The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Should the FDA prohibit the term “natural” in food labeling? Why or why not? If the FDA defines the term “natural,” what types of food should be allowed to bear the term “natural?” Should only raw agricultural commodities bear the term “natural?” Why or why not? (The FD&C Act defines “raw agricultural commodity” as “...any food in its raw or natural state, including all fruits that are washed, colored, or otherwise treated in their unpeeled natural form prior to marketing.”) If the FDA were to revise its policy regarding the use of the term “natural”...to establish a regulatory definition for “natural,” should certain production practices use in agriculture, for example, genetic engineering, mutagenesis, hybridization, the use of pesticides, or animal husbandry practices, be a factor in defining “natural?” Why or why not? Should manufacturing processes be considered in determining when a food can bear the term “natural?” For example, should food manufacturing processes such as drying, salting, marinating, curing, freezing, canning, fermenting, pasteurizing, irradiation, or hydrolysis, be a factor in defining “natural?” Why or why not? Should the term “natural” only apply to “unprocessed foods?” If so, how should “unprocessed” and “processed” be defined for purposes of bearing the claim? If the term natural should include some processing methods, what should those methods be? In making determination related to processing, should one look at the process to make a single ingredient of a food, or does one evaluate the process done to the formulated finished food product (or both)? Should ‘‘natural’’ have some nutritional benefit associated with it? If so, what should be the benefit? What nutrients should be considered? How might the FDA determine whether foods labeled ‘‘natural’’ comply with any criteria for bearing the claim?