FDA has said that if a website is listed on a label, then it is considered to be part of your labeling.

ing several claims. For example, it is misleading to state that no hormones have been used if hormones are not allowed at all on the particular meat or poultry product. Hormones are approved only for use in beef cattle and lamb production. They are not approved for use in poultry, hogs or veal calves. Therefore, the phrase “no hormones administered” on a chicken label cannot be made unless it is followed directly with the statement “Federal regulations prohibit the use of hormones in poultry.”

“Natural.” One of the most popular claims among food manufac-

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Other Claims

“Healthy.” Of particular concern to organic food labelers are claims about what it means when a food is organic. Claims that organic food is healthier in some way than conventional food are not allowed. Don’t say, for example, “eat healthy; eat organic.” Your food can state that it is organic, and if it meets the FDA definition for “healthy,” it can make this claim. However, the message delivered by the two terms must not be that the food is healthy because it’s organic. It is easier to justify claims that organic foods are produced in an environmentally friendly manner. Also, there is a need to be careful about “no pesticides” types of claims. Some NOP-approved biological-based pesticides are allowed on some organic foods, so it needs to be determined whether “no pesticides” is truthful.