What Labels Can Tell Us—And What They Can't

These days, green-minded shoppers face a dizzying barrage of labels that declare products to be "natural," "free range," "eco-friendly," "sustainable," "nontoxic" or "environmentally safe," to list just a few. Yet all these claims are "not meaningful," according to Consumers Union (CU). Although the Federal Trade Commission requires truth in advertising, the lack of clear standards for such labels basically leaves consumers with little more than marketing hype. "Consumers should take a hard look at labels, including who developed them and how are they verified," says Urvashi Rangan, Ph.D., director of the Consumers Union Eco-Labeling Project (www.eco-labels.org). A meaningful label, as CU defines it, should have clear standards, be verified by third parties, independent of industry and open to public input. Although the term "natural" appears on all sorts of personal care, food, decorating and cleaning products, the guidelines of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) cover only meat and poultry, and no third party currently verifies the label's use.

Even the highly meaningful "certified organic" label, defined under uniform federal standards since 2002, is not without controversy. True, certified organic foods must be produced without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers, antibiotics, hormones, genetic engineering or radiation. But the Organic Consumers Association (OCA) criticizes federal standards for failing to address worker welfare, fair trade and where food is grown ("local" labels help consumers support small farms while reducing the environmental costs of long-distance shipping). "Buyers should consider the organic label as a minimum standard," says Ronnie Cummins, director of OCA. The Fair Trade label, a project of the nonprofit group TransfairUSA that receives high marks from Consumers Union, addresses some of OCA's concerns by verifying that farmers receive a fair price.

Also of concern is the way that large companies are muscling in on the burgeoning organic market, which now tops $22 billion annually worldwide. In July 2003, Dean Foods, the nation's largest milk producer, purchased Horizon Organic Milk, which itself had swallowed small companies and farms. PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Tyson's Chicken, General Mills and Heinz have acquired organic product lines. Recently, Country Hen and Fieldale Farms lobbied Congress and the USDA to relax the organic rules for animal feed and access to the outdoors. Although their efforts were defeated, similar assaults on the standards are likely to continue.

In 2002, international certifier QAI extended organic certification to personal-care productsin California, even though U.S. federal regulations are not expected to be finalized for several more years. In May 2003, OCA filed a petition with the California Department of Health Services against shampoo maker Avalon Organics, questioning the company's organic claims both for the product and for floral water ingredients (see "Soap and Shampoo"). In an August 2003 decision, the state absolved the company of wrongdoing, in part because of the lack of specific federal organic standards for personal-care products. OCA is now in the process of filing a complaint with the National Organic Program.

In light of these and other challenges, The Green Guide's list of "Top 12" products provides you with the latest information and best bets on what to look out for and what's as green, healthy and socially responsible as can currently be.