  |
|||
|
|
|
||
|
Posted by Victoria Anisman-Reiner May 27, 2008 |
Part and parcel of the greenwashing seen on supermarket shelves is the over-use of the words "organic" and "natural." Despite restrictions on what percentage of content must be organic or "natural" (unmodified) in order for these words to be used on labelling, there are some pretty dodgy cases where the words are used inappropriately...
There are a few words in the English language that mean one thing in one context and something entirely different when they're found in a different setting. Organic, unfortunately, is one of those words.
"Organic," in the food and supplement industry, means crops that are grown with no synthetic chemical herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, or artificial fertilizers.
"Organic" chemistry, on the other hand, means molecules that are made up mostly of carbon and hydrogen.
I've seen products on health food store shelves - mostly in the hair and personal care aisles - that use the word organic in obviously misleading ways, to suggest that the products are natural when in fact all they are describing is the chemistry of synthetic molecules.
It's a pet peeve and something I find almost humorous. One more reason to educate ourselves about what's in the food, medicine, and personal care we use.