More people buying ‘natural’ foods, but have no idea what it means: report

More people in the United States are buying “natural” foods, despite not fully understand what that word means, Consumer Reports has found.

For processed foods, the term “natural” has no verified meaning and is not regulated by any agency. Despite this, the percentage of people who regularly buy food labeled as “natural” has grown from 59 percent in 2014 to 62 in 2015.

A recent Consumer Reports survey of 1,005 adults found that a majority of the people who buy these products believe they’re produced without genetically modified organisms, hormones, pesticides, or artificial ingredients, which isn’t necessarily always true.

The report comes as the Food and Drug Administration takes a closer look this year at how the term is used, whether it should be defined and how, USA Today reported. A public comment period is taking place through May 10, according to the FDA site.

“Ideally, we’d like to see federal regulators ban the natural label, but if they don’t get rid of it, then they must give it real meaning,” said Urvashi Rangan, ­director of the Consumer Reports Food Safety & Sustainability Center.

Consumer Reports argued in favor of the FDA using the “natural” label for foods that are organic and contain no artificial ingredients. Verification should also be required to ensure that foods labeled “natural” truly meet that definition, like the process currently used for the term “organic,” Ms. Rangan said.