Have you read the Biblical creation story in the Book of Genesis? My favorite part is the description of Adam in the Garden of Eden. With a lonely Adam firmly ensconced in his garden paradise, God entrusted Adam with one task: name everything that God created (this is a loose paraphrase of Genesis 2:19-20 KJV, if you want the unadulterated version).
Adam did an admirable job. He came up with concise names such as cow, cat and dog … I don’t think I could do as well. There are some animals that were obviously later in the process.
“Adam, what should we call this long-snouted animal that only eats ants?”
“Uhhhh … I don’t know,” Adam replies. “Let’s just call it an anteater … Next.”
I applaud Adam for his insight in naming the dodo bird. Why waste a good name on a species destined for extinction? On its face, the job of naming every animal, fish, bird and plant may seem like an easy one, but what we name things has some serious consequences.
Take almond milk, for instance. “Milk” traditionally describes the mammary secretions of a mammal. Juice and oil are the domain of plants, but you can’t find nut oil or juice at the grocery store … just almond milk.
The name “almond milk” really annoys the dairy industry, but the name dates to medieval times. As the Catholic church spread into northern Europe, these cold weather Catholics struggled during the 40 days of Lent. During the Lenten season, Catholics abstain from butter, cream, milk, cheese, eggs, and meat from mammals and birds. The Mediterranean Catholics had ready access to fish and olive oil. For the northern Europeans, butter was their primary cooking oil, and they were forced to import olive oil during Lent … until they pressed almonds as a dairy replacement. At the time, it seemed fitting to call this dairy replacement almond milk. The Dairymen’s Association came into existence 500 years later, so there was no one to complain about nonlactating almonds producing milk.
Did you know that maple syrup isn’t always maple syrup? Some maple syrup is corn syrup with maple flavor added. Except in the maple syrup-producing state of Vermont. There are nine pages of state law concerning what can be called “maple syrup” and what must be identified as “maple-flavored syrup.” Outside of Vermont is a different story. If you want maple syrup, you need to buy “100% maple syrup,” because without the prefix, it might not be maple syrup.
My sector of agriculture is no exception. The meat case is a complicated section for consumers. Without a label, could you tell the difference between pork, beef and lamb? Do you know the difference between a steak and a roast, a shoulder and a ham, a lamb chop and a pork chop? Even with a label, consumers are often stumped in the meat case. And it doesn’t end with the straightforward cuts. I know that bacon comes from the ventral line of the belly of a hog. But where does turkey bacon come from? Does a turkey have a belly or a ventral line where the meat is streaked with fat? Or is turkey bacon just fowl imitating the most delectable part of a pig?
Food labeling rules are enforced by the FDA, the USDA, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Stack on top of that state laws and regulations designed to protect regional brands (see Idaho Potatoes). With all this regulation and oversight, it’s no wonder that the labeling of food has never been more confusing.
Today, there are a myriad of labels you can find on packaging … “Organic,” “Natural,” “Non-GMO” and “Non-hormone treated” are all examples. Consumers are more informed than ever but still struggle to know what food is healthy and what is not. Do you know the difference between organic and 100% organic? Organic can have up to 5% nonorganic ingredients. As a producer myself, most of these labels simply mean a farmer or rancher is capable of filling out paperwork and following a few guidelines.
The modern food consumer knows the ingredients and methods used to produce the ingredients. Food labels proudly proclaim calories, carbs, proteins, fats, and the percentage of vitamins and minerals. With a little time and expertise, you could balance a ration for yourself, but no one does. Most food consumers struggle to balance healthy, flavorful and convenient food. Convenience is self-evident and flavorful comes down to personal preference. Healthy, on the other hand, is more difficult to pinpoint. Therein lies the value of labels on our food. However, just because the ingredients and processes have a name, it still doesn’t tell a consumer definitively which items are healthy and which are not. Therefore, most consumers defer to flavorful and convenient.
Because I am involved in agriculture, I fashion myself more informed than the average food consumer. Even with this advantage, we struggle to balance a ration every day for our family’s table. Maybe Adam had the right idea after all. Skip the labels, and just eat the apple … straight from the tree.
