If you’ve ever read The Jungle or the much more recent Eating Animals, or you’ve been binge-watching The Walking Dead, then you may have turned away from eating meat or animal products entirely.
But there is a growing movement amongst those who eat meat to become “conscious carnivores;” people who purchase meat that has had not only a lower impact on the planet but also on the animals’ health.
Many consumers feel like they have an intrinsic understanding of the word “natural.”
Usually, it’s the ameliorative sentiment: natural is something safe, something non-threatening, something that is just, sort of “right.
This is the feeling that food manufacturers hope to evoke by using the word “natural” to label their products.
Sometimes the use of the word is accurate, but other times, it can be very misleading.
This week the USDA put out its final Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA).
Renewed every five years, DGA influences not only public perception about eating habits, but also guides most government food programs, including nutritional assistance (SNAP and WIC) and the National School Lunch Program, to name a few.