Attention, Target Shoppers: If you notice new wellness icons popping up in your grocery aisles, you might need some additional explanation. I saw them just yesterday, and while terms like “vegan,” “organic,” and “gluten-free” seem pretty straightforward, I wondered what, exactly, the more ambiguous labels of “nutritious” and “responsible” meant. Here’s your cheat sheet, according to Target.com:
Organic
A product that carries the USDA Organic Certification on-pack, thereby meeting the National Organic Program’s definition of “Certified Organic” or “100% Certified Organic.”
Nutritious
In order to qualify, there are two standards. A food must meet one of them.
- A single-ingredient food (whole, unprocessed) EXCLUDING sugar, flour and juice concentrates
OR
2. A non-grain item, the first ingredient being one of the following: fruit, vegetable, dairy, nuts/seeds or protein and for a grain item, the first ingredient must be a whole-grain – AND – total fat must be less than 10% of the daily requirement, and less than 30% of the dish’s value. Fat also must be less than 10% saturated. Sugar must be less than 25% of calories, sodium must be less than 480mg for individual foods and 600mg for a meal/main dish.
Read more HERE
Non-GMO
A product that has an independent third-party certification, or it carries an unqualified on-pack statement relating to the final product being made without genetically engineered ingredients.
Gluten-Free
A product that has an unqualified independent third-party certification, or it carries an on-pack marketing claim relating to the finished product being gluten-free.
Vegan
A product that carries an unqualified independent, third-party certification or on-pack statement relating to the product being 100% vegan.
Whole Grain
A product that carries an on-pack Whole Grain Council Stamp, or it has at least 8g of whole grains per serving.
Fair Trade
A product that has an unqualified independent third-party certification related to the product being made in accordance with fair-trade principles in which fair prices are paid to producers in developing countries.
Responsible
A product that has one or more of the following:
– An animal-welfare certification (e.g. Humane Bunny Certified, Humane Heartland Certified, Animal Welfare Approved).
– The product’s seafood components must meet Target’s Sustainable Seafood Policy. This includes being Wild Caught or Marine Stewardship Council certified.
– Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certification or other sustainable palm oil statement or certification.
Those are good level guides for people who got less idea about the contents and nutrition of the products. More kind of these labels should be implemented in most markets.