Why All the Fuss about Natural Food Claims?

By TraceGains & Antonio Gallegos, Of Counsel at Greenberg Traurig, LLP

As Americans become more health-conscious and the demand increases for healthy and natural foods, food manufacturers must walk the line between making all natural product claims and being 100% truthful in their statements. What defines "natural" anyway? How can food manufacturers know with certainty that their "natural" claims are truthful?

To answer this question, we asked Antonio Gallegos, Of Counsel at Greenberg Traurig, LLP: 

"Consumer lawsuits against food companies for false or misleading labeling and advertising have skyrocketed in the past few years. “Natural” labeling and advertising claims make up a significant portion of these cases. The primary reason for the controversy is the lack of a clear definition or any objective criteria for determining whether a food is truly natural."