Organic is officially defined. Natural is broadly used in finished products but confusion leads to lawsuits. ONHA is trying to fix that.
The group formed to define the hot-button term “natural” says it may come up with a working definition by year’s end.
The Organic and Natural Health Association says consumer buy-in is paramount for consumer acceptance.
Perhaps surprisingly, it also suggested the term may be flexible depending on the quantity of consumer intake.
“The standard for natural should be the same for food or any other product, you could say. But foods and animal foods are taken in large quantities, thousands of grams, while dietary supplements are taken in small quantities, milligrams, and then consumers have limited contact with household products,” said Michael Lelah, Ph.D., chief research scientist with Mercola who also spent years as technical director at NOW Foods. “Given those categories, we can see different standards being set for different categories, a higher standard with higher consumer contact. We could see that as one possible outcome of this process.”