When Is It Fair To Call A Food ‘Natural'?

Most regulations, be it for food or drugs or cosmetics, have one common requirement which states something like -- the declarations and claims “should be not misleading, false, or exaggerated”.

- Dr. DBA Narayana

Such a requirement comes from a natural justice point of view that no consumer should be cheated and declarations should be factual. When it comes to foods and label declarations related to either nutrition content and levels or health benefits detailed guidelines, requirements and nature and extent of proof to support the declarations have been laid down. The Foods Safety and Standards Act of India also does this.

One aspect time and again is raised and a number of people, from various sectors, ask me is – when can a product claim that it is natural? (an additional Indian version of this is when can a product claim it is herbal?). More consumers ask me this question after they have watched or heard media advertisements claiming products to be natural or herbal. It is appropriate that the current position on this is explored which is attempted in this column.

It should have been rather easy to say what is natural. But trying to define or give a guideline or even put a regulatory definition is not easy as would be realised by the time reading this write up is completed. Most common way to put would be things that exist in nature and are cultivated, grown, obtained by digging the soil or deep inside the earth or water is natural. It is not that simple. “From a food science perspective, it is difficult to define a food product that is ‘natural’ because the food has probably been processed and is no longer the product of the earth” says information available on Food and Drug Administration (FDA) United States’ website.