Consumers are increasingly aware of the potential for foods to carry bad bugs like Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria. They are demanding safe, nutritious foods, but at the same time, they are asking for natural products. What’s more, they don’t have the time or desire to go to the grocery store multiple times per week. They want their foods to last on the shelf and in the refrigerator. Consumers want it all: longevity, fresh-like quality and a clean label.
Working toward defining natural
The first challenge developers face is agreeing on a definition for natural. “Folks are lining up on all sides of the aisle in terms of what natural means or what should or should not be allowed for use in natural products,” says Robin Peterson, business development manager, Purac America, Inc., Lincolnshire, IL. FDA has declined to define natural in the food products that it regulates, but USDA is in a position where it feels more pressure, from the industry and consumer groups, to define natural.
In 1982, USDA defined natural as products that are minimally processed and contained no chemical preservatives. “Minimal process meant what grandma could do in her kitchen,” says Peterson. “There were some exclusions made in terms of chemical preservatives, and included things, like salt, sugar, juices from fruits such as lemon, as well as vinegar.” USDA makes no distinction between chemical preservatives and natural antimicrobials; therefore, ingredients that extend the shelf life of the product—except exempted ingredients—are not allowed.
USDA amended this policy in 1995. “The amended policy honored the use of lactates in natural products and allowed for organic products to be considered natural, as well,” says Peterson. Lactates are used in a wide variety of meat and poultry products for pathogen inhibition. Then, in Dec. 2006, USDA reversed its 1995 policy. “When they made a reversal of their policy, it was like someone took a baseball bat and banged on a hornet’s nest, and the whole thing has gotten very buzzy ever since,” she says.
Suddenly, lactates were not on the list of ingredients approved for use in USDA natural-labeled products, though those already on the market were grandfathered.