“Natural” Meat: Still as Unnatural as Ever – The Atlantic Food Channel

As we all know, the language we use is extremely important to our cognitive understanding of the various stimuli in our lives. The language we use with our friends and families, our relationships, our work, all help to define those connections. Language is perhaps most significant in the marketing of products. So it was with some interest that I read a blog post by Nicolette Niman (wife of Bill Niman, the famous rancher and progenitor of Niman Ranch, the pork product company, which he recently sold.)

Nicolette writes about the “appropriation” of the word natural in the marketing of certain food products, in this case pork products. The word natural conjures up visions of pastoral peace, of animals living their lives in a simple clean way in harmony with their essential natures. It also conjures up that healthfulness we all see in our food consumption. “Well, the sign said it was natural so that must be good for me right?”

Of course, on closer inspection, Nicolette describes that most meat billed as natural is still anything BUT. The natural meat that we actively seek out in fact are not natural, and in most cases those animals are still be raised and slaughtered in the most atrocious (and morally repugnant) factory farm conditions.

Nicolette continues:

Our point was that the conditions in which an animal is raised are central to the question of whether or not its meat is natural. A few weeks ago, the USDA released a draft of its new rules relating to meat labeling. The new rules require that meat called natural not be fed antibiotics or meat by-products. This is good but really just scratches the surface. Unfortunately, as previously, the rules are silent on the conditions in which animals are raised. We are not surprised, but we are nonetheless disappointed. This means the USDA will continue to allow factory-farmed meat to be labeled as “natural.” Buyer beware.

As I have argued before and will continue to hammer home, we need to continue to raise our consciousness on these matters. It’s a terrific thing that we are having debates like these, and I salute the Niman’s in their efforts to get involved in the USDA’s legislation process. It’s a signal of just how far this movement has come. But we cannot stop now, because those savvy marketing companies will appropriate any and every term they can to continue to sell us products we do not want, do not need in order to perpetuate an unsustainable cycle.