A revelatory report released by The Cornucopia Institute, an organic industry watchdog, has stirred controversy in the natural foods marketing arena by highlighting abusive marketing practices by some of the nation’s largest breakfast cereal manufacturers.
In some cases, companies such as Kellogg’s, Quaker Oats (PepsiCo), Barbara’s Bakery and Whole Foods Market are selling products contaminated with toxic agrichemicals and Monsanto’s genetically engineered organisms while promoting them as ‘natural’.
The new report, Cereal Crimes: How “Natural” Claims Deceive Consumers and Undermine the Organic Label—A Look Down the Cereal and Granola Aisle explores this growing trend of marketing conventional foods as “natural” to lure health conscious and eco conscious consumers and their shopping dollars.
Unlike the organic label, no government agency, certification group, or other independent entity defines the term ‘natural’ on processed food packages or ensures that the claim has merit.
In contrast, breakfast cereals displaying the USDA’s certified organic logo are produced under a strict set of verified standards prohibiting the use of petrochemical-based fertilisers, sewage sludge, synthetic toxic pesticides, genetically modified crops, and many other common conventional agricultural and manufacturing inputs.
Cereal Crimes details how prominent agribusinesses are increasingly using various strategies to create the illusion of equivalence between the natural and organic labels to mislead consumers.
Charlotte Vallaeys, director of farm and food policy at Cornucopia, said: “Some companies that started out organic, and built brand loyalty as organic brands, have switched to non-organic ingredients and natural labelling.”
One such brand, Peace Cereal is an example of what Cornucopia calls ‘bait-and-switch’. In 2008, the Peace Cereal brand switched from organic to cheaper conventional ingredients, without lowering its prices. Now, the cereal is sold in natural food stores and mainstream grocers at prices above many of their certified organic competitors that are using more expensive organic ingredients.
Although the prices may be similar, in reality, there is a vast difference between organic and natural products from grain produced with the use of toxic pesticides. In some cases, companies charge high prices for natural products that even contain genetically engineered crops developed by St Louis-based Monsanto, the research shows.
Vallaeys said: “This is exactly why parents are seeking out truly natural (organic) products for their children and are deceived by corporate agribusinesses and their Madison Avenue agencies.”
USDA testing has found residues of organophosphate pesticides like chlorpyrifos and malathion on corn, soy, wheat flour, and oats, which are all common ingredients in breakfast cereals. In the case of wheat flour, residues were found in more than 60% of samples.
Given increasing consumer interest in avoiding genetically engineered (GE) ingredients, The Cornucopia Institute contracted with an independent, accredited laboratory to test many natural breakfast cereals for potential genetic contamination.
‘Natural’ cereals from brands including Kashi (Kellogg’s), Mother’s (PepsiCo), Nutritious Living, Barbara’s Bakery (Weetabix), and 365 (Whole Foods Market) contained high levels of genetically engineered ingredients (between 25%, and 100%), even though a number of these companies are represented as non-GMO to the public.
Harry Bennett, a marketing official with the Kansas Organic Producers Association, said: “Consumers probably find this marketplace subterfuge less surprising when they learn that many of the leading ‘natural’ cereal brands are really manufactured by giant agribusinesses like Kellogg’s, hiding behind the façade of well-established niche brands.”
Despite finding that natural cereal products offer few, if any, advantages over conventional products, companies typically charge substantially higher prices for products with “natural” labelling claims, the company said.
Analysis by Cornucopia of wholesale and retail cereal and granola prices revealed that natural products often are priced higher than equivalent organic products. This suggests that some companies are profiting from consumer confusion.
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Source: The Cornucopia Institute
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