“All Natural”? More like all Not at all Factual!

Whenever I'm feeling a little bougie or hipster, I'd like to treat myself to a little "artisanal" bread with a soft sunny-side "farm fresh" egg. Maybe with a side of "all natural" fruit yogurt. Yum, don't you feel so clean and wholesome just listening to my meal? 

But here’s the truth: these words don’t actually mean anything.

Food companies use these words because they sell, not because they’re backed by real standards. And just like the long-running myth that MSG is harmful, these labels are more about marketing than science.

The FDA has never clearly defined “natural.” Back in the 1990s, they even tried to set a standard but abandoned the effort. Today, “natural” simply means a food doesn’t contain something blatantly artificial, but even that is loosely enforced. A juice with high-fructose corn syrup can be labeled “all-natural.” Peanut butter with preservatives? Still “natural.” Even Oreos or Cheetos can technically fit the bill.

This confusion is not new. The term “natural” first started appearing on labels in the 1970s and surged as shoppers began associating it with health. Surveys through the 2010s showed the gap between consumer expectations and reality: in 2015, about 60% of shoppers believed “natural” foods contained no pesticides, artificial ingredients, or GMOs and 80–85% thought the label should guarantee those things.

For decades, experts have debated what “natural” should mean. The USDA set some guidelines for meat and poultry as early as the 1980s: to qualify as “natural,” the product must contain no artificial ingredients or added colors, and it can’t be “fundamentally altered” in processing. But for packaged foods? The FDA has been slow to act.

Legal scholars like Efthimios Parasidis have documented dozens of lawsuits where consumers challenged misleading “natural” claims — especially for processed foods like cookies, energy bars, or cereals made with GMOs and preservatives. Judges often sided with consumers in those cases, but without a federal definition, outcomes varied.

Back in 2018, many experts predicted that if the FDA ever issued rules, they would likely focus on ingredients and production methods, banning artificial preservatives, GMOs, and certain processing techniques like irradiation (using X-rays to extend shelf life) or sewage sludge as fertilizer. In practice, though, those predictions remain largely hypothetical. As of today, “natural” is still a marketing free-for-all.

However, not all labels are fluff. Some have clear, enforceable definitions such as:

USDA Organic: Strict standards for farming and processing; no synthetic pesticides, no antibiotics, no sewage sludge.

Gluten-Free: FDA requires less than 20 ppm of gluten.

Low Sodium / Low Fat: Exact thresholds set by the FDA (example: “low sodium” = 140mg or less per serving).

Non-GMO Project Verified: Not government-regulated, but backed by a strong third-party certification.

Compare that to “farm-fresh,” “clean,” “wholesome,” “artisanal,” or even “natural.” These are pure marketing poetry. They sound good, but they aren’t backed by law.

Just like “natural” has been used to mislead, “No MSG” has been used to scare.

MSG (monosodium glutamate) is simply the sodium salt of glutamic acid, an amino acid found naturally in foods like tomatoes, mushrooms, and parmesan cheese. It’s what gives foods a deep, savory umami flavor.

Despite decades of fear-mongering, science is clear: MSG is safe. The FDA, World Health Organization, and National Academy of Sciences have all affirmed its safety for the general population.

So why the bad reputation? In the 1960s, a single letter to a medical journal linked MSG to “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome.” The claim was never validated, but the myth spread, fueled by xenophobia and junk science. Since then, brands have used “No MSG” like a selling point, even though MSG is no more dangerous than the glutamates in your favorite tomatoes or parmesan cheese.

The bottom line is that food marketing is full of buzzwords meant to confuse you: “natural,” “farm-fresh,” “artisanal,” “wholesome.” These terms sound healthy but rarely guarantee anything about what’s inside the package.

Meanwhile, labels like organic, gluten-free, and low sodium actually carry legal weight. And myths like “MSG is bad for you” are just as misleading as a soda labeled “all-natural.”

Until regulators step in, your best defense is this:

Read ingredient lists: they tell the real story. Trust regulated claims: they have actual standards and don’t fall for myths: MSG is safe, flavorful, and unfairly demonized.

At the end of the day, “natural” is just a slogan. Ingredients are the truth.