What is Natural Food?

There is no official regulation for the "natural" label except when it pertains to meat and poultry. The USDA has set a new voluntary standard for meat marked "naturally raised," the animals must be raised without growth promoters, most antibiotics, and animal byproducts. It also can not contain any artificial ingredients or be more than minimally processed, such as ground beef.

And this does get slightly more confusing—Don't mistake the "Certified Naturally Grown" (CNG) label as a relative of the "natural" or "all natural" label family. Unlike the "natural" label, which is administered solely at the discretion of the food manufacturer, the CNG label is administered by a third-party, non-profit group that adheres to organic farming principles. Some CNG members will even dispute that their methods are stricter than the USDA organic guidelines.