What's Natural About Our Natural Products? By Sarah Federman Summary

Pollan comes to the conclusion that natural does not exist. It is moreso a word that we(humans) nowadays have come to associate with “better”, or “good for you”. People use the word as an enchanting title. In the introduction, Pollan brings our attention in by mentioning that there have been 200 class-action lawsuits filed against food manufacturers, trying to sue over misleadingly labeling their foods as ‘’natural’’.

What exactly does organic means? "Simply stated, organic produce and other ingredients are grown without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, genetically modified organisms, or ionizing radiation. Animals that produce meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products do not take antibiotics or growth hormones." (Forstel) Do we know where exactly the chicken nugget from McDonald’s come from? All they have to do is just throw the whole chicken in a blender, toss it onto an assembly line and let some giant mechanical cutter chop it up into bite-sized nuggets for company. It is also amazing how long it takes a healthy product to gain customers compared to a greasy or boxed product. This most likely has to do with the culture.

With having true genuine intentions in eating healthy people fall into the ideas advertised by cooperation’s that their products are healthy. Food corporations protect themselves through ingredient secrecy and even through the FDA because they are not required by law to disclose their ingredients; however, the chemicals used need to be considered by the FDA to be Generally Regarded As Safe (Schlosser 25). People should take responsibility in the research of the food products they consume; therefore, allowing an individual to be wise and informed of what their really consuming. Maybe, instead of cutting corners in trying to eat healthy with false idealistic advertisement consumers should consider eating fresh fruits, vegetables, and cooking ingredients. Consumers should like the author Pollan suggested in his rules of thumb: avoid food products unfamiliar, unpronounceable ingredients, and products containing more than five ingredients (Pollan

Firstly, we see the word natural in a lot of everyday stuff we use. In marketing it is a common named that is used for selling the product. Advertisers use the word “natural” to persuade people who are looking after their health to buy their product. Like in the product Kettle chips, they use the slogan in the ad “We make our potato chips using the freshest natural ingredients.” Like all natural cheddar or sea salt. The ad features a jingle with the announcer describing the product. They are trying to get the people to buy their chips, by knowing what is in them makes people want to buy it. Also, by thinking it is going to make them more healthier. Knowing that it is made with all natural ingredients and no preservatives. Another ad that

In the article “How Junk Food Can End Obesity,” the author David H. Freeman demonstrates how so many people are very poorly informed on the facts of processed foods and how bad it is for one’s health, he goes on to explain how wholesome foods are supposed to be primarily better for the health of an individual, but that is not necessarily true. In our society, we loudly blame processed food companies mainly directed at fast food companies, for the sole contribution to the increasing rate of obesity. Freedman argues how it is not just fast food companies that are playing such a huge factor, but also the “all-natural organic” stores, like Whole Foods, that we love so much. Its clear most American’s see “all-natural, processed free” products and there is a huge chance that we purchase that product, simply because the advertising draws us in. Another thing he does is gives great examples of how more healthy stores may actually have products that are more harmful than not. He also mentions many different articles that he has read throughout his essay to show the

The food market nowadays has become a whirlwind of misleading claims and food packed with as many vitamins and nutrients as possible. In Michael Pollan's “In Defense of Food”, he argues that people are too obsessed with diets and focus too much on nutrients that they end up ignoring the fact that the “health food” they are eating is made up of many different chemicals and byproducts that can cause more harm than good. Pollan uses solid evidence to back up his claims by giving examples of the different ways cultures view food, explaining different studies that have been done relating to nutrition, and exposing the real meaning behind the labels that have been put on food.

They also believe that an anti-consumerist lifestyle encourages individual wellbeing. However a contradiction exists, as Dr. O’Reilly argues that a large community of natural mothers devote great amounts of financial resources to purchase baby carriers and other organic products such as nursing pads (). The natural mothers believe these merchandises will facilitate spiritual and emotional bonding between a mother and a child. I decided to test this observation and browsed the World Wide Web to find internet websites that cater towards natural mothers. There, I found Well.ca which has devoted an entire section of their website for “Natural Mother’s Care.” Some products such as organic milkmaid tea that helps produce breastmilk is priced at ten dollars while other products such as baby carriers are priced at 250 dollars. Since this website has been operating as early as 2012 (), it is evident that there is a large consumer market for natural mothers. Therefore, natural mothering does not completely resist capitalism since they contribute to the profits of private enterprises when they buy natural mothering

While most the food products that are out in the market today can barely be considered food to some people, in my opinion, the majority of the people don’t know what is in the food products they buy but purchase these food products anyhow. I, myself being one of the people that don’t always know what is in the food products I purchase. After listening to the TED Talks and reading articles from Food Matters, my opinion of what can be considered “real food” has drastically changed. Although I already spend most of my time in the peripheries of the market, I do not spend all of my time there so I would like to challenge myself to following one of Michael Pollan’s rules and plan to “shop the peripheries of the supermarket and stay out of the middle” (15).

Recently, American culture observed a kick in health food and exercise. Even so, our nation’s reputation continues to include obesity and junk food as common traits. The main culprits in the American diet come wrapped in a package. Preservatives, sweeteners, and dyes hide within most of the foods we eat. Even meats, vegetables, and “health foods” contain these things, but why? Efficiency in production and consumer appeal persuade businesses to include these ingredients. We have taught ourselves to ignore labels and warnings as long as the product tastes good. It should be easy to educate ourselves about various ingredients, but nothing could be further from the truth. Everyone on the internet expresses a different opinion: random people that

Every time we go to the grocery store we are advertising tricks. For example, we can see some convincing words like all natural, a good source of vitamins, natural ingredients, healthy, organic, without antibiotics, hormones, cage-free, etc. These words are catchers of attention to consumers to believe they are getting something big, healthy and nutritious, but is it really that we get something good ourselves? What do all these words really mean?

“Hormone-free”, “organic”, “grass-fed”, and “natural” are labels that animal and plant producers use to inform consumers of what they are eating. These claims are misleading and usually increase the prices of those products. By increasing the price and sticking a label that reads “natural” makes consumers think that this product is better for them. Animal Welfare Approved gives an example of an egg carton boasting the statement that its eggs are “natural.” This statement can legally come from an industrial farm where the hens do not forage the way a chicken does “naturally.” According to the USDA, farms have to get organic certifications and accreditations in order to sell, label, and represent their products as organic. It is difficult to

Oscar Mayer presents two arguments of it being natural and not artificial. In the WomensHealth magazine, Oscar Mayer uses parts of nature to present that it’s natural, but the Hollywood sign in the background projects it to be artificial. Oscar Mayer has a lot of additives that make it a good product for the consumers, like the descriptive details of what’s in it. This advertisement challenges the socio economic status including gender and age. Also this advertisement shows different ideas for the consumers to figure out, that can sometimes be elusive when you analyze it.

The first point in the article is that if there is the word organic or fair trade on the product it affects how healthy a person perceives the product to be. I agree with this point because I am one of those people, I am more likely to buy a product if it has organic or fair trade on the label because I assume it is healthier. When I see this on the label I think low fat or low calories. However, there are other factors that can influence the likely hood of a person choosing a product and thinking it is healthy, like emoticons. A person is more likely to avoid a product if there is a unhappy face emoticon on the label(Vasiljevic et al. 7). The second point is that people are more likely to think a product has higher calories or lower calories depending on whether a company treats its employees fairly or not. To me this point depends on how informed the person is about products and companies. Many people are not really informed about how companies treat their employees, especially when companies only allow the public to see what they want us to see. The study was only conducted on people who had strong ethical food values but what about people who do not have strong ethical food values. That is why labels are so important it determines if a person perceives the product as unhealthy or healthy, but as discussed in class even food labels can be

nowadays, people do not know what they are eating. The majority of most Americans would not be able to pronounce the names of the ingredients listed on the package of the last snack food they consumed. Consumers “ignore certain critical questions about the quality and the cost of what they are sold: How fresh is it? How clean or pure is it, how free of dangerous chemicals? … When the food has been manufactured or “processed” or “precooked,” how has that affected its quality or price or nutritional value?” (Berry, 24) It is of utmost importance that we understand what the food that lines the grocery store shelves is actually

Dist. LEXIS 41077 at *32-34 (in which a product falsely claims to be “Guacamole,” made with “All Natural” ingredients). Furthermore, a reasonable person might find an advertisement misleading or confusing if its design never identifies it for what it is or specifically omits pertinent information such as in Leoni v. State Bar, 39 Cal. 609, 627 (1985) (in which a law firm failed to include clarification that the advertisements were advertisements), or if it should describe itself numerous times as something that it is not (Williams, 552 F.3d at 938-939). However, a product which describes itself clearly or which makes ample effort to dispel any misunderstanding is not confusing to a reasonable person. McKinniss, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 96108 at *10-11; Freeman, 68 F.3d at 289-290. Finally, a product which can be viewed on or through its packaging is especially subject to a reasonable consumer’s scrutiny. Thus, a depicted product that clearly does not contain an ingredient, as in Videtto, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 43114 at *8, is not in danger of being deceptive. Henderson v. Gruma Corp., 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 41077 at *32-33 (C.D. Cal. Apr. 11,