Beginning today, FDA will accept suggestions through Feb 10 on whether the government should define the word “natural” on food labels and if it does, what it should mean. FDA said it requested comment because of three petitions asking for it to define “natural” and a citizen petition saying it should ban the word from food labels. In addition, the agency said, federal courts have asked it to determine whether GMO foods or foods containing high fructose corn syrup may be labeled as natural.
There is no formal definition for “natural” at present. FDA says its policy is that “natural” means “nothing artificial or synthetic (including all color additives regardless of source) has been included in, or has been added to, a food that would not normally be expected to be in that food.” But the policy doesn’t consider food production methods.