| Vol. 7 | No. 1 | Winter 2004-2005 |
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Dialogue
Is the “Earth Friendly, Farm Friendly” seal a good indicator that the food I’m buying was sustainably produced? |
No. Consumers wanting to support sustainable agriculture should avoid products bearing this seal, which was created by the Center for Global Food Issues (CGFI). This offshoot of the Hudson Institute—a think tank funded by corporate agribusiness, chemical and pesticide manufacturers, the biotechnology industry, and others—opposes organic farming and efforts to reduce the use of medically important antibiotics in farm animals, while supporting the crowding of animals onto “factory” farms.
It can be difficult for consumers to make informed choices because of the many misleading food labels on the market. Food certification labels such as the “Earth Friendly, Farm Friendly” seal, for example, use ambiguous wording to imply sustainable food production. Others, such as the United Egg Producers’ “Animal Care Certified” label on egg cartons, falsely imply that livestock has been treated humanely.
Some certification labels are trustworthy, however. One example, which agribusiness interests have sought to weaken, is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s “USDA Organic” seal, which holds food products to a rigorous standard and independent certification. Other trustworthy labels include TransFair USA’s “Fair Trade Certified,” the Northeast Organic Farming Association’s “Certified Organic,” and the Humane Farm Animal Care Certification Program’s “Certified Humane Raised and Handled.”
To learn more about the good, the bad, and the ugly of food labels, check out the Consumers Union Guide to Environmental Labels at www.eco-labels.org.
Also in this issue of Earthwise:
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